This Day in Hockey History – December 2, 1909 – NHA Says OK to Play

Dec 2, 2019

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As with the NHL, its predecessor, the National Hockey Association (NHA) formed because a league changed to leave out a former member. On November 25, 1909, the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA) dissolved because the Quebec Bulldogs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Shamrocks did not want to use the smaller and inconveniently-located Jubilee Arena built by the owner of the Montreal Wanderers. The three left out the Wanderers to form the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA).

Rather than fold or leave the professional level, the Wanderers formed their own pro league. As the Montreal Gazette noted, “The exclusion of Wanderers from the combination of the clubs formed last week has already started a war that before the end of the season may result in a big shake up in the hockey situation in Eastern Canada.” On December 2, 1909, they announced the formation of the new National Hockey Association of Canada Limited.

As the Wanderers officials (led by GM Jimmy Gardner) left the meeting that dissolved the ECHA (at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal), they came across Ambrose O’Brien, owner of the Renfrew Creamery Kings. They wanted to join the pro league because they had been excluded from challenging for the Stanley Cup. However, the CHA also rejected the Renfrew application. Thus, the two spurned teams decided to start a rival league.

Wanting to avoid the publicity of meeting at a hotel, they held a private meeting at 300 St. James Street, Dominion Office & Store Fitting Company, Ltd., in Montreal’s downtown business district. In addition to Gardner and O’Brien, attendees included representatives from Cobalt and Haileybury in Ontario. The Wanderers’ Fred C. Strachan presided, and the secretary of the Montreal Baseball Club, Eddie McCafferty, served as secretary.

According to the by-laws they established, the franchises could not sell within their first year and afterwards, 2/3 vote was needed before transfers were allowed. Right away, three of the four clubs at the meeting paid bonds of $1,000 each, and the fourth paid the following morning. The NHA’s original franchises thus included the Montreal Wanderers, the Renfrew Creamery Kings, the Cobalt Silver Kings, and the Haileybury Comets. They also set aside a franchise for Toronto that they intended to have join them the following season once they had rink accommodations.

The press speculated that perhaps the Montreal Nationals, an Ottawa franchise (backed by the Lacrosse club), and another CHA club jumping ship might join the NHA by the time the schedule was set. Instead of the Nationals, when they met to set the schedule on December 4, the NHA formed a new French-Canadian team from Montreal, Les Canadiens. Both the CHA and the NHA then set their schedules with five teams in each league.

Although the season began on December 30, the five franchises in Montreal alone soon took their toll. The CHA games had poor attendance, so discussions began about merging the leagues. As of January 15, 1910, the Montreal Shamrocks and the Ottawa Senators left the sinking CHA to join the NHA, and the rest of the CHA folded.

The slate was cleared, and the season began anew with just the NHA. The team at the heart of the controversy, the Wanderers, finished the shortened season 11-1-0 and then won the Stanley Cup challenge. Their main rivals, the Ottawa Senators, trailed by just four points with a record of 9-3-0, and they would win the Stanley Cup the following season. Of the seven franchises that played in the NHA’s first season, the Canadiens brought up the rear with a mere four points and a record of 2-10-0. However, they would be the only team to survive from the NHA through the formation of the NHL and beyond the Original Six era.