1913–14 NHA season

The 1913–14 NHA season was the fifth season of the National Hockey Association (NHA). At the end of the regular season, a tie for first place necessitated a playoff to determine the championship. The Toronto Hockey Club defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6–2 in a two-game, total-goals playoff. The Torontos then played the Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) in the first Stanley Cup 'World's Series' between the leagues.

League business

Board of directors

• T. Emmett Quinn ( president)
• Percy J. Quinn, Toronto
• C. Irving, Ottawa
• Sam E. Lichtenhein, Wanderers

Rule Changes

The referees now would drop the puck, instead of placing it on the ice.

A goalkeeper lying down to stop a puck would receive a minor penalty and $2 fine.

Penalties were set at $2 fine for minor fouls. Major fouls would cost more per incident, starting at $3 and 5 minutes off, increasing to $5 and 10 minutes, and to $10 and a match penalty.

Deliberate injury was a $15 fine and banishment until the injured player returned to play.

Goalkeeper sticks now had a limit on their width of 3½ inches.

Assists were now to be recorded.

A dark line between the goal posts was now mandatory.

The first permanent, paid referees for the season were named:

• Leo Dandurand,
• Russell Bowie,
• Harvey Pulford,
• Bob Melville,
• Tom Melville,
• Reg Percival.

Source: Coleman(1966), pp. 248–249.

Peace with the PCHA and Maritime League

In the fall of 1913, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) and the NHA agreed to support a draft arrangement, whereby the PCHA could draft NHA players annually for four years. The PCHA would draft three players on a rotating basis among the NHA teams. Amateur players from west of Port Arthur, Ontario, would be considered to belong to the PCHA, and players east of Port Arthur to be considered NHA property.^[1] The first draft, in 1914, would have the PCHA select one player from Ottawa, one from Quebec, and one from the Wanderers.^[2]

The two leagues also agreed on arrangements to play off annually for the Stanley Cup. At the end of the 1913–14 season, the NHA champions would host the PCHA champions. The NHA would be responsible for arranging the series with the Stanley Cup trustees, something that they would neglect to do, leading to confusion over the first official series between the two leagues.

At the November 8, 1913, annual meeting, the NHA ratified the four-year working agreement with the PCHA and agreed on a similar deal with the Maritime League. The NHA gave up its claim on any players now employed by the MHL.^[3]

Regular season

Highlights

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On January 21, Tommy Smith would score nine goals for Quebec against the Wanderers. He would score 4 against the Canadiens on January 4. Newsy Lalonde would score six against Wanderers on January 10, and haunt the Wanderers with another five on February 11. Harry Hyland would score five in a game for the Wanderers against Toronto on March 4. Allan Davidson would score five against the Ontarios on January 21. Sprague Cleghorn would score five against Ontarios on December 27.

In the game of February 28 between Canadiens and Wanderers, the referee Leo Dandurand was assaulted by Canadiens manager George Kennedy.

The new arena at Quebec opened on December 30 with a game between Canadiens and Quebec. The first goal in the new building was scored by Jack Laviolette of Montreal, and won by Montreal 4–3. The game was marred by a match penalty to Newsy Lalonde for hitting Joe Hall in the head, opening a cut requiring eight stitches. On the return match at Montreal on January 14, Mr. Hall would charge Lalonde into the boards for a ten stitch wound.

The longest team winning streak was seven by Ottawa.

In the latter half of the season, the league banned checking into the boards. The rule was adopted permanently at a league meeting after the season.^[4]

Final standings

^[5]

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, P = Points, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Playoffs

Tied at the top of the standings, the Blue shirts and Canadiens faced off in a two-game, total goals series to determine a league champion. The Blue shirts won the series 6–2.

Toronto vs. Montreal

Victoria vs. Toronto

Nearing the end of the season, the NHA made arrangements for the NHA champion to receive a challenge from the Sydney Millionaires, Maritime champions, ordered by the Stanley Cup trustees.^[6] As arranged by the NHA, the series would have taken place on March 9 through 11. After that, the winner would face off in a series with the PCHA champions in Toronto.^[7] The tie in the NHA standings meant that the March 9–11 dates were spent on the Toronto – Montreal series, while the Toronto-Victoria series went ahead as scheduled, and the challenge of Sydney was not played.

After dispatching the Canadiens, the Blue Shirts faced off against the Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. A controversy erupted when a letter arrived from the Stanley Cup trustees on March 17, stating that the trustees would not let the Stanley Cup travel west, as they did not consider Victoria a proper challenger because they had not formally notified the trustees.^[8] However, on March 18, Trustee William Foran stated that it was a misunderstanding. PCHA president Frank Patrick had not filed a challenge, because he had expected Emmett Quinn of the NHA to make all of the arrangements in his role as hockey commissioner, whereas the trustees thought they were being deliberately ignored. In any case, all arrangements had been ironed out and the series was accepted.^[9][10]

Several days later, trustee William Foran wrote to NHA president Emmett Quinn that the trustees are "perfectly satisfied to allow the representatives of the three pro leagues (NHA, PCHA and Maritime) to make all arrangements each season as to the series of matches to be played for the Cup."^[11]

Total attendance for the series was 14,260, out of 22,500 capacity at the Arena. At the time, professional hockey was less of a draw than Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) senior hockey. Two games between local OHA senior teams had drawn over 14,000.^[12] The Torontos players and staff received $297 each as their share of the gate receipts.^[13]

All games played at Arena Gardens.

Post-season exhibitions

The Vancouver Millionaires travelled east and played exhibition games in Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec.^[14] Following this, the St. Nicholas Rink of New York City sponsored a three-team tournament between the Montreal Wanderers, Quebec Bulldogs and the Millionaires. After a round-robin round eliminated the Millionaires, the Wanderers defeated Quebec in a two-game total-goals final 15–12 (9–4, 6–8).^[15] The Wanderers then played the Millionaires in a two-game series in Boston.^[16]

Schedule and results

Source: Coleman 1966

Player statistics

Goaltending averages

Scoring leaders

Toronto Hockey Club 1914 Stanley Cup Champions

Roster

† missing from team picture ‡ also played rover in the Stanley Cup Finals

Stanley Cup engraving

• Originally engraved "Torontos 1913-14/Defeated Victorias B.C./3 straight games"
• "1914 Toronto H.C." is engraved on the 1947 ring connecting the upper trophy to the barrel

See also

• National Hockey Association
• List of pre-NHL seasons
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1913–14 PCHA season

References

• Coleman, Charles (1966). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc. NHL. 
• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books, 12, 50. ISBN 1-55168-261-3.