1918-12-16yy

 

Just over a month since the armistice was signed ending the Great War, a group of returning soldiers was expected to arrive in Hamilton on December 16, 1918.

A reporter for the Hamilton Herald got access to a list of the names of those soldiers, whom he called “returned heroes” were due be back in the city that day.

A name that jumped out to him was one which would be very familiar to Hamilton hockey fans:

“ Among the list is the name of ‘Shorty’ Green, the speedy center-player of the 227^th battalion senior O.H.A. team of two years ago. He is going to locate in Hamilton, and will be available for the Tigers. He was wounded, but has quite recovered, and in his last letter he stated that he would be ready to jump into the game as soon as he reached Canada.

“ ‘Shorty’ Green is known in Hamilton as one of the fastest center-players who ever appeared here. He and ‘Babe’ Donnelly were the stars of the 227^th team, and their play was a feature of every game. Green is tricky, speedy, and, in fact, possesses everything that goes to make a real hockey player.

“It is his intention to reside in Hamilton, and his coming is welcomed.”¹

¹ “ ‘Shorty’ Green Among Returned Soldiers – Will Reside Here.”

Hamilton Herald.   December 16, 1918.

When Green arrived, the details of his experiences at the front became widely known. He had fought in the Battle of Passchendaele where he was one of the victims of a gas attack.

Green played the whole 1918-1919 season with the Hamilton Tigers, leading that team to an Allan Cup championship. He would then return to his home city, Sudbury, Ontario, playing four seasons with the Sudbury Wolves, before returning to Hamilton to play with the city’s NHL team, the Tigers.

‘Shorty’ Green would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.