1911 – 12 NHA season The 1911 – 12 NHA season was the third season of the now defunct National Hockey Association . Four teams played 18 games each . The Quebec Bulldogs would win the league championship and take over the Stanley Cup . League Business . Two NHA franchises would be dormant this season . Because the O ' Briens had decided to give up hockey , the Renfrew Creamery Kings were disbanded prior to the season , with the players distributed to the other teams by a draw of names . Two new teams based in Toronto intended to operate this season , the ' Torontos ' and the ' Tecumsehs ' , but the new Arena Gardens would not be ready for play this season , so neither team played . This left four teams to play 18 games each . Executive . Board of Directors : Rule Changes . The rule changes implemented for this season introduced the format of play seen today . For this season , the number of players per side was reduced to six by the elimination of the rover position . This was opposed by several teams , including the champion Ottawa team whose ' puck possession ' style of play was dependent on the rover . The team would attempt during this season and next to get the league to return to seven - man hockey . This season saw the introduction of " major " and " minor " fouls . Major Fouls : for which the player would be banished for the match and fined $ 5 . Teams could substitute the player . Minor Fouls : for which the player drew a " caution " . Three cautions and you were out . If your fines reached $ 25 , special discipline might be warranted by the president . Other Rules : The O ' Brien Cup was introduced for the NHA league championship winners . The Canadiens team was to sign only francophone players and the other teams would refrain from doing so . Equipment changes . The league would adopt the LeSueur goal and the Spalding puck as official equipment . NHA - PCHA relations . The NHA declared the Pacific Coast Hockey Association ( PCHA ) an " outlaw league " after it signed several NHA players . The league expelled Newsy Lalonde , Ernie Johnson and other players who signed with the PCHA ' for life ' and barred NHA teams from playing PCHA teams . After the season , Art Ross arranged an ' all - star ' tour of NHA players in British Columbia against the PCHA in defiance of the league . The NHA granted immunity for the players to play against the PCHA . Regular season . Prior to the season , on November 2 , Bruce Ridpath of the Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Hockey Club would be seriously injured with a fractured skull after being hit by an automobile on Yonge Street in Toronto . He lived in Toronto and was rumoured to be a possible manager of the future Toronto NHA franchise . Fred Taylor went on public record stating that he would not play for Wanderers as he had a good position with the Interior Department in Ottawa , and would not play at all instead of playing for the Wanderers . Ottawa would attempt to secure his rights from Montreal . Ottawa would offer to trade Ronan ( who would go on to win the scoring championship ) for Taylor but was turned down . On November 18 , the NHA developed a schedule with a provisional opening date of the Arena Gardens late in January , and allowed the two new Toronto teams to play only away games at the start of the season . The architects of the Gardens assured them that the arena would be ready in time . The PCHA raids , while taking players from the NHA , also meant the demise of the OPHL and players from the OPHL signed with NHA clubs , including Louis Berlinguette , Ernie Dubeau , Jack Marks , Jack Patrick McDonald and George Prodger . Highlights . Ronan of Ottawa would score 5 against the Wanderers on February 9 , and follow up with 8 against the Wanderers on February 14 . Gordon Roberts of the Wanderers would score 6 against the Canadiens on February 21 . On January 24 , Fred Taylor played for Ottawa against the Wanderers , despite his rights being held by the Wanderers , for which he refused to play for . Ottawa would win the game , but it was protested and ordered replayed if necessary . This was Mr . Taylor ' s final game in the NHA , as he would join Vancouver the next year . On March 2 , Quebec defeated Ottawa 6 – 5 in a game decided after 23 minutes of overtime . With four seconds to play , Joe Malone scored to tie the game . Joe Hall scored the winning goal . Ottawa would now have to play the replay game against the Wanderers in Montreal . On March 5 , Ottawa lost the replay , and the loss would cost them a tie of the league championship , as Quebec finished 10 – 8 and Ottawa would finish 9 – 9 . Final standings . " Note : W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , GF = Goals For , GA = Goals Against " Results . † Protested by Wanderers , replayed on March 5 . ‡ Replay of protested game . Post - season . Stanley Cup Challenges . After the season , Quebec played one challenge against Moncton Victorias . The Moncton team was essentially the same Galt team that had challenged Ottawa in 1911 . This was the first series playing six to a side . Moncton vs . Quebec . Quebec wins best - of - three series 2 – 0 Unplayed challenges . Port Arthur , who had previously challenged Ottawa in a Cup challenge in 1911 , issued a challenge in February 1912 . They were ordered by the Stanley Cup trustees to play off against Saskatoon in a two - game total - goals series to qualify . Port Arthur beat Saskatoon 12 goals to 6 . Port Arthur chose not to go on to play Quebec . In February 1912 , prior to the end of the PCHA season , the PCHA issued a challenge to play against the NHA champions . However , their season ended in March and it was considered too late for the PCHA champions ( in this case the New Westminster Royals ) to travel to the east to face Quebec . The challenge was postponed until December 1912 . The challenge was never played . Exhibitions . On March 10 , the Wanderers and Canadiens played for the Montreal city hockey championship . Wanderers would win 10 – 2 , despite an outstanding display by Georges Vezina . Ottawa intended to hold a benefit game for Bruce Ridpath who had been injured in an automobile accident , intending to play a team composed of all - stars from the other NHA teams . After changing dates several times , the All - Star benefit game was set for March 16 . The All - Star team would have Art Ross , Ernie Russell and Gordon Roberts of the Wanderers ; Paddy Moran , Joe Malone and Joe Hall of Quebec ; Didier Pitre Jack Laviolette and Ernie Dubeau of the Canadiens . Additionally , Cyclone Tayler had permission to play . However , two days before the event was to occur , the NHA president Emmett Quinn , while in New York city , booked the Wanderers and Canadiens for an exhibition game in Boston , and Ottawa was unable to make alternate arrangements , cancelling the NHA benefit . The Ottawa New Edinburghs , champions of the amateur Interprovincial Hockey Union ( IPHU ) held their own benefit for Ridpath on March 23 against other IPAHU players . Future professional stars Clint Benedict , Harry Broadbent and Eddie Gerard played for Ottawa , which raised $ 300 for Ridpath , while Cyclone Taylor was the referee . > All four NHA teams played an exhibition series in New York and Boston from March 16 – March 23 . Art Ross All - Stars . A group of players , dubbed the ' Art Ross All - Stars ' played three games against a PCHA all - star team in British Columbia from April 2 – April 6 , losing two out of three games , 4 – 10 , 2 – 8 , 6 – 5 . Hughie Lehman , Fitzpatrick , Ernie Johnson , Newsy Lalonde , Tom Dunderdale , Ran McDonald and Harry Hyland played for the Western stars , and Paddy Moran , Art Ross , Hamby Shore , Skene Ronan , Joe Malone , Odie Cleghorn and Jack McDonald played for the East with Cyclone Taylor substituting for Malone .