Pete Muldoon, originally named Colonel Linton Treacy, was born in St. Mary’s, Ontario, in 1887. He later became the first coach of the Chicago Black Hawks. During his youth, Muldoon played hockey in Ontario before relocating to the West Coast in the early 1900s to pursue a boxing career. He changed his name, believing Pete Muldoon was more fitting for a boxer.
Despite his proficiency in other sports, hockey remained his primary passion. Muldoon embarked on his coaching career with the Portland Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association at the age of 27 during the 1914-15 season. Two years later, he moved to Seattle to coach the Seattle Metropolitans, also in the PCHA, leading them to an Stanley Cup final against the Montreal Canadiens.
Upon winning the Cup, the Metropolitans made history as the first American team to achieve this feat. To this day, Muldoon holds the distinction of being the youngest coach of an American team to win a Stanley Cup and the first to bring the trophy south of the Canadian border.
After the Seattle franchise ceased operations following the 1924 playoffs, Muldoon returned to Portland. In 1926, most of the Rosebuds’ players were sold to Major Frederick McLaughlin, who owned the newly formed Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League. Muldoon was offered the coaching position for the fledgling team, a role that perfectly suited him, and he ultimately accepted. Muldoon was deeply committed to his team and its players, who, in turn, learned a great deal from him. Remarkably, eight of Chicago’s 16 players from that inaugural season eventually became coaches themselves. One particularly successful player was the legendary Dick Irvin, who went on to win Stanley Cups with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.
Eight of Chicago’s 16 players from that season eventually became coaches.
However, working for McLaughlin proved challenging. The owner constantly interfered with the coach, offering suggestions and even demands on how players should be utilized. Tired of McLaughlin’s eccentricities, and with 14 days remaining in the season, Muldoon informed him of his intention to resign. The franchise achieved moderate success in its first year, finishing third in its division. Despite this, Stanley Cup glory eluded the team, and Muldoon kept his word, leaving the team. Tragically, after returning to Seattle, Muldoon died of a heart attack in March 1929 at the age of 41.
Regarding the legendary curse: when Muldoon departed from the Black Hawks, he was so disillusioned by McLaughlin’s constant interference that he reportedly vowed to place an Irish hex on the team. He swore the club would never finish in first place in the NHL standings. There has always been some debate as to whether this conversation truly took place or was merely an invention by journalist Jim Coleman. Regardless, the individuals involved in that purported exchange are no longer with us.
Eventually, in the 1966-67 season—the last of the NHL’s Original Six era—the Black Hawks, featuring stars like Glen Hall, Pierre Pilote, Stan Mikita, Kenny Wharram, and Bobby Hull, finished in first place. This achievement seemingly broke Muldoon’s alleged curse 23 years after McLaughlin’s death. However, Chicago ultimately lost in the semifinals to Toronto.
