One hundred and one years ago, the hockey world came to a crossroads. As five members of the Montreal Canadiens—and manager George Kennedy—lay bedridden with influenza at a downtown Seattle hotel on April 1, 1919, nursing fevers that ranged from 101 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, an unprecedented decision was made: The Stanley Cup final, scheduled to conclude that night with a winner-take-all tilt between the Habs of the National Hockey League and the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, would be canceled.
“This has been the most peculiar series in the history of the sport,” PCHA president Frank Patrick told reporters later, via the Montreal Gazette.