Billy Barlow

William McKenzie "Billy" Barlow was an important part of the mighty Montreal AAA teams of the early 1890s. Born in 1871 in Montreal, Barlow began his senior career playing point with the Montreal Victorias, but soon joined the Winged Wheelers, switching to centre where he made his impact on the game.

Barlow was never the best player in the game, but he was really very good, and a conscientious all-rounder at that. He was known for his quick, dodging runs, and excellent combination play with rovers Clare McKerrow and Havilland Routh - an excellent player who will be profiled here in time. Above all, Barlow was noted for his blazing speed.

Barlow was the bright particular star all through. He skated faster and played better than any other man on the ice... (Montreal Gazette, 18 Jan 1897)

Barlow came around the flags with the velocity of a rocket and was soon half-way down the ice, with no one to intercept him. (Montreal Gazette, 22 Feb 1897)

But Barlow did not simply use his skating to start rushes, he was also diligent in his forechecking. For example:

From the face the rubber went to the Ottawa end; Barlow followed it closely, [Baldy] Spittal fumbled, Barlow went behind the flags and pushed the puck forward to [Norman] Dawes, who touched sufficiently hard to score. (Montreal Gazette, 27 Feb 1897)

Great speed, good goal-scoring ability, excellent playmaking, and aggressive forechecking. What more could you want in a forward?

Barlow...was the star. He played his usually brilliant game, taking advantage of everything. (Montreal Gazette, 1 Mar 1897)

Season	Club	League	Pos	Age	GP	MIN	OP	DP	PP	TPA	TPAK
1891	Montreal Victorias	AHAC	1	19	20	500	-0.2	0.7	0.0	0.5	1.00
1892	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	15	20	32	720	-0.9	-0.4	0.0	-1.3	-1.81
1893	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	5	21	70	1400	4.8	1.4	0.0	6.2	4.43
1894	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	5	22	80	1600	5.5	1.6	0.0	7.1	4.44
1895	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	5	23	80	1600	1.3	1.1	0.0	2.4	1.50
1896	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	5	24	80	1600	3.4	0.2	0.0	3.6	2.25
1897	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	5	25	80	1600	5.4	1.7	0.0	7.1	4.44
					442	9020	19.3	6.3	0.0	25.6	2.84

Clare McKerrow - a Brief but Dominant Career

We've been spending a good deal of time in the 20th century lately, albeit to early 20th century. But it's time again for something from the 19th, to centre ourselves.

Clare McKerrow played rover for the Montreal AAA from 1896 to 1899, only four seasons. But he accomplished more in that short time than most players do in an entire career. In his four years, he finished second, first (tied), second and first in goals per game in Canada's highest league. Take a look at his Point Allocation records:

Season	Club	League	Pos	GP	MIN	OP	DP	PP	TPA	TPAK
1896	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	4	60	1200	5.9	-0.2	0.0	5.7	4.75
1897	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	4	80	1600	5.4	1.5	0.0	6.9	4.31
1898	Montreal Winged Wheelers	AHAC	4	80	1600	6.9	1.2	0.0	8.1	5.06
1899	Montreal Winged Wheelers	CAHL	4	46	920	6.4	-0.2	0.0	6.2	6.74
				266	5320	24.6	2.3	0.0	26.9	5.06

He was the best player in the country in 1899 with a 6.74 TPAK, which comes close to hitting the Gretzky-Orr Threshold. He was more than simply a scorer, though he was noted as being an exceptional natural goal-scorer. McKerrow was also noted as a gifted skater and diligent checker. He played his last senior hockey at age 21. It's incredible to imagine what he might have done had he played into his prime athletic years, a two-way force that could have kept the AAA on top of the league for a number of years. As it is he won a Stanley Cup in 1895 (his first appearance in senior hockey was in a Cup game), and another as  coach on the AAA in 1902.

Clare McKerrow is also credited as a mentor to a young Lester Patrick, teaching him about the game, and how to conduct himself as a gentleman. As Patrick proved throughout his career as a player and an executive, he was an unparalleled expert on both topics, so it seems McKerrow was a creditable teacher as well.

It should be noted that the picture above is actually from a lacrosse card, from over a decade after McKerrow played his last senior hockey. The image can also double for a picture of Andrew McKerrow, who played point for the Montreal AAA in 1896 (1.20 TPAK), and who happened to be Clare's twin brother, the first confirmed incidence of twin brothers playing on the same senior-level squad.