the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, before playing in the Canadian-American league, would be coming to Pittsburgh. However he spent the 1935-36 with the Springfield Indians. The Shamrocks then signed several players with NHL experience. They first purchased Joe Starke, a goaltender from the Chicago Black Hawks. Next, the Shamrocks signed three players from the Detroit Red Wings: Norm Walker and brothers Earl and Desse Roche. The Roche brothers became the first brothers ever to play together on any professional Pittsburgh hockey team. Rookies Jean and Conrad Bourcier also made local history by becoming the second siblings to play professional hockey on the same Pittsburgh team when they joined the Shamrocks in late January. Meanwhile, Harold Darragh and Gordon Fraser, who both played in the NHL with the Pirates, were added to the roster. The Shamrocks also signed Nick Wasnie, won two Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens in 1930 and 1931, and was credited by Aurel Joliat as being the first player to use the slap shot. 1935-36 season On November 10, 1935, the Shamrocks opened their season on the road, against the Syracuse Stars. The game resulted in the Shamrocks defeating the Stars, 5–4. Two nights later, the team played in their home opener at Duquesne Garden against the Cleveland Falcons. The game's opening ceremonies featured a full orchestra. Meanwhile, Garnet Sixsmith, who played in the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League and once scored eleven goals in a game at Duquesne Garden dropped the ceremonial puck. During the game, Bill Hudson scored a hat trick, which included the game-winner, as the Shamrocks defeated Cleveland, 6–5. However, on November 17, 1935, the Cleveland Falcons defeated the Shamrocks in Cleveland, 2-0, and the team began a five-game losing streak. Included in that streak was a 3–0 loss to the Buffalo Bisons which resulted in the Pittsburgh Press describing the Shamrocks as "a very mediocre team". Finally, goaltender Joe Starke ended the streak and earned the first Shamrocks shutout in a 1-0 win over the London Tecumsehs. The team improved slightly with the addition of Red Anderson and Roger Cormier, however they dropped their next four games. The team's record, through just its six weeks of play, did not sit well with its ownership. On December 20, 1935, Larry Welch was fired as the team's general manager. A statement by Phil Jacks, the secretary-treasurer of the Shamrocks, read "We are sick and