He traveled with and reported on the Boston Bruins, and was recognized with the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame for his journalism.

He grew up in South Boston, started delivering a paper route at age 14, and worked a 20-hour shift on weekends as a copy boy at the Daily Record.

He enlisted in the United States Navy at age 17, and served for two years during World War II.

His younger brother Bob Monahan wrote on college hockey for The Boston Globe.

[2] Monahan traveled with the Boston Bruins on overnight train trips between games, and the younger writers were given the upper bunk for sleeping.

He became friends with Bruins' player Milt Schmidt who said that, Monahan "was fair and he did not interrupt his writing with our friendship".