Fred Chittick

Fred Chittick, at far left in the second row from the bottom, with the Ottawa Hockey Club in 1901.

Fred Chittick (April 5, 1868 – August 24, 1917) was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Hockey Club from 1894 until 1901. He was also a track and field athlete and a rugby football player.^[1]

Playing career

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Chittick first joined Ottawa HC of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) for the 1895 season, taking over from Albert Morel as the starting goaltender. He played seven seasons for Ottawa, before retiring from play after the 1901 season, the season in which Ottawa won the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (successor from AHAC) championship. He would stay in the game as a referee.

In 1899, Chittick quit the Ottawas over a series of events. On January 21, Chittick was refereeing a game between Quebec and Montreal when the Montreal team quit the game, incensed at the rough play of Quebec and the fact that Chittick was allowing the rough play. After the game, allegations were made by the Montreal players that Chittick was drunk. Chittick was mad enough to threaten the Montreal players with defamation lawsuits. A month later, on February 11 in Montreal, Chittick gave up 16 goals, the worst showing by a senior goaltender to that date. Chittick was replaced for the next game and he quit in anger. He later spoke to the press about the club paying its players to pay, causing a scandal. He would not be the club's regular goaltender again, although he did play a game for the club as a replacement in 1900.^[2]

Chittick was employed as an accountant in the Canadian Department of Agriculture at the annual salary of $950 in the 1890s.^[1] He died at his Ottawa home in 1917.^[3]

References

• Coleman, Charles (1966). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, vol. 1 1893-1926 inc.
• Kitchen, Bill (2008). Win, Lose or Wrangle: The Inside Story of the Old Ottawa Senators 1883-1935. Manotick, Ontario: Penumbra Press.