Stratford Indians 1923
Stratford Hockey Club

Ontario Hockey Association / OHA Intermediate

Team Roster
Front Row L to R - Butch Kelterbourne, Larry Berger, Howie Morenz, Frank Carson, Nifty Griffin.

Back Row - L. King (secretary), Roy Brothers, Tom Battersby, W.J. McCully (treasurer), Len Trushinski, C. Down (manager), Bord Norfolk (goalie), C.V. Lloyd, Harry Ruston, W. Girby (trainer), T. Edmunds (trainer).

NOTE
During a CNR Hockey tournament held in December 1922 in Montreal, Morenz scored nine goals in a game for Stratford. A friend of Léo Dandurand, the owner of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, refereed the game and told Dandurand how good Morenz was. Dandurand went to Stratford in January 1923 to watch Morenz play, and decided he wanted to sign him to the Canadiens. In April he met with William Morenz, because at the age of 20, Howie was still legally a minor. William told Dandurand that he wanted Howie to finish his apprenticeship at the CNR factory, which would take another two years. However, in July Dandurand learned that Morenz and his father had been in contact with the Toronto St. Patricks, a rival team in the NHL. Fearing that Morenz would sign in Toronto, Dandurand sent his friend, Cecil Hart, to Stratford with instructions to sign Morenz at any cost. On July 7, 1923, Morenz signed a contract with the Canadiens for three years with a salary of $3,500 per year and a $1,000 signing bonus, a considerable amount for a first-year professional.