1904 CAHL season The 1904 Canadian Amateur Hockey League ( CAHL ) season lasted from January 2 until February 24 . Teams played an eight game schedule . This was a tumultuous year as Ottawa resigned in February and defaulted four games . Also , prior to the start of the season a rival hockey league , the Federal Amateur Hockey League was started , with the Montreal Wanderers taking most of the ' Little Men of Iron ' from the Montreal Hockey Club . League Business . Executive . As the Wanderers had signed players from Montreal , it was forbidden for teams to play games against FAHL teams , and for team officials to participate in FAHL activities . Season . Highlights . This season saw several impressive rookies including Frank Patrick for Montreal Victorias , Ernie ( Moose ) Johnson for Montreal and Alf Smith and Jim McGee for Ottawa . The season started out with Ottawa winning their first four games . However , in their third game against the Victorias , the Ottawa team arrived 1 1 / 2 hours late . The game was called at midnight , with Ottawa ahead 4 – 1 . After a game where the Shamrocks arrived late in Ottawa , the League levied fines against the Shamrocks and Ottawa , and ordered the Ottawa - Victorias game to be replayed . Despite a threat from Mr . Dickson of Ottawa that Ottawa would resign if the game was to be replayed , the League continued to demand that the game be played . The Ottawa club offered to play it if it had a bearing on the league championship , but this was not acceptable to the league . In the end , Ottawa resigned from the league and the league considered the final four games to be forfeits . This overshadowed a great season from Quebec , which won the season with a record of 7 – 1 ( 2 wins by forfeit ) and tried to claim that the Cup belonged to the CAHL season winner . The Cup trustees decided that the Cup went with Ottawa . Final Standing . Resigned from league . Results . † Ordered to be replayed but never replayed as Ottawa resigned from league . Stanley Cup Challenges . Ottawa would leave the CAHL in mid - season , leaving Quebec to win the league . The CAHL league officials demanded that the Stanley Cup should stay with the CAHL , but the trustees ruled that it went with the Ottawas . Quebec would not challenge Ottawa . Winnipeg vs . Ottawa . Before Ottawa resigned from the CAHL , Ottawa defended the Cup against the Winnipeg Rowing Club in a best two - of - three series played in Ottawa 9 – 1 , 2 – 6 , 2 – 0 ( 2 – 1 ) . Toronto vs . Ottawa . Next , Ottawa would defeat the Ontario Hockey Association champion Toronto Marlboros in a two - game total - goals series , played in Ottawa , 6 – 3 , 11 – 2 ( 17 – 5 ) . Wanderers vs . Ottawa . Ottawa was committed to play a two - game series with the Federal Amateur Hockey League champion Montreal Wanderers , and played the first game in Montreal to a tie of 5 – 5 . Montreal refused to play overtime , and refused to play a second two - game series , ordered by the trustees to be held in Ottawa . Brandon vs . Ottawa . To finish the season , Ottawa played a series with Brandon Wheat Cities , champions of the Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association . Ottawa would win the two - game series 6 – 3 , 9 – 3 ( 15 – 6 ) , held in Ottawa on March 9 – 11 .