The 1917-18 season was the first in NHL Hockey history.  The NHL began its first season with very few teams.  In the history of NHL players, five teams began the season, but the “Montreal Wanderers” backed out in January of 1918 after their Montreal rink was burned down.  With these humble beginnings, the NHL that we enjoy today stumbled its way onto the scene.

What The First NHL Season was like?

The O'Brien Trophy, was the league's championship trophy, which came from the defunct National Hockey Association.  It would be awarded to the winner of the NHL playoffs.  The winner of the O’Brien Trophy would then go on to play for the Stanley Cup.  This cup has been known throughout the NHL hockey history and will forever be a part of the game.  Even in the history of NHL players, the Stanley Cup has been the most sought after item.  In order to get the cup, the team that won the O’Brien Trophy played in a series of games against other rival leagues.  The Toronto Arenas can boast forever that they won the first Stanley Cup in NHL hockey history by winning three games out of five against the Vancouver Millionaires.

Who Started the NHL and why?

The 1917-1918 NHL season had a rough start.  Right off the bat a team called the “Bulldogs” backed out, followed by the Montreal Wanderers in January of 1918.  Being only a tiny part of what they once were, the Wanderers ended in one of the most memorable way a franchise could back then. 

There was another problem facing the newly formed NHL.  The league was formed as a result of a split of the NHA.  Owners of the teams in this league were not happy with Eddie Livingstone who owned the Toronto Blue Shirts.  They did not invite Livingstone to join the NHL, and this led to years and years of fighting and bickering.  The NHL leased Livingstone’s team, which played in the Toronto Arena.  When they won the Stanley Cup, Livingstone was not given the spoils of the victory.  Instead, his team was incorporated into a new club and named the Toronto Arenas.  As a result, Livingstone sued the league.  In spite of this turmoil and confusion, the NHL rose out of these humble beginnings to make their presence known in the world of professional hockey.  The history of the NHL had turmoil at the beginning, but, like the game of hockey itself, the NHL rose out of the struggle to prevail.



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