National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association ( December 2 , 1909 - December 11 , 1918 ) 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 . History . At the time of the league ' s founding in 1910 , the Eastern Canada Hockey Association which dated from 1906 and was itself the successor of the first recognized major hockey league , the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada , was in the midst of a political battle . In an effort to freeze out the Montreal Wanderers franchise , the ECHA disbanded and a new league formed to be called the Canadian Hockey Association , deliberately designed to exclude the Wanderers . After numerous rejections and snubs from the ECHA , Ambrose O ' Brien and his father , Michael J . O ' Brien , created their own league , calling it the National Hockey Association ( NHA ) . The O ' Briens financed four teams in the league : the Renfrew Creamery Kings which became known as the Renfrew Millionaires , Cobalt , Haileybury and Les Canadiens of Montreal . Within a month , the Montreal Wanderers also joined to became the fifth team . A bidding war for players immediately started , and Frank Patrick and Lester Patrick were each signed by the Renfrew Millionaires for $ 3 , 000 apiece , the highest salaries recorded to that time . It became readily apparent that two leagues could not be sustained - - there were five teams in Montreal alone - - and after eight games the CHA folded , the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Shamrocks being admitted to the NHA . Labour unrest was a hallmark of the league , the 1910 - 1911 season almost foundering because of widespread dissatisfaction amongst the players at the salaries on offer , and players ' unions were rumored to be on the verge of creation at several points . However , the league put forth several innovations , among them the abolition of the rover position in 1912 , the inclusion of numbers on jerseys , the institution of match penalties and allowing line changes on the fly . The championship trophy of the NHA was the O ' Brien Trophy , donated by the O ' Brien family and which survived to become the championship trophy of the NHL . However , as the Ottawa Senators joined the league as the reigning Stanley Cup champions , the first five seasons of the league had the Cup awarded to the league champions , which then defended it against outside challenges . Starting in the 1914 - 1915 season , the Stanley Cup was awarded exclusively to the winner of a playoff between the NHA and the PCHA regular season winners . The league championship was decided by a two - game total goal playoff between the Wanderers and the Senators . Ottawa won the championship , and the right to defend the Cup against Vancouver in a three game series in which Vancouver won in dominating fashion . The notion of a league champion being awarded the Cup to defend ceased with that season , as the Portland Rosebuds were the PCHA champions in 1915 - 1916 but were not automatically accorded the Cup . Instead , they played the Montreal Canadiens for the trophy ( and became the first American team to do so ) , which the Canadiens won in a five game series . The Fateful last season . A historical oddity was the admission for the 1916 - 1917 season of the 228th Battalion , which had a number of hockey players enlisting with World War I . Also known as the Northern Fusiliers , the team played wearing khaki military uniforms and was the league ' s most popular and highest scoring club until the regiment was ordered overseas in February 1917 and the team was forced to withdraw . A scandal ensued when several stars were subsequently discharged and alleged they had been promised commissions solely to play hockey . At the time the Battalion dropped out the league held a meeting on February 11 , 1917 where the league suspended the Toronto franchise also , and dispersed its players to the other clubs . The league also made a demand on Toronto ' s owner Eddie Livingstone to sell the franchise between April and June 1917 . There were three factors at work ; the owners disliked a five - team league because one club would be idle , the shortage of players due to the war , and disputes with Livingstone over several players . Instead of selling , Livingstone launched lawsuits against the NHA related to the suspension . The season would prove the NHA ' s last . The other owners met in November of 1917 to form the National Hockey League , using the exact constitution and playing rules of the NHA . The Wanderers ' owner was quoted as saying , " We didn ' t throw Livingstone out ; he ' s still got his franchise in the old National Hockey Association . He has his team , and we wish him well . The only problem is he ' s playing in a one - team league . " The NHA did not suspend immediately . They had launched a lawsuit against the Battalion to have it pay $ 3000 for leaving the league and this had yet to be heard in court . The NHL could operate in the meantime , without Livingstone . The NHA ' s officials met nearly a year later , on September 20 , 1918 , when a vote was taken to permanently suspend operations over Livingstone ' s objections . The final meeting of the NHA took place on December 11 where Livingstone tried unsuccessfully to get the league ' s shareholders to resume operations . The NHA organization was not formally dissolved for several years afterwards and Frank Calder held the presidency in both organizations . Teams . Season by Season record . † Stanley Cup Champions < nowiki > * < / nowiki > 228th Battalion dropped out after first half of season . Toronto was suspended by league after first half . Team History . The two franchises of Renfrew and Les Canadiens were owned by Mr . O ' Brien . After the 1910 season , his two franchises were transferred to Toronto interests . The Haileybury HC was transferred to Montreal and took on the Canadiens name .