Alexander John Currie (December 12, 1891 – October 4, 1951), was head coach of the original Ottawa Senators for the 1925–26 NHL season. As a player for the Senators, he won the Stanley Cup in the 1910–11 NHA season.

Alex Currie
Currie with the Ottawa Senators
Born(1891-12-12)December 12, 1891
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
DiedOctober 4, 1951(1951-10-04) (aged 59)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
PositionRight Wing
ShotRight
Played forOttawa Primrose
Ottawa Emmetts
Ottawa Cliffsides
Haileybury Comets
Ottawa Senators
Quebec Bulldogs
Montreal Wanderers
Playing career1907–1915
Currie, top left, with the Ottawa Senators and Stanley Cup in 1911.

Playing career

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Born in Ottawa, Currie graduated to senior hockey with the Ottawa Primrose of the Ottawa City Hockey League in 1907, joining the Ottawa Emmetts in 1908 where he played on a forward line with Punch Broadbent and Gordon Roberts. After playing briefly with the Ottawa Cliffsides in the IPAHU, Currie joined the professional Haileybury Comets for their season in the National Hockey Association in 1909–10, for a sum of CA$600 ($16,369 in 2023 dollars)[1],[2] before returning to Ottawa to play for the Senators in their 1910–11 Stanley Cup championship season. He was loaned to the Quebec Bulldogs for one game that season. The following season, he did not play hockey.

Currie returned to the NHA in 1913 with the Montreal Wanderers for one season, and played one final season with Senators in 1914–15.

Coaching career

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Starting in 1914, Currie became coach of various teams in the Ottawa area, such as the Ottawa Aberdeens and Ottawa St. Pats. He coached in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators in the 1925–26 season.

Personal life

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Currie's parents were Mr. and Mrs. Francis Currie of Ottawa. He had a brother John W., and a sister, Mabel.[3]

Currie was found drowned in the Ottawa River on October 18, 1951, after he had been missing for two weeks.[4][5] Currie's body was recovered from the Ottawa River near Angers, Quebec, about 12 miles (19 km) down the river from Hull. Currie had been gravely ill for some months prior to his disappearance, and he was last seen alive after he dismissed a taxi cab on Booth Street in Ottawa on the afternoon of October 4.[6]

Outside of ice hockey Currie was also a well-known lacrosse player, and as a golf player he was a member of the Rivermead Golf Club. He had worked as a siderographer for the Canadian Bank Note Company for some years.[6]

He is buried at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa.

Statistics

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  Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1910Haileybury CometsNHA7140149
1910–11Ottawa SenatorsNHA410110
Quebec BulldogsNHA10003
1911–12Did not play
1912–13Montreal WanderersNHA41012
1913–14Ottawa SenatorsNHA30000
NHA totalt191601624

Statistics from sihrhockey.org

Coaching record

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National Hockey League

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TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLTPtsDivision rankResult
Ottawa Senators1925-26362484521st in NHLLost O'Brien Trophy (1-2 vs. MTM)
NHL totals362484520-1-1 (0.250)
Preceded by Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators (Original)
1925–1926
Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  2. ^ "Currie Turns Pro." Ottawa Citizen. February 1, 1910 (pg. 1). Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  3. ^ "Find Body of Alex J. Currie in Ottawa R.". Ottawa Citizen. October 19, 1951. p. 32.
  4. ^ "N.H.L. Veteran Drowns" Montreal Gazette. October 19, 1951.
  5. ^ "Currie's Body Found" Toledo Blade. October 19, 1951.
  6. ^ a b "Body of Alex Currie Recovered From River Near Angers" Ottawa Journal. October 19, 1951 (pg. 20). Retrieved 2021-06-02.
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