Labour advocates demand NHL apologize for relocating Hamilton Tigers when they went on strike in 1925

Saira Peesker · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 17, 2025 8:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Local labour advocates are asking the National Hockey League (NHL) to right what they call a historical incorrect erstwhile the league punished the city's NHL squad for going connected onslaught successful 1925. 

"This is an injustice nary 1 has taken accountability for 100 years," said Anthony Marco, president of the Hamilton and District Labour Council connected Wednesday, arsenic helium helped motorboat a run that calls connected the NHL to apologize for moving the Hamilton Tigers to New York City arsenic a effect of the strike. 

The Tigers were expected to play six further games for nary further pay, and refused, demanding an other $200 successful summation to their $3,000 contract. 

The five-year-old NHL squad was successful archetypal spot successful the league that twelvemonth and a beardown contender for the Stanley Cup, which was past a contention betwixt the NHL victor and that of the Western Canadian Hockey League. 

The league responded by moving the squad to New York City and making the players constitute ceremonial apology letters to then-president Frank Calder and wage a $200 good if they wanted to play successful the NHL again.

The run launched Wednesday, titled 100 Year Misconduct, includes an online petition asking the NHL to accidental sorry. Organizers are hoping to get signatures from residents of Hamilton and beyond, hockey fans and nonrecreational athletes whose existent rights and contracts came aft aboriginal labour fights specified arsenic the stance taken by the Tigers, said Marco.

"Labour stands connected the backmost of radical who fought," helium said. "If you're a hockey fan, this should substance to you."

'I'd bash the aforesaid tomorrow,' said striking subordinate decades later

The team's determination had affectional and fiscal impacts connected the metropolis of Hamilton that reverberated for galore years, says Myer Siemiatycki, a Toronto Metropolitan University authorities prof who has researched the Tigers' strike.

He said the run "calls the NHL to relationship connected the travesty they committed to a terrific hockey squad and against the metropolis of Hamilton."

CBC Hamilton sought remark from the NHL but did not perceive backmost connected Wednesday.

According to Siemiatycki, Hamilton Tigers skipper Shorty Green said astatine the clip that if league owners were going to nett from the other games, truthful should the players.

Siemiatycki quoted Green connected Wednesday:

"Professional hockey is simply a money-making affair. The promoters are successful the crippled for what they tin marque retired of it, and the players wouldn't beryllium successful the crippled if they didn't look astatine matters successful the aforesaid light. Why, then, should we beryllium asked to play 2 much playoff games for the involvement of sweetening the league's finances?" Green said connected the eve of the strike.

"That's a communal refrain that runs done labour history," Siemiatycki noted. "Workers having to bash much work, with the profits and revenues coming to ownership."

Green went connected to play with the New York Americans. He scored the archetypal extremity astatine Madison Square Garden and is an inductee successful the Hockey Hall of Fame, alongside chap Tiger Billy Burch.

Decades aft the strike, Green inactive felt the players did the close thing, said Siemiatycki, who has researched the event.

"I ne'er regretted my portion successful the strike, adjacent though it outgo maine a accidental successful the Stanley Cup," Siemiatycki quoted Green arsenic saying successful a post-retirement interview. "All we asked was that players beryllium fixed immoderate stock of revenue. I'd bash the aforesaid tomorrow."