1917-18 NHL season
Encyclopedia
The 1917–18 NHL season
was the first season of the National Hockey League
(NHL) professional ice hockey
league. The league was formed after the suspension of the National Hockey Association
(NHA). Play was held in two halves, December 19 to February 4, and February 6 to March 6. The Canadiens
won the first half, and Toronto
the second half. The Montreal Wanderers
withdrew early in January 1918 after their rink, the Westmount Arena, burned down. Toronto won the NHL playoff and then won the Stanley Cup
by defeating the PCHA
's Vancouver Millionaires
three games to two in a best-of-five series
On October 19, a meeting of the NHA board of directors was held. Livingstone did not attend, sending lawyer Eddie Barclay. Barclay was informed by the directors that Toronto would not play in the 1917–18 season due to the difficulty of operating a five-team league, both in scheduling and availability of players during wartime. Livingstone then publicly announced that he would set up an international circuit and raid the NHA players.
On November 9, 1917, it was reported that the Toronto NHA franchise was sold to Charles Querrie of the Toronto Arena corporation. At this point, NHA president Robertson and secretary Frank Calder denied that the NHA would change, dissolve or adopt other subterfuge. This sale never completed.
The November 10, 1917 annual meeting of the NHA was presided over by Mr. Calder, attended by Martin Rosenthal and E.P Dey for Ottawa; Sam Lichtenheim for the Wanderers; George Kennedy for the Canadiens and M. J. Quinn and Charles Freemont for Quebec. At the meeting, Livingstone is represented by J. F. Boland, who states that if the league operates that the Toronto franchise intends to be full members. The NHA votes to suspend operations but not wind up the organization and will meet in one year's time. According to the Globe, there is a movement to form a new four-team league of Toronto, Ottawa and the two Montreal teams. According to Holzman(2002), the Toronto representative offers to allow the Arena Gardens to manage the Torontos and lease the players.
There then followed a period of speculation in the newspapers as to whether Quebec would play in the new season and what would be the league organization. One name for the new league was speculated: the "National Professional Hockey League". If Quebec could play then the Toronto players would be dispersed; if Quebec could not play then the Toronto players would be loaned to a temporary Toronto franchise. Representatives of Ottawa, Quebec and the Montreal teams met on November 22, 1917, but adjourned without a decision.
On November 26, 1917, representatives of the Ottawa, Quebec and Montreal NHA clubs met at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal. The decision to start a new league is finalized and announced. The decision was made to start a new league, the National Hockey League:
A Toronto franchise was to be operated 'temporarily' by the Arena Gardens while the Toronto ownership situation was resolved. The franchise uses the players of the Blueshirts, including those who had been transferred to other NHA teams for the second half of the 1916–17 NHA season. While Livingstone agreed to a lease of the team, the NHL owners do not intend to share any revenues from the players. Livingstone would sue for the team's revenues in 1918. George Kennedy, owner of the Canadiens, would later say:
The team played without a nickname for the season.
According to Holzman, the NHL itself was intended to operate temporarily until the Toronto NHA franchise was resolved. The NHA had a pending lawsuit against the 228th Battalion, and could or would not fold until after that was heard.
, given to the annual champion of the now suspended National Hockey Association
, was appropriated by the NHL and became the league's championship trophy. It was awarded to the winner of the NHL playoffs and that winner then went on to play for the Stanley Cup
in a series against rival leagues.
On January 9, 1918, the league decided to allow goaltender
s to drop to the ice surface in order to make saves. This was the first implemented and amended rule change in the National Hockey League. It was done in response to Ottawa's Clint Benedict
constantly falling to make saves.
. Also, filling rosters was a challenge because the talent pool was decimated by World War I.
The Wanderers were in trouble from the start of the season. They won their home opener but drew only 700 fans. The Wanderers then lost the next three games and owner Lichtenhein threatened to withdraw from the league unless he could get some players. Although they could have acquired Joe Malone in the draft, they turned to the PCHA and signed goaltender Hap Holmes. They also obtained permission to sign such players as Frank Foyston
, Jack Walker and others if they could do so. The Wanderers loaned Holmes to the Seattle Metropolitans
of the PCHA, but he eventually found his way back to the NHL when Seattle loaned him to Toronto
.
A league meeting was planned to deal with the situation, but on January 2, 1918, the matter was resolved when the Montreal Arena
burned down, leaving the Canadiens and Wanderers homeless. The Canadiens moved into the 3,250 seat Jubilee Rink. The Hamilton arena offered to provide a home for the Wanderers, but Lichtenhein disbanded the team on January 4, after the other clubs refused to give him any players. The remaining three teams would complete the season.
The last active player from the inaugural season was Reg Noble
, who retired following the 1933 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
had four goals in the Wanderers 10–9 victory, which would be their only one in the NHL. The opening game was played in front of only 700 fans.
On January 28, when Canadiens visited Toronto, players Alf Skinner and Joe Hall
got into a stick-swinging duel. Both players received match penalties, $15 fines and were arrested by the Toronto Police for disorderly conduct, for which they received suspended sentences.
Toronto vs. Montreal Canadiens
Toronto wins total goals series 10–7.
Toronto wins best-of-five series 3 games to 2 for the Stanley Cup
† Montreal Arena burned down and Wanderers withdraw. Two Wanderers games count
as wins for Canadiens and Toronto.
Second half
Note:
The O'Brien Cup, still considered the championship of the NHA, was not actually awarded to Toronto in 1918. It remained under the care of the Canadiens who had won it in 1917, until the death of their owner, George Kennedy, in 1921, when the NHL made arrangements to re-use the trophy. The Hockey Hall of Fame lists Toronto as the winner for 1917–18.
, A = Assists
, Pts = Points
, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
was the first season of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
league. The league was formed after the suspension of the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA). Play was held in two halves, December 19 to February 4, and February 6 to March 6. The Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
won the first half, and Toronto
Toronto Arenas
The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company...
the second half. The Montreal Wanderers
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are...
withdrew early in January 1918 after their rink, the Westmount Arena, burned down. Toronto won the NHL playoff and then won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
by defeating the PCHA
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League...
's Vancouver Millionaires
Vancouver Millionaires
The Vancouver Millionaires were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926...
three games to two in a best-of-five series
League business
In November 1917, the owners of the NHA, apparently unwilling to continue the league with Toronto NHA owner Eddie Livingstone, decided to suspend the NHA and form a new league, the NHL, without Livingstone. The events transpired in the following way:On October 19, a meeting of the NHA board of directors was held. Livingstone did not attend, sending lawyer Eddie Barclay. Barclay was informed by the directors that Toronto would not play in the 1917–18 season due to the difficulty of operating a five-team league, both in scheduling and availability of players during wartime. Livingstone then publicly announced that he would set up an international circuit and raid the NHA players.
On November 9, 1917, it was reported that the Toronto NHA franchise was sold to Charles Querrie of the Toronto Arena corporation. At this point, NHA president Robertson and secretary Frank Calder denied that the NHA would change, dissolve or adopt other subterfuge. This sale never completed.
The November 10, 1917 annual meeting of the NHA was presided over by Mr. Calder, attended by Martin Rosenthal and E.P Dey for Ottawa; Sam Lichtenheim for the Wanderers; George Kennedy for the Canadiens and M. J. Quinn and Charles Freemont for Quebec. At the meeting, Livingstone is represented by J. F. Boland, who states that if the league operates that the Toronto franchise intends to be full members. The NHA votes to suspend operations but not wind up the organization and will meet in one year's time. According to the Globe, there is a movement to form a new four-team league of Toronto, Ottawa and the two Montreal teams. According to Holzman(2002), the Toronto representative offers to allow the Arena Gardens to manage the Torontos and lease the players.
There then followed a period of speculation in the newspapers as to whether Quebec would play in the new season and what would be the league organization. One name for the new league was speculated: the "National Professional Hockey League". If Quebec could play then the Toronto players would be dispersed; if Quebec could not play then the Toronto players would be loaned to a temporary Toronto franchise. Representatives of Ottawa, Quebec and the Montreal teams met on November 22, 1917, but adjourned without a decision.
On November 26, 1917, representatives of the Ottawa, Quebec and Montreal NHA clubs met at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal. The decision to start a new league is finalized and announced. The decision was made to start a new league, the National Hockey League:
- constitution and rules the same as the NHA
- Frank CalderFrank Calder-External links:*...
elected president and secretary - M. J. Quinn of Quebec was named honorary president
- franchises were granted to Ottawa, Canadiens, Wanderers,
- Quebec players to be disbursed among the other teams
A Toronto franchise was to be operated 'temporarily' by the Arena Gardens while the Toronto ownership situation was resolved. The franchise uses the players of the Blueshirts, including those who had been transferred to other NHA teams for the second half of the 1916–17 NHA season. While Livingstone agreed to a lease of the team, the NHL owners do not intend to share any revenues from the players. Livingstone would sue for the team's revenues in 1918. George Kennedy, owner of the Canadiens, would later say:
"The Toronto players belong as a body to the National Hockey League, for they were only loaned to the Toronto Arena Company, though Livingstone tried to make the Arena Company believe that he controlled those players"
The team played without a nickname for the season.
According to Holzman, the NHL itself was intended to operate temporarily until the Toronto NHA franchise was resolved. The NHA had a pending lawsuit against the 228th Battalion, and could or would not fold until after that was heard.
Major rule changes
The O'Brien CupO'Brien Trophy
The O'Brien Trophy, or O'Brien Cup, as labelled on the trophy itself, is a retired trophy that was awarded in the National Hockey Association and the National Hockey League ice hockey leagues of North America from 1910 to 1950. It was originally donated to the NHA by Canadian Senator M.J....
, given to the annual champion of the now suspended National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
, was appropriated by the NHL and became the league's championship trophy. It was awarded to the winner of the NHL playoffs and that winner then went on to play for the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
in a series against rival leagues.
On January 9, 1918, the league decided to allow goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
s to drop to the ice surface in order to make saves. This was the first implemented and amended rule change in the National Hockey League. It was done in response to Ottawa's Clint Benedict
Clint Benedict
Clinton Stevenson "Praying Bennie" Benedict was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Maroons. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning squads. He was the first goaltender in the National Hockey League to wear a face mask...
constantly falling to make saves.
Regular season
The new league faced stiff competition for players from a number of other leagues including the Pacific Coast Hockey AssociationPacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League...
. Also, filling rosters was a challenge because the talent pool was decimated by World War I.
The Wanderers were in trouble from the start of the season. They won their home opener but drew only 700 fans. The Wanderers then lost the next three games and owner Lichtenhein threatened to withdraw from the league unless he could get some players. Although they could have acquired Joe Malone in the draft, they turned to the PCHA and signed goaltender Hap Holmes. They also obtained permission to sign such players as Frank Foyston
Frank Foyston
Frank Corbett "The Flash" Foyston was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward.Born in Minesing, Ontario, Foyston played for the Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA, the Seattle Metropolitans in the PCHA, the Victoria Cougars in the WCHL/WHL and Detroit Cougars in the NHL.He won the Stanley Cup with...
, Jack Walker and others if they could do so. The Wanderers loaned Holmes to the Seattle Metropolitans
Seattle Metropolitans
The Seattle Metropolitans were a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington which played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1915 to 1924. They won the Stanley Cup in 1917, becoming the first American team to do so...
of the PCHA, but he eventually found his way back to the NHL when Seattle loaned him to Toronto
Toronto Arenas
The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company...
.
A league meeting was planned to deal with the situation, but on January 2, 1918, the matter was resolved when the Montreal Arena
Montreal Arena
The Montreal Arena, also known as Westmount Arena, was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on the corner of St. Catherine Street and Wood Avenue. It was likely one of the first arenas designed expressly for hockey, opening in 1898...
burned down, leaving the Canadiens and Wanderers homeless. The Canadiens moved into the 3,250 seat Jubilee Rink. The Hamilton arena offered to provide a home for the Wanderers, but Lichtenhein disbanded the team on January 4, after the other clubs refused to give him any players. The remaining three teams would complete the season.
The last active player from the inaugural season was Reg Noble
Reg Noble
Edward Reginald Noble of Collingwood, Ontario) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and defenceman who played 17 professional seasons in the National Hockey Association and National Hockey League for the Toronto Blueshirts, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto St. Pats, Montreal Maroons,...
, who retired following the 1933 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Highlights
The first game of the season featured Toronto versus the Wanderers. Montreal's Dave Ritchie scored the first goal in NHL history and Harry HylandHarry Hyland
Harold Macarius Hyland was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Montreal Wanderers and Ottawa Senators...
had four goals in the Wanderers 10–9 victory, which would be their only one in the NHL. The opening game was played in front of only 700 fans.
On January 28, when Canadiens visited Toronto, players Alf Skinner and Joe Hall
Joe Hall
Joseph Henry Hall , nicknamed Bad Joe Hall, was a professional ice hockey defenceman who played professionally from 1904 until 1919 when he died as a result of the influenza epidemic...
got into a stick-swinging duel. Both players received match penalties, $15 fines and were arrested by the Toronto Police for disorderly conduct, for which they received suspended sentences.
Final standings
Wanderers defaulted scheduled games against the Canadiens (Jan. 2, 1918) and Toronto (Jan. 5, 1918), when their arena burned down. These appear as losses in the standings, but the games were not played."The league did not accept the Wanderers' resignation immediately, electing to wait and see whether the team showed up for its scheduled match in Toronto on Saturday January 5. ... The deadline did expire, and the once-powerful team that had been known as the Little Men of Iron was thrown onto the scrap heap of hockey history. The Wanderers' scheduled games of January 2 and 5 were officially recorded in the standings as victories for their respective opponents, the Canadiens and Torontos." — Holzman.
NHL Championship
Montreal had won the first half of the NHL split season and Toronto had won the second half. The two teams then played a two game total goals series for the NHL championship. Toronto won the series and advanced to the Stanley Cup final.Toronto vs. Montreal Canadiens
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | Toronto | 7 | |
| March 13 | Toronto | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 |
Toronto wins total goals series 10–7.
Finals
Vancouver Millionaires vs. Toronto| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Vancouver Millionaires | 3 | Toronto | 5 | |
| March 23 | Toronto | 4 | Vancouver Millionaires | 6 | |
| March 26 | Vancouver Millionaires | 3 | Toronto | 6 | |
| March 28 | Toronto | 1 | Vancouver Millionaires | 8 | |
| March 30 | Vancouver Millionaires | 1 | Toronto | 2 |
Toronto wins best-of-five series 3 games to 2 for the Stanley Cup
Results
First half| Month | Day | Visitor | Score | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. | 19 | Ottawa | 4 | Canadiens | 7 |
| 19 | Toronto | 9 | Wanderers | 10 | |
| 21 | Ottawa | 4 | Toronto | 11 | |
| 21 | Canadiens | 11 | Wanderers | 2 | |
| 26 | Ottawa | 6 | Wanderers | 3 | |
| 26 | Canadiens | 5 | Toronto | 7 | |
| 29 | Wanderers | 2 | Ottawa | 9 | |
| 29 | Toronto | 2 | Canadiens | 9 | |
| Jan. | 2 | Toronto | 6 | Ottawa | 5 |
| 2† | Wanderers | - | Canadiens | - | |
| 5 | Ottawa | 5 | Canadiens | 6 (27' OT) | |
| 5† | Wanderers | - | Toronto | - | |
| 9 | Canadiens | 4 | Toronto | 6 | |
| 12 | Ottawa | 4 | Canadiens | 9 | |
| 14 | Toronto | 6 | Ottawa | 9 | |
| 16 | Ottawa | 4 | Toronto | 5 | |
| 19 | Toronto | 1 | Canadiens | 5 | |
| 21 | Canadiens | 5 | Ottawa | 3 | |
| 23 | Ottawa | 4 | Canadiens | 3 | |
| 26 | Toronto | 3 | Ottawa | 6 | |
| 28 | Canadiens | 1 | Toronto | 5 | |
| 30 | Canadiens | 5 | Ottawa | 2 | |
| Feb. | 2 | Toronto | 2 | Canadiens | 11 |
| 4 | Ottawa | 2 | Toronto | 8 |
† Montreal Arena burned down and Wanderers withdraw. Two Wanderers games count
as wins for Canadiens and Toronto.
Second half
| Month | Day | Visitor | Score | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. | 6 | Canadiens | 3 | Ottawa | 6 |
| 9 | Toronto | 7 | Canadiens | 3 | |
| 11 | Ottawa | 1 | Toronto | 3 | |
| 13 | Toronto | 6 | Ottawa | 1 | |
| 16 | Ottawa | 4 | Canadiens | 10 | |
| 18 | Canadiens | 9 | Toronto | 0 | |
| 20 | Toronto | 4 | Canadiens | 5 | |
| 23 | Ottawa | 3 | Toronto | 9 | |
| 25 | Canadiens | 0 | Ottawa | 8 | |
| 27 | Ottawa | 3 | Canadiens | 1 (at Quebec) | |
| Mar. | 2 | Canadiens | 3 | Toronto | 5 |
| 6 | Toronto | 3 | Ottawa | 9 | |
Awards
- NHL champion - Toronto Hockey Club
Note:
The O'Brien Cup, still considered the championship of the NHA, was not actually awarded to Toronto in 1918. It remained under the care of the Canadiens who had won it in 1917, until the death of their owner, George Kennedy, in 1921, when the NHL made arrangements to re-use the trophy. The Hockey Hall of Fame lists Toronto as the winner for 1917–18.
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = GoalsGoal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...
, A = Assists
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
, Pts = Points
Point (ice hockey)
Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...
, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
Penalty (ice hockey)
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Malone | Montreal Canadiens | 20 | 44 | 4 | 48 | 30 |
| Cy Denneny Cy Denneny Cyril Joseph Denneny was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association. His brother Corbett Denneny also played in the NHL.-Early life:Cy Denneny was born... |
Ottawa Senators | 20 | 36 | 10 | 46 | 80 |
| Reg Noble Reg Noble Edward Reginald Noble of Collingwood, Ontario) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and defenceman who played 17 professional seasons in the National Hockey Association and National Hockey League for the Toronto Blueshirts, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto St. Pats, Montreal Maroons,... |
Toronto | 20 | 30 | 10 | 40 | 35 |
| Newsy Lalonde Newsy Lalonde Édouard Cyrille "Newsy" Lalonde was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League and a professional lacrosse player, regarded as one of hockey's and lacrosse's greatest players of the first half of the 20th century and one of sport's most colourful characters... |
Montreal Canadiens | 14 | 23 | 7 | 30 | 51 |
| Corbett Denneny Corbett Denneny Charles Corbett "Corb" Denneny was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played professionally from 1912 to 1931, including nine seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Arenas, Toronto St. Pats, Hamilton Tigers and Chicago Black Hawks. Corbett also played for the Vancouver... |
Toronto | 21 | 20 | 9 | 29 | 14 |
| Harry Cameron Harry Cameron Harold Hugh "Cammie" Cameron was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played professionally for the Toronto Blueshirts, Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Toronto St. Pats and Montreal Canadiens. Cameron won three Stanley Cups in his career... |
Toronto | 21 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 28 |
| Didier Pitre Didier Pitre Joseph George Didier "Cannonball" Pitre was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He was nicked named "Cannonball". One of the first players to join the Montreal Canadiens, Pitre's French-Canadian heritage helped give his line-mates the nickname the Flying Frenchmen, brought upon by his... |
Montreal Canadiens | 20 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 29 |
| Eddie Gerard Eddie Gerard Edward George Gerard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada he played professionally for 10 seasons for the hometown Ottawa Senators and was member of several Stanley Cup-winning teams before retiring as a player in 1923... |
Ottawa Senators | 20 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 26 |
| Jack Darragh Jack Darragh John Proctor "Jack" Darragh was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League and its predecessor the National Hockey Association.-Playing career:Darragh played his entire professional career with the Ottawa Senators... |
Ottawa Senators | 18 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 26 |
| Frank Nighbor Frank Nighbor Julius Francis "Pembroke Peach" Nighbor was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and National Hockey Association and Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA and Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific... |
Ottawa Senators | 10 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 6 |
Leading goaltenders
| Name | Club | GP | GA | SO | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georges Vezina Georges Vézina Joseph-Georges-Gonzague Vézina was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association and nine in the National Hockey League , all with the Montreal Canadiens... |
Canadiens | 21 | 84 | 1 | 4.0 |
| Harry Holmes Hap Holmes Harry George "Hap" Holmes was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. As a professional, Holmes won the Stanley Cup four times, with four different teams. He tied the record of his 1914 Stanley Cup winning Toronto Blueshirts teammate Jack Marshall, who also has won Cups with four different... |
Toronto | 16 | 76 | 4.8 | |
| Clint Benedict Clint Benedict Clinton Stevenson "Praying Bennie" Benedict was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Maroons. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning squads. He was the first goaltender in the National Hockey League to wear a face mask... |
Ottawa | 22 | 114 | 1 | 5.2 |
| Art Brooks | Toronto | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | |
| Sammy Hebert Sammy Hebert Samuel James Hebert was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played professionally from 1913 until 1924 in the National Hockey Association , National Hockey League and Western Canada Hockey League .-Playing career:Hebert played for several amateur teams in Ottawa before turning... |
Toronto/Ottawa | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | |
NHL playoff scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alf Skinner | Toronto | 7 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Newsy Lalonde Newsy Lalonde Édouard Cyrille "Newsy" Lalonde was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League and a professional lacrosse player, regarded as one of hockey's and lacrosse's greatest players of the first half of the 20th century and one of sport's most colourful characters... |
Canadiens | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Harry Cameron Harry Cameron Harold Hugh "Cammie" Cameron was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played professionally for the Toronto Blueshirts, Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Toronto St. Pats and Montreal Canadiens. Cameron won three Stanley Cups in his career... |
Toronto | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| Harry Meeking Harry Meeking Harry "Hurricane Howie" Meeking was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 3 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Arenas, Detroit Cougars and Boston Bruins. He was born in Berlin, Ontario.... |
Toronto | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| Reg Noble Reg Noble Edward Reginald Noble of Collingwood, Ontario) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and defenceman who played 17 professional seasons in the National Hockey Association and National Hockey League for the Toronto Blueshirts, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto St. Pats, Montreal Maroons,... |
Toronto | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1917–18 (listed with their first team, not including players who previously played in the NHA):- Jack Adams, Toronto
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1917–18 (listed with their last team):- Jack LavioletteJack LavioletteJean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played nine seasons for the Montreal Canadiens hockey club and was their first Captain, Coach, and General Manager....
, Montreal Canadiens - Art RossArt RossArthur Howey "Art" Ross was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman and executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward...
, Montreal Wanderers - Harry HylandHarry HylandHarold Macarius Hyland was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Montreal Wanderers and Ottawa Senators...
, Ottawa Senators