1904–05 Ottawa Hockey Club season

After resigning from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) in January 1904, the club made plans to join the FAHL.

Harvey Pulford's wife Annis died giving birth to a son in December 1904.

[2] In December 1904, the Ottawas signed an agreement to return to Dey's Rink for season and Stanley Cup play.

[3] The Ottawas had been unhappy with the Aberdeen Pavilion and the Dey's Rink management agreed to arena improvement.

After a shot by Hamby Shore was stopped, McDonald "in a zealous effort to clear, only batted it in.

"[9] The first interest in a challenge from Dawson City was indicated in a letter from Weldy Young to the Ottawa Citizen, in 1900.

The Stanley Cup trustees received a letter from G. T. Kirkson and C. Shannon of Dawson on June 7, 1901, challenging the then-champion Winnipeg Victorias.

[10] In January 1905, the Dawson City Nuggets travelled 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from the Yukon to Ottawa for a best-of-three Cup challenge series.

During the first twenty minutes of play, the challenging team made a remarkably fine showing against the champions, but after that they gradually faded away and were never seriously in the running, indicating that the chief fault with the team is that they are not in condition to stand the test of a hard battle after their long trip of 23 days from the north.

After the second game, The Globe reported: The visiting team was outclassed to-night quite as decisively as the score indicates.

Ottawa simply skated away from them at the whistle, and continued to pile up the goals with a merciless monotonous regularity which was farcical in the extreme.

McGee returned in game two, with his good forearm wrapped in a cast, and only a light bandage on his broken wrist, to decoy the Thistles.

[19] Ottawa played game one without two of its top players: Frank McGee and Billy Gilmour.

This was considered a disadvantage to the Thistles, who were unable to play their style of game, having only skates suited to fast ice.

Bolstered by the return of McGee and Gilmour, Ottawa played a game of "trickery and rough tactics" that they were known for.

McGee did not score, but did his part to intimidate the Thistles with stick work, drawing four penalties.

Dey's Rink was jammed, filled with 3,500 spectators, leaving approximately 1,000 outside on Gladstone Avenue.

McGee and Westwick scored to put Ottawa ahead 4–3 but Phillips tied it at 4 with four minutes to play.

He had missed playing for Dawson as he was working in the federal election, although he did arrive in Ottawa during the series.