Amateur Hockey Association
Encyclopedia
The Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) was an amateur men's ice hockey
league founded in 1886, in existence until 1898. It was the second ice hockey league organized in Canada, after one in Kingston, Ontario
started in 1883. It was organized to provide a longer season to determine the Canadian champion. Prior to its founding the Canadian championship was determined in a tournament in Montreal.
The 1893 champion of the league, Montreal Hockey Club
was the first winner of the Stanley Cup
, who were awarded the Cup as the champions of the AHAC since the AHAC was considered the top league of Canada.
of various hockey clubs met at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal
at the instigation of the Victoria Hockey Club
of Montreal. The first executive was composed of:
They agreed that the season should run from the 1st of January until the 15th of March. The constitution would be adapted from a lacrosse league constitution.
The teams knew each other. They had competed at the Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments
from 1883–1885 and the 1886 Dominion Championship:
Thomas D. Green
of Ottawa had played on the 1883 McGill hockey team.
In that age, ice hockey was a very different game compared to today: the AHAC rules stated that there were six skaters on each side. These were defined as:
The left wing, centre and right wing were the forwards, like today. The rover would line up behind the centre, with the point and coverpoint following, in an 'I' formation towards the goaltender. The face offs were at a right angle to today's practice, the centre men facing inwards from the sides of the rink. The goaltenders used no special equipment.
There were no goal nets. The goals were two posts, with no crossbar. An umpire would judge the legality of each score. There were no boards along the sides of the ice, and there were no standard dimensions for a rink, although dimensions were instituted for the positioning of the goal out from the ends of the rink.
A match was two halves of thirty minutes (also to note that in the day, game meant goal by modern definition). Sudden-death overtime was also in place, and a match would continue until a goal was scored in the event of a tie after regulation.
Players in all positions would normally play the entire 60 minutes.
Source:
The first championship team of the AHAC was the Montreal Crystals
, having unofficially being declared the champions before the AHAC. The first title change occurred on January 14, 1887, when the Montreal Victorias
defeated the champions 4–0. The Victorias would hold the title until the very last challenge game, when the Crystals won 3–2 in their third successive challenge. Because of the Vics' long run as champions, it was decided to switch to the series system in 1888.
The series system was a success, although a tie atop the standings between the Vics and the Montreal Hockey Club
(Montreal HC), and the subsequent scheduling of the tiebreaker game caused much trouble when the game was scheduled at a time when two Victorias players were injured, at the home venue of the Montreal HC. However, teams from outside Montreal incurred huge travelling expenses, which led the AHAC to revert back to the challenge system.
, and proceeded to win their next seven en route to the championship. Lord Stanley announced that his challenge trophy (later known simply as the Stanley Cup
) for the best amateur hockey team in Canada would be presented to the Montreal Hockey Club on May 15, 1893, as initial champion. At the time, the Montreal Hockey Club was in a dispute with its parent organization, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association
(MAAA). The hockey club was adamant about refusing the trophy, while the directors of the MAAA decided to accept the trophy, considering it came from the Governor General of Canada. Thus, the trophy was accepted by the MAAA, but with none of the hockey officials of the hockey club present.
After accepting the trophy, the hockey club remained adamant about returning the trophy that was presented to them. In the end, the MAAA investigated into why its hockey club wanted to refuse and return the trophy, even though such an action would damage the reputation of the MAAA. It was believed that the people who were in charge of running their team were, in fact, not representative of the team itself, and when the hockey club asked for a loan of $175 in start-up expenses for the 1894 season, it was flatly refused (the first time the MAAA refused anything to the hockey club). Inexplicably, the hockey club reversed its position, and the next few months saw a gradual schism between the MAAA and the club. Indeed, the inscriptions on the Cup when it was successfully defended in 1894 only stated "Montreal HC". The MAAA, at one point, considered the hockey club to have seceded from the organization that bore them. The issue would be finally resolved in later years, after various attempts at reconciliation.
† Stanley Cup winner
Source Information:
According to Arthur Farrell's book of 1899, "Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game", Montreal Crystals are recorded as champions in 1887, and the Montreal Hockey Club is recorded as the winner from 1888–1894. See reference copy on Backcheck.
According to Ultimate Hockey, the play between 1887 and 1892 occurred in the challenge format and the title of champion could change after every series. The final champion at the end of the season's worth of challenges would be considered 'Dominion of Canada' champion.
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 founded in 1886, in existence until 1898. It was the second ice hockey league organized in Canada, after one in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
started in 1883. It was organized to provide a longer season to determine the Canadian champion. Prior to its founding the Canadian championship was determined in a tournament in Montreal.
The 1893 champion of the league, Montreal Hockey Club
Montreal Hockey Club
The Montreal Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a senior-level men's amateur ice hockey club, organized in 1884. They were affiliated with Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and used the MAAA 'winged wheel' logo. The team is notable for winning the first Stanley Cup in 1893, and in a...
was the first winner of 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...
, who were awarded the Cup as the champions of the AHAC since the AHAC was considered the top league of Canada.
Beginnings
The AHAC was founded on December 8, 1886, when the representatives:- Messrs. J. G. Monk, J. Arnton and J. Muir, Montreal Victorias
- Thomas D. GreenThomas D. GreenThomas Daniel Green was an early Canadian amateur ice hockey player, ice hockey executive, engineer and surveyor. He was a Mohawk, possibly the first Mohawk accredited land surveyor in Canada...
and Hamilton, Ottawa - C. H. Macnutt, Holden and Wylde, of McGill College
- E. Sheppard and Bill BarlowBill BarlowWilliam Walter Barlow is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1987, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party....
, of the Montreal AAA - R. Laing and McCaffrey, of the Crystals
of various hockey clubs met at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
at the instigation of the Victoria Hockey Club
Montreal Victorias
The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating...
of Montreal. The first executive was composed of:
- President—Mr. Thomas D. GreenThomas D. GreenThomas Daniel Green was an early Canadian amateur ice hockey player, ice hockey executive, engineer and surveyor. He was a Mohawk, possibly the first Mohawk accredited land surveyor in Canada...
, Ottawa. - First Vice-president—Mr. J. Arnton, Victorias.
- Second Vice-President—Mr. R. Laing, Crystals.
- Secretary-treasurer—Mr. E. Stevenson, Victorias.
- Council—Messrs. James Stewart, Crystals; J. G. Monk, Victorias; H. A. Budden, McGill; E. Sheppard, M.A.A.A., and Percy Myles, Ottawa.
They agreed that the season should run from the 1st of January until the 15th of March. The constitution would be adapted from a lacrosse league constitution.
The teams knew each other. They had competed at the Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments
Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments
The Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments were a series of annual ice hockey tournaments held in the 1880s in conjunction with the Montreal Winter Carnival, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
from 1883–1885 and the 1886 Dominion Championship:
- 1883 - Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner McGill),
- 1884 - Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner Victorias),
- 1885 - Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner Montreal),
- 1886 - Dominion Championship (winner Crystals)
Thomas D. Green
Thomas D. Green
Thomas Daniel Green was an early Canadian amateur ice hockey player, ice hockey executive, engineer and surveyor. He was a Mohawk, possibly the first Mohawk accredited land surveyor in Canada...
of Ottawa had played on the 1883 McGill hockey team.
The game
- left wing
- centre
- right wing
- rover
- point
- coverpoint
The left wing, centre and right wing were the forwards, like today. The rover would line up behind the centre, with the point and coverpoint following, in an 'I' formation towards the goaltender. The face offs were at a right angle to today's practice, the centre men facing inwards from the sides of the rink. The goaltenders used no special equipment.
There were no goal nets. The goals were two posts, with no crossbar. An umpire would judge the legality of each score. There were no boards along the sides of the ice, and there were no standard dimensions for a rink, although dimensions were instituted for the positioning of the goal out from the ends of the rink.
A match was two halves of thirty minutes (also to note that in the day, game meant goal by modern definition). Sudden-death overtime was also in place, and a match would continue until a goal was scored in the event of a tie after regulation.
Players in all positions would normally play the entire 60 minutes.
Official Rules of the AHAC
- The captains of contesting teams shall agree upon two umpires (one to be stationed at each goal) and a referee.
- All questions as to games shall be settled by the umpires and their decision shall be final.
- All disputes on the ice shall be settled by the referee, and his decision shall be final.
- The game shall be commenced and renewed by a bully in the centre of the rink. Goals, six feet wide and four feet high, which shall be changed after each game, unless otherwise agreed.
- When a player hits a puck, anyone of the same side who at such moment of hitting is nearer the opponent's goal line is out of play and may not touch the puck himself, or in any way prevent any other player from doing so until the puck has been played. A player must always be on his own side of the puck.
- The puck may be stopped, but not carried or knocked on, by any part of the body. No player shall raise his stick above his shoulder. Charging from behind, tripping, collaring, kicking or shinning, shall not be allowed, and any player after having been twice warned by the referee, it shall become his duty to rule the player off for that match.
- When the puck gets off the ice behind the goals it shall be taken by the referee to five yards at right angles from the goal line and there faced. When the puck goes off the ice at the sides it shall be taken by the referee at five yards at right angles from the boundary line and there faced.
- The goal keeper must not, during play, lie, kneel or sit upon the ice, but must maintain a standing position.
- Hockey sticks shall not be more than three inches wide at any point.
- Goal shall be scored when the puck shall have passed between the goal posts and below the top and passed from in front below an imaginary line across the top of posts.
- The puck must be made of vulcanized rubber, one inch thick all through, and three inches in diameter.
- A team shall be composed of seven players who shall be bona fide members of the club they represent. No player shall be allowed to play on more than one team during a season except in a case of a bona fide change of residence.
- Two half hours with an intermission of ten minutes between will be time allowed for matches. A match will be decided by the team winning the greatest number of games during that time. In case of a tie after playing the specified two half hours, play will continue until one side secures a game, unless otherwise agreed upon between the captains before the match.
- No change of players must be made after a match has commenced except for reasons of accidents or injury during the game.
- Should any player be injured during a match and compelled to leave the field his side shall have the option of putting on a spare man from the reserve to equalize the teams; in the event of any dispute between the captains as to the injured player's fitness to continue the game the matter shall at once be decided by the referee.
- Should a game be temporarily stopped, by the infringement of any of the rules the puck shall be brought back and a bully take place.
Source:
Seasons Format
The AHAC operated on two different systems in its lifetime: the challenge system, where a championship team would face a new challenger each week for the championship, and the series system, which corresponds to the regular season found in the NHL today. With the exception of 1888, the challenge system was exclusively used in the AHAC before the advent of the Stanley Cup, while the series system became the norm in 1893, the first year the Cup was contested.The first championship team of the AHAC was the Montreal Crystals
Montreal Crystals
Montreal Crystals were an ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that existed from 1886 to 1895. The Club was a member of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada . The team won the Canadian championship twice. In 1895, the team became the Montreal Shamrocks...
, having unofficially being declared the champions before the AHAC. The first title change occurred on January 14, 1887, when the Montreal Victorias
Montreal Victorias
The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating...
defeated the champions 4–0. The Victorias would hold the title until the very last challenge game, when the Crystals won 3–2 in their third successive challenge. Because of the Vics' long run as champions, it was decided to switch to the series system in 1888.
The series system was a success, although a tie atop the standings between the Vics and the Montreal Hockey Club
Montreal Hockey Club
The Montreal Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a senior-level men's amateur ice hockey club, organized in 1884. They were affiliated with Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and used the MAAA 'winged wheel' logo. The team is notable for winning the first Stanley Cup in 1893, and in a...
(Montreal HC), and the subsequent scheduling of the tiebreaker game caused much trouble when the game was scheduled at a time when two Victorias players were injured, at the home venue of the Montreal HC. However, teams from outside Montreal incurred huge travelling expenses, which led the AHAC to revert back to the challenge system.
First Stanley Cup
In 1893, the first year since 1888 where the AHAC played under a series system, the Montreal Hockey Club lost their first game against the Ottawa Hockey ClubOttawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
, and proceeded to win their next seven en route to the championship. Lord Stanley announced that his challenge trophy (later known simply as 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...
) for the best amateur hockey team in Canada would be presented to the Montreal Hockey Club on May 15, 1893, as initial champion. At the time, the Montreal Hockey Club was in a dispute with its parent organization, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association
Montreal AAA
Montreal Amateur Athletic Association is Canada's oldest athletic association, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was renamed as the Club Sportif MAA or just MAA in 1999 after a brush with bankruptcy, but is still widely known as the MAAA...
(MAAA). The hockey club was adamant about refusing the trophy, while the directors of the MAAA decided to accept the trophy, considering it came from the Governor General of Canada. Thus, the trophy was accepted by the MAAA, but with none of the hockey officials of the hockey club present.
After accepting the trophy, the hockey club remained adamant about returning the trophy that was presented to them. In the end, the MAAA investigated into why its hockey club wanted to refuse and return the trophy, even though such an action would damage the reputation of the MAAA. It was believed that the people who were in charge of running their team were, in fact, not representative of the team itself, and when the hockey club asked for a loan of $175 in start-up expenses for the 1894 season, it was flatly refused (the first time the MAAA refused anything to the hockey club). Inexplicably, the hockey club reversed its position, and the next few months saw a gradual schism between the MAAA and the club. Indeed, the inscriptions on the Cup when it was successfully defended in 1894 only stated "Montreal HC". The MAAA, at one point, considered the hockey club to have seceded from the organization that bore them. The issue would be finally resolved in later years, after various attempts at reconciliation.
Teams
Senior Division.| Season | Teams | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1887 1887 AHAC season The 1887 AHAC season was the inaugural season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in challenges. The Montreal Crystals won the final challenge of the season to win the Canadian championship and first league championship.-League Business:... |
McGill HC, Montreal HC Montreal Hockey Club The Montreal Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a senior-level men's amateur ice hockey club, organized in 1884. They were affiliated with Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and used the MAAA 'winged wheel' logo. The team is notable for winning the first Stanley Cup in 1893, and in a... , Montreal Crystals Montreal Crystals Montreal Crystals were an ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that existed from 1886 to 1895. The Club was a member of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada . The team won the Canadian championship twice. In 1895, the team became the Montreal Shamrocks... , Montreal Victorias Montreal Victorias The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating... , Ottawa HC |
Montreal Crystals (final challenge) |
| 1888 1888 AHAC season The 1888 AHAC season was the second season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in a series format. The Montreal Hockey Club would win a playoff against the Montreal Victorias to win the Canadian championship for the first time.... |
McGill HC, Montreal HC, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias | Montreal HC (final challenge) |
| 1888–89 1888–89 AHAC season The 1888–89 AHAC season was the third season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in challenges and started on December 15, 1888... |
Halifax(Dartmouth) Chebuctos, Montreal HC, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias, Quebec HC Quebec Bulldogs The Quebec Bulldogs were a men's senior-level ice hockey team officially known as the Quebec Hockey Club, later as the Quebec Athletic Club. Their recorded play goes back as far as the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada in 1889, although the Quebec Hockey Club is known to have played since 1880... |
Montreal HC (final challenge) |
| 1890 1890 AHAC season The 1890 AHAC season was the fourth season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in challenges. The Montreal Hockey Club would win the final challenge of the season to win the Canadian championship for the third season in a row.... |
Montreal HC, Montreal Dominions Montreal Crystals Montreal Crystals were an ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that existed from 1886 to 1895. The Club was a member of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada . The team won the Canadian championship twice. In 1895, the team became the Montreal Shamrocks... , Montreal Victorias, Quebec HC |
Montreal HC (final challenge) |
| 1891 1891 AHAC season The 1891 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season saw the Montreal Hockey Club win the league and Canadian championship for the fourth straight season. Ontario launched the Ontario Hockey Association as the popularity of the sport spread west... |
Montreal HC, Montreal Shamrocks Montreal Shamrocks The Montreal Shamrocks were an amateur, later professional, men's ice hockey club in existence from 1886, merging with the Montreal Crystals club in 1896. They won the Stanley Cup ice hockey championship in 1899 and 1900... , Montreal Victorias, Ottawa HC |
Montreal HC (final challenge) |
| 1892 1892 AHAC season The 1892 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted until March 7. The championship changed hands twice during the season. Ottawa defeated the Montreal Hockey Club in January and held the championship until March, defending it six times before Montreal won it in the final challenge of the... |
Montreal Britannias, Montreal HC, Montreal Shamrocks, Montreal Victorias, Ottawa HC, Quebec HC | Ottawa HC (first challenge), Montreal HC (final challenge) |
| 1893 1893 AHAC season The 1893 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 7 until March 17. The Montreal Hockey Club was the league and Canadian champion for the sixth season in a row and was awarded the Stanley Cup. They were the first winners of the Cup and did not have to challenge for... |
Montreal HC†, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias, Ottawa HC and Quebec HC | Montreal HC (best record) |
| 1894 1894 AHAC season The 1894 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 5 until March 10. Montreal HC would win the league and Canadian championship for the seventh season in a row.-Executive:* President - W. Jack, Victorias... |
Montreal HC†, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias, Ottawa HC and Quebec HC | Montreal HC (playoff) |
| 1895 1895 AHAC Season The 1895 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 3 until March 8. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were first with a 6–2–0 record. After a required Stanley Cup challenge played between the 1894 winners, Montreal HC and Queen's, champion of the Ontario Hockey... |
Montreal HC, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias†, Ottawa HC and Quebec HC | Montreal Victorias (best record) |
| 1896 1896 AHAC season The 1896 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 3 until March 7. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were first with a 7–1 record. During the season, on February 14 the Victorias hosted a Stanley Cup challenge match with the Winnipeg Victorias club. Winnipeg... |
Montreal HC, Montreal Shamrocks, Montreal Victorias, Ottawa HC and Quebec HC | Montreal Victorias (best record) |
| 1897 1897 AHAC season The 1897 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 9 until March 6. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were again first with a 7–1 record, retaining the Stanley Cup. The club won the Stanley Cup back from the Winnipeg Victorias prior to the season. This was their... |
Montreal HC, Montreal Shamrocks, Montreal Victorias† (December 1896), Ottawa HC and Quebec HC | Montreal Victorias (best record) |
| 1898 1898 AHAC season The 1898 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 8 until March 5. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were again first with a 8–0 record, to retain the Stanley Cup. This was their fourth-straight league championship.... |
Montreal HC, Montreal Shamrocks, Montreal Victorias†, Ottawa HC and Quebec HC | Montreal Victorias (best record) |
† Stanley Cup winner
Source Information:
According to Arthur Farrell's book of 1899, "Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game", Montreal Crystals are recorded as champions in 1887, and the Montreal Hockey Club is recorded as the winner from 1888–1894. See reference copy on Backcheck.
According to Ultimate Hockey, the play between 1887 and 1892 occurred in the challenge format and the title of champion could change after every series. The final champion at the end of the season's worth of challenges would be considered 'Dominion of Canada' champion.
See also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- List of pre-NHL seasons
- List of ice hockey leagues
- Stanley Cup Challenge Games