Playing Career
Quick on his feet, Maxwell's skating ability at rover earned him the nickname "Steamer". He began his senior career in 1909–10, appearing in one game with the Winnipeg Monarchs of the Manitoba Hockey League (MHL). In 1910–11, he scored six goals for the Monarchs in five games and was named the to the league's second All-Star team. He scored seven goals in seven games for the Monarchs in 1911–12, and by the following season had been named the team's captain.
Maxwell scored three goals and two assists for the Monarchs in the 1913–14 season as the team won the city and provincial championships. By virtue of the title, the team was granted possession of the Allan Cup, emblematic of Canada's national senior-amateur championship. The team initially refused to defend the trophy against a challenge by the Kenora Thistles after the Cup's trustees ruled Dick Irvin ineligible. Facing the possibility of having to play with only six players against Kenora's seven, the Monarchs threatened to default. The game, held March 11, 1914, was ultimately played – with Irvin in the line-up – and Maxwell's speed and skating helped lead the Monarchs to a 6–2 victory. The team was unable to defend the trophy against a second challenge, played two nights later against the Regina Victorias. Maxwell scored a goal in a 5–4 defeat.
The Monarchs repeated as Manitoba provincial champions in 1914–15 as Maxwell again scored three goals and two assists during regular league play. The team reached the 1915 Allan Cup finals, where they challenged the Saskatchewan champion Melville Millionaires who held the Cup. Unlike the previous year's single-game contests, the 1915 final was played as a two-game, total-goals series. Melville defeated Winnipeg by a 4–3 score in the first game, but the Monarchs overcame a two-goal deficit in the second match to win 4–2 and win the series on an aggregate total of six to five. There were no further challenges, and Maxwell and the Monarchs ended the season as Allan Cup champions.
Throughout his playing career, Maxwell received several offers to turn professional. the National Hockey Association's Toronto Blueshirts offered him $1,500 to join their team, while representatives of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association made an offer of $1,800 the following season. He turned both offers down, preferring to remain an amateur. His feelings on what constituted an amateur player were so strong that he quit playing hockey following the 1915 Allan Cup as the nature of the senior game at the time failed to meet his expectations: "When I played, I bought my own skates and boots. When I found out some of the others were getting paid, I quit."
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