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James Norman Riley lived a life of firsts. He was a member of the Seattle Metropolitans, the first American
hockey team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917. He was the first, and to this day the only athlete ever to
play professional hockey in the NHL and Major League Baseball. If that wasn't enough, he also served
his country in the First World War.
James was born to parents John Riley and Margaret Byers in Bayfield,
New Brunswick on May 25, 1895. It is unclear at which point
he left Bayfield, but he was already in Calgary in 1914, where
he played with the Calgary Victorias. The following year he
headed further west to Victoria and played his last season of
hockey in Canada before heading to Seattle, where he would spend
8 years playing professional hockey with the
Seattle Metropolitans.
Jim's best hockey years were spent in Seattle, where he was
a consistant scorer and helped the team win the Stanley Cup
in 1917.
With Canada fully committed to the First World War, James knew
he had to return to serve for his country. On April 12, 1918
in Seattle, he married a woman named Myrtle, presumably his
first wife, then headed to Vancouver and was drafted just three
days later. Having lived in the United States for two years,
he had no address in Canada at the time of his conscription
and wrote "Arena Rink" as his address on his application forms.
Trained as a tinsmith, he was placed with the
Canadian Engineers unit and
set sail for Seaforth, England on August 8th, arriving there
one week later. During his time overseas, he was twice promoted,
and had reached the rank of Sargeant by the time he was discharged
on October 7th, 1919 when his unit was demobilized. |
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1 NHL Hockey Season
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0 Goals, 2 Assists
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8 PCHA Hockey Seasons
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2 Major Lge Baseball Seas.
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Runs:1 Home Runs:0
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11 Minor Lge Baseball Seas.
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Born: May 25, 1895
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Died: May 25, 1969
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- Nickname: Jim
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NHL Teams: Blackhawks, Cougars
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MLB Teams: Browns, Senators
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