Cyclone Taylor
A hockey pioneer whose blistering speed and scoring prowess made him the sport's first true professional superstar in the early 1900s.
1884–1979 (age 95)·Canadian ice hockey player, civil servant·Birthday: June 23·The Lost Generation
Biography
Long before the NHL dominated, Fred 'Cyclone' Taylor was the name that made crowds gasp across Canada. His myth began with his speed; legends swirled that he could skate backwards faster than most men could go forwards. Starting his career in the rough-and-tumble Ontario senior leagues, he turned professional during a turbulent era of league wars and bidding for talent. Taylor became the marquee attraction for the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, leading the Vancouver Millionaires to a Stanley Cup victory in 1915 with a spectacular performance. He was a prolific scorer in an age of low scores, winning multiple goal-scoring titles and captivating fans with his end-to-end rushes. After hanging up his skates, he served for decades as a respected civil servant in Canada's immigration department. Taylor's career bridged the sport's amateur past and its commercial future, establishing the template for the hockey star as a box-office phenomenon.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Cyclone was born in 1884, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cyclone Was Born
The biggest hits of 1884
Cyclone's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1884Born
President: Chester A. Arthur
1889Started school
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1897Became a teenager
President: William McKinley
1900Could drive
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1902Could vote
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Turned 21
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1914Turned 30
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Turned 40
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1934Turned 50
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1944Turned 60
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1954Turned 70
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1964Turned 80
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1979Died at 95
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
Key Achievements
- Won the Stanley Cup with two different teams: the Ottawa Senators (1909) and the Vancouver Millionaires (1915).
- Led the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) in scoring five times between 1912 and 1918.
- Inducted as a charter member into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947.
- Scored a famous 'backwards' goal in the 1908 Stanley Cup challenge, though the exact nature is debated by historians.
- Averaged over a goal per game during his professional career, an extraordinary rate for the era.
Did You Know?
The origin of his nickname 'Cyclone' is attributed to a sportswriter amazed by his whirlwind-like skating.
He worked for the Canadian Department of Immigration for over 35 years, eventually becoming its Deputy Minister.
Taylor was known for his sportsmanship and was rarely penalized throughout his long career.
He played most of his professional career without a helmet, a common practice at the time.
A community arena in his hometown of Tara, Ontario, is named the 'Cyclone Taylor Arena' in his honor.
“I'll tell you a secret: I never could really skate backwards faster than I could go forwards.”
