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| Johnny "The Goose" McCormack |
The player in question was Johnny "The Goose" McCormack. The Edmonton, Alberta native and Toronto Maple Leafs product spent most of the season in the NHL but in his 17 games with the Hornets he scored 4 goals, assisted on 12 others and didn't spend a single minute in the penalty box.
The issue at hand was the February 14th player movement deadline between the NHL and AHL. It seems "The Goose" headed to Toronto for medical treatment relating to a separated shoulder, but some media reports indicated McCormack had been recalled to the big club instead. On February 15th the AHL sent out a list indicating the players that were eligible for the remainder of the year and McCormack's name was no where to be found on the list.
Pittsburgh insisted McCormack had never left their roster and that his omission for the eligible list was simply a mistake. A week after the list was released the Hornets plead their case to the AHL and the league released the following statement: " The name of Johnny McCormack was omitted in error from the roster of the Pittsburgh Hornets from February 15. McCormack is eligible to play for Pittsburgh for the balance of the regular season and the playoffs, and has been added to their roster. At the present time McCormack is out of the lineup with injuries."
The statement from the league it seems should have covered all the bases. Confirming McCormack's injuries and his accidental omission from the roster,( McCormack eventually returned from injury on March the 3rd helping the Hornets secure the final league playoff spot), but the Flyers were unsatisfied and filed the protest any way.
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| Maurice Podoloff |
On March 21st Podoloff announced his decision, the Hornets were out. The team was to be lose all points gained in every game McCormack played for the Hornets after the February 15 deadline and the team was disqualified from playoff action. The scheduled game that day between Pittsburgh and Springfield would be cancelled and the St. Louis/ Springfield series would begin as soon as a schedule could be finalized. John H. Harris immediately appealed Podoloff's ruling to the Board of Governors who would hold a hearing on the matter immediately.
On March 23rd the AHL's Board Governors met and deliberated during a marathon nine and a half hour session. The Hornets did everything they could to convince the Board that Podoloff decision needed to be overturned including bringing along the league statement that called McCormack's absence on the Hornets roster error. But the linchpin to the Hornets case was their surprise witness NHL President Clarence Campbell who testified that Maple Leafs Coach Joe Primeau had personally called him hours before the deadline to inform the league that McCormack would be finishing the season in the AHL. That was that, the issue was settled Johnny McCormack was eligible to play with the Pittsburgh Hornets. Podolff's verdict was overturned to the stunned dismay of the St. Louis Flyers.
The Hornets would open their first round playoff series with Springfield the next night and sweep the Indians in a dominating display. The best of five series would see the Hornets win by scores of 6-0, 9-0, and 7-2. Pittsburgh would also sweep their second round opponent the Hershey Bears but in much closer fashion 3-2, 2-1, and 5-1. It seemed as if the Hornets could ride their last second playoff entry all the way to a Calder Cup title, and they almost did. Up three games to two over the mighty Cleveland Barons in the Calder Cup Finals the Hornets were unable to seal the deal losing game six and seven by identical scores of 3-1.
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Sources: New London Connecticut Evening Day, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Regina Leader-Post, Hockeydb.com, and mapleleafslegends.blogspot.com.
