The National Hockey Association (NHA), initially the National Hockey Association of Canada Limited, was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor of today's National Hockey League (NHL) and much of the business processes of the NHL today are based on the NHA. Founded in 1909 by Ambrose O'Brien, the NHA introduced 'six-man hockey' by removing the 'rover' position in 1911. During its lifetime, the league coped with competition for players with the rival Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), the enlistment of players for World War I and disagreements between owners. The disagreements between owners came to a head in 1917, when the NHA suspended operations in order to get rid of an unwanted owner, Eddie Livingstone.
The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blueshirts, was a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They were a member of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The club was founded in 1911 and began operations in 1912. The club won its sole Stanley Cup championship in 1914.
James Henry Gardner was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach. Gardner started his career as professionalism was just starting in ice hockey. He won championships with both amateur and professional teams. After his hockey career ended, Gardner coached professionally, most notably with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey Association (NHA). Gardner helped found the NHA, the predecessor of today's National Hockey League, and the Canadiens, including suggesting the team name.
John Ambrose O'Brien was a Canadian industrialist and sports team owner. He was a founder of the National Hockey Association (NHA), owner of the Renfrew Millionaires and the founding owner of the Montreal Canadiens professional ice hockey team.
The 1910–11 NHA season was the second season of the now defunct National Hockey Association. The Ottawa Hockey Club won the league championship. Ottawa took over the Stanley Cup from the Montreal Wanderers and defended it against teams from Galt, Ontario, and Port Arthur, Ontario.
The Renfrew Hockey Club, also known as the Creamery Kings and the Millionaires, was a founding franchise in 1909 of the National Hockey Association, the precursor to the National Hockey League. The team was based in the founder Ambrose O'Brien's hometown of Renfrew, Ontario.
Les Canadiens was the original name of the Montreal Canadiens professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey Association (NHA), as used in the 1910 season. This was the founding season of the Canadiens hockey club, which now is a franchise member of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Cobalt Silver Kings of Cobalt, Ontario, were a professional ice hockey club established in 1906. The team is notable for being a founding member of the National Hockey Association, the predecessor to the National Hockey League. Established to capitalize on the then-current mining boom in northern Ontario, it became clear that the town was too small to support major professional hockey, and the team left the NHA after its inaugural season. The club was owned by Renfrew, Ontario mine operator Ambrose O'Brien.
Erskine Rockcliffe Ronan was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 10 professional seasons from 1908 to 1919. Ronan played the majority of his professional career in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and played one season in its successor league, the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1918–19 as a member of the Ottawa Senators. He won the Stanley Cup in 1916 with the Montreal Canadiens. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario.
The Toronto Ontarios were a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey Association from 1912 to 1915 based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They were first named the Tecumseh Hockey Club, renamed the Ontarios in 1913 and renamed the Toronto Shamrocks in January 1915 and ceased operations later that year.
George Washington Kendall, known professionally as George Kennedy, was a Canadian sports promoter best known as the owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team from 1910 to 1921. Kennedy was a wrestler himself and after the end of his wrestling career turned to wrestling promotion. Kendall along with other investors, formed the Club Athletique Canadien, and promoted wrestling, boxing, hockey and other sports. He would contract the Spanish flu during the pandemic of the late 1910s and never fully recovered from it, causing him to eventually succumb to complications from the illness in 1921, after the pandemic ended.
Weldon "Weldy" Champness Young was a Canadian businessman and athlete. Young was an ice hockey player for the Ottawa Hockey Club, playing in its founding years in the 1880s and in the 1890s. Young later became a member of the Dawson City Nuggets which played against Ottawa in the 1905 Stanley Cup challenge. His older brother George Young (1865–1926) was one of the original Ottawa players and the two played together for Ottawa from 1889 to 1891. Young later became an investor and executive in mining in the Cobalt, Ontario area.
The 1909–10 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's inaugural season and also the first season of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The 1910 Montreal Canadiens operated as 'Les Canadiens' and were owned by Ambrose O'Brien of Renfrew, Ontario, as one of four franchises he owned in the NHA. After the season, the franchise was suspended and a NHA franchise was sold to George Kennedy. All of the players of 'Les Canadiens' went to Kennedy's organization.
The 1910–11 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's second season and also the second season of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The club would improve to an 8–8 record, second in the league. It was the first season for Georges Vezina and he would lead the league in goals against average (GAA) with a record of 3.9 goals per game. Newsy Lalonde joined the team from Renfrew and led the team with 19 goals.
The Hon. Michael John O'Brien was a railway builder, industrialist and philanthropist. He was named to the Senate of Canada in 1918. He was a founder of the town of Renfrew, Ontario. He was instrumental in the early history of professional ice hockey in Eastern Canada.
The Timiskaming Professional Hockey League (TPHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league based in the area of Lake Timiskaming, Canada. Founded in 1906, the league is notable for providing teams and Ambrose O'Brien, a founder of the National Hockey Association and the founding owner of the Montreal Canadiens.
Nicholas John Bawlf was a Canadian ice hockey player, ice hockey coach, soccer coach, and lacrosse coach. He played in the National Hockey Association (NHA) for the Haileybury Comets, Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers and Toronto Shamrocks.
The 1909–10 Ottawa Hockey Club season saw the Ottawa Hockey Club secede from the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA), and join the new Canadian Hockey Association (CHA), only to abandon that group and join the National Hockey Association (NHA) a few weeks later. Ottawa held on to its Stanley Cup championship status through several challenges, only to lose it to the Montreal Wanderers who won the NHA championship.
The 1910 NHA season was the first season of the National Hockey Association men's professional ice hockey league. The season started on January 5, but was suspended immediately and the league then absorbed the Ottawa and Shamrocks teams of the Canadian Hockey Association and the season continued from January 15 to March 15. Seven teams played 12 games each. The Ottawa Hockey Club played two Stanley Cup challenges during the season, but lost the Cup to their rivals the Montreal Wanderers who won the league championship and played a Cup challenge afterwards.
Oren Claude Frood was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger. Frood played as a professional for the Haileybury Hockey Club in the TPHL and the Berlin Dutchmen in the OPHL.
