{{Other people|Michael Grant}} {{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (1873–1955)}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | name = Mike Grant | halloffame = 1950 | image = Mike Grant.jpg | image_size = 230px | birth_date = {{birth date|1873|11|27}} | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|1955|8|20|1873|11|27}} | death_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 10 | weight_lb = 170<ref>[https://diffusion.banq.qc.ca/pdfjs-3.10.111-dist_banq/web/pdf.php/SzHOOtNB0C2O7ptvX1OnlQ.pdf The Montreal Herald] (December 31, 1896, page 6). Retrieved 2024-07-17.</ref> | position = Defence/Cover-point | shoots = | played_for = Montreal Victorias<br>Montreal Shamrocks | career_start = 1894 | career_end = 1902 }} '''Michael Grant''' (November 27, 1873 – August 20, 1955) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played nine seasons of senior amateur hockey between 1894 and 1902 for the Montreal Victorias and Montreal Shamrocks. Grant was a member of the Victorias squad that won or retained possession of the Stanley Cup five times between 1895 and 1899 during the trophy's challenge era. Grant played cover-point and was known for his speed and skating ability. He is regarded as one of the first defenceman to rush forward and with the puck. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.

==Playing career== A gifted and fast skater, Grant won speed skating championships at three different age groups when he was 11 years old.<ref name="PodnieksPlayers" /> He also played amateur lacrosse while he grew up in Montreal, Quebec.<ref name="OGHHOF">{{cite book |last1=Duplacey |first1=James |last2=Zweig |first2=Eric |title=Official Guide to the Players of the Hockey Hall of Fame |publisher=Firefly Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-55407-662-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/officialguidetop00/page/207 207] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/officialguidetop00/page/207 }}</ref> His skills transferred to the hockey rink where Grant played cover point (defence). He is regarded as one of the first rushing defencemen in hockey history; Grant used his skating ability to generate offensive chances from his defensive position.<ref name="PodnieksPlayers" /> He played his youth hockey with the Crystals organization that won the Montreal city junior championship in 1891 and intermediate championships in 1892 and 1893.<ref name="OGHHOF" /> thumb|left|155px|Grant with the Montreal Victorias Grant graduated to the senior ranks in 1894 where he made his debut with the Montreal Victorias of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC).<ref name="LOHStats">{{cite web |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p195003&type=Player&page=statsawards&list= |title=Mike Grant statistics |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=2013-12-01}}</ref> He scored one goal in eight games in 1895 and the Victorias, with a record of six wins and two losses, won the AHAC title, and with it, control of the Stanley Cup, emblematic of Canada's senior amateur championship.<ref>{{cite book |last=Coleman |first=Charles L. | title=The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc. |year=1966 |pages=24–25}}</ref> Grant served as captain of the team.<ref name="OGHHOF" />

The Montreal Victorias were challenged for control of the Stanley Cup by the Winnipeg Victorias in February 1896, and lost the trophy by a 2–0 score in a one-game playoff.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1895-96Feb |title=Stanley Cup winner: Winnipeg Victorias 1895–96Feb |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=2013-12-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930080341/http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1895-96Feb |archive-date=2007-09-30 }}</ref> Montreal regained the Stanley Cup in December of that year, defeating Winnipeg 6–5.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1895-96Feb |title=Stanley Cup winner: Montreal Victorias 1895–96Dec |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=2013-12-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930080341/http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1895-96Feb |archive-date=2007-09-30 }}</ref> In AHAC play, Grant scored three goals in eight games in both the 1896 and 1897 seasons.<ref name="LOHStats" /> He captained the Victorias to a successful defence of the Stanley Cup in 1897 and the team retained the trophy in 1898 by virtue of winning the AHAC title.<ref name="OGHHOF" />

The AHAC disbanded in 1898, and the Victorias moved to the newly formed Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) for the 1899 season. Grant scored two goals in seven games in CAHL play.<ref name="OGHHOF" /> During the season, Grant and his teammates fielded another Stanley Cup challenge from the Winnipeg Victorias. They retained the trophy following a two-game series; it was Grant's fifth and final Stanley Cup win.<ref name="OGHHOF" /> Grant was offered a professional contract in New York that was worth the equivalent of $3,500 per year in the earl 1900s, but opted to remain in Montreal.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Qi1kAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2XsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2833,433619 |title=Former hockey player likes today's game |work=Calgary Herald |date=1952-03-04 |access-date=2013-12-01 |page=19}}</ref> After playing the 1900 CAHL season with the Victorias, he was loaned to the cross-town Montreal Shamrocks in 1901 as an emergency replacement for Frank Tansey. Grant appeared in two league games, and two Stanley Cup challenge games for the team before returning to the Victorias for a final season in 1901.<ref name="OGHHOF" />

==Post-playing career and personal life== Grant remained active in hockey following his playing career. He became a referee and officiated several Stanley Cup challenge games. Among them was the 1905 challenge series between the Ottawa Hockey Club and the Rat Portage Thistles. A physical and sometimes violent series, Grant famously wore a hard derby hat while on the ice.<ref name="PodnieksPlayers" /><ref name="OGHHOF" /> Grant later traveled around the United States where he organized demonstrations of the sport and staged exhibition games, making him one of the sport's first ambassadors.<ref name="LOHBio">{{cite web |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p195003&type=Player&page=bio&list= |title=Mike Grant biography |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=2013-12-01}}</ref> He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.<ref name="OGHHOF" />

Grant's father, Alex, was a blacksmith and his family's Montreal business dated back to the 1830s.<ref name="Obit">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iDArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jJgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5952,3504366 |title=Mike Grant, noted sports veteran, dies |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1955-08-22 |access-date=2013-12-01 |page=22}}</ref> Grant became involved in horse racing through his family's blacksmithing connections and served as a paddock judge for over 40 years.<ref name="PodnieksPlayers">{{cite book |last=Podnieks |first=Andrew |title=Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL |publisher=Doubleday Canada |year=2003 |location=Toronto |page=939 |isbn=0-385-25999-9}}</ref> Grant had five children: daughters Dorothy and Reta and sons Graham, Don and Kenny.<ref name="Obit" /> Don was an original part-owner and chairman of Major League Baseball's New York Mets.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chass |first=Murray |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/30/sports/m-donald-grant-94-dies-executive-angered-mets-fans.html?src=pm |title=M. Donald Grant, 94, Dies; Executive Angered Mets Fans |work=New York Times |date=1998-11-30 |access-date=2013-12-01}}</ref>

==Career statistics== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:50em" |-bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! colspan="5" | Regular&nbsp;season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 1894 | Montreal Victorias | AHAC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1895 | Montreal Victorias | AHAC | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1896 | Montreal Victorias | AHAC | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1897 | Montreal Victorias | AHAC | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |- | 1898 | Montreal Victorias | AHAC | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1899 | Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |- | 1900 | Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1901 | Montreal Shamrocks | CAHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |- | 1902 | Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | Career totals ! 55 ! 10 ! 0 ! 10 ! 0 ! 8 ! 0 ! 0 ! 0 ! 0 |} ==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{icehockeystats|legendsm=P195003}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Mike}} Category:1873 births Category:1955 deaths Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent Category:Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Category:Ice hockey people from Montreal Category:Montreal Victorias players Category:Montreal Shamrocks (non-NHA) players Category:Stanley Cup champions