1910 NHA season The 1910 NHA season was the first season of the National Hockey Association . 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 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 . League business . The league was founded on December 2 , 1909 at a meeting at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal , Quebec , Canada . At this meeting four franchises were approved : The Wanderers and Renfrew signed a pact not to merge with the CHA unless Cobalt and Haileybury were also admitted . Two days later on December 4 , the NHA held an organizing meeting at the Windsor . The CHA was meeting at the hotel also , and a message was sent to the Ottawa , Shamrocks and Nationals teams to seek a merged seven - team league . This was turned down as the teams would not accept Cobalt and Haileybury . An executive was elected : At the meeting , a franchise for ' Les Canadiens ' was granted , to be organized by Jack Laviolette . Mr . Hare of Cobalt put up a security deposit for the franchise on the understanding that it would be transferred to Montreal French sportsmen as soon as possible . Regular season . The first Canadiens game ever took place on January 5 under a cloud . Didier Pitre had signed a contract with both the Canadiens and the Nationals . Pitre was risking a $ 2 , 000 fine and 60 days ' s jail time . The Nationals had a legal injunction against Pitre playing for the Canadiens . This contributed to an over - capacity crowd at the Jubilee Rink of about 5 , 000 . Pitre did play ( he was guaranteed any fines by Canadiens ' management ) and court action commenced . Pitre was found to not to have a binding contract with the Nationals by the courts . By this time , the CHA had folded , and no contract was enforceable . Pitre would have a long career with the Canadiens , playing into the 1920s . On January 15 , a meeting was held by the league executive and Ottawa and Montreal Shamrocks were admitted to the NHA . The games played before that date were thrown out , and games from that date forwards only counted towards the final standings . On January 22 , at a game between Renfrew and Shamrocks , Shamrock ' s Joe Hall was ejected for striking the judge - of - play Rod Kennedy . After regulation time , the game was tied . Referee Tom Hodge proposed that Hall return for the overtime , but Renfrew objected and did not play the overtime . Hall was later fined $ 100 for the incident and suspended until January 30 . The game was ordered replayed but wasn ' t replayed due to ice conditions and the game results were accepted as a tie . On Cyclone Taylor ' s first return to Ottawa as a member of the Renfrew team , he made his famous promise to score a goal backwards against Ottawa . This led to incredible interest , with over 7000 in attendance . A bet of $ 100 was placed at the King Edward Hotel against him scoring at all . The Senators would win 8 – 5 ( 3 goals in overtime ) and more importantly keep Taylor off the scoresheet . Later in the season at the return match in Renfrew , Taylor supposedly made good on his boast with a goal scored backwards ( Taylor himself denied it ) . This was the final game of the season , and the Senators had no chance at the league title , and don ' t appear to have put in an effort , losing 17 – 2 . Final standings . " Note : W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , Gf = Goals For , GA = Goals against " Results . † Games played before January 15 , which were played before the CHA teams joined were not counted against the final standings . ‡ The January 22 game was abandoned due to an on - ice incident . It was ordered replayed on March 2 in Ottawa , but wasn ' t played due to soft ice in Ottawa . The Wanderers as champions of the league , took over the Stanley Cup from Ottawa , and were awarded the O ' Brien Cup as league champions . Stanley Cup Challenges . During the season Ottawa as Cup champion played a challenge against Edmonton in addition to their regular schedule . They had played a challenge during the CHA season against Galt . Ottawa vs . Edmonton . Edmonton was champion of the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association . NHA League Champions Take Over Cup . Since Ottawa won the challenges , the winner of the regular season of the NHA would take over the Stanley Cup championship . The Wanderers having won the championship of the NHA , took possession of the Cup from Ottawa . They had a challenge from Berlin , Ontario , champions of the Ontario Professional Hockey League and easily defeated them . For 1910 , there would be two Stanley Cup holders , Ottawa until March , and Montreal for the rest of the year . NHA Exhibitions at New York . After the season , the NHA arranged an ' international championship ' at New York ' s St . Nicholas Rink . Like the previous spring , Ottawa and Wanderers played a two - game series in New York for a purse of $ 1 , 500 . Wanderers won both games 4 – 3 . Renfrew next travelled to New York and defeated the Wanderers in a single game for $ 1 , 000 .