1924 - 25 NHL season The 1924 - 25 NHL season was the eighth season of the National Hockey League . Six teams each played 30 games . The Stanley Cup winners were the Victoria Cougars of the WCHL , the last non - NHL team to win the Cup , who defeated the Montreal Canadiens . The NHL regular season champion Hamilton Tigers did not participate in the playoffs , as their players demanded to their owner , Percy Thompson that they would not participate in the NHL Finals unless they received an additional $ 200 each for the extra six games played that year . Under their contracts the Tigers players were to receive the same amount of money no matter how many games they played from December 1 1924 - March 31 1925 ( even though the season started on November 29 1924 ) . NHL President Frank Calder was not amused , stating that the players would be fined or suspended if they did not play in the final series , but the players stated that they would rather retire than advantage to be taken of them . The day of the final game of the Semi - Final , Tiger Shorty Green met with Calder to try and reach an agreement , but to no avail . The players were all suspended and fined $ 200 each , therefore eliminating themselves from the playoffs . League Business . Prior to the start of this hockey season , the Pacific Coast Hockey Association folded and two of its teams , the Vancouver Maroons and Victoria Cougars , joined the Western Canada Hockey League . This meant that after three seasons of having three leagues compete for the Stanley Cup , there were once again only two . A new trophy was added for the 1924 - 25 NHL season . The original Lady Byng Trophy was donated by Lady Bying , wife of Viscount Byng of Vimy , to be handed out to the player who shows the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with performance in play . She presented it to Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators . Regular season . This was the first campaign for the Montreal Maroons and Boston Bruins - the first American NHL team . It was also the last season for the Hamilton Tigers , whose franchise would be revoked at season ' s end . The number of games per season was also increased from 24 to 30 . A new arena , the Montreal Forum , was built , and it was to house the Maroons . But it was the Canadiens who would play in it first . Amongst the wails of Forum management , because the Mount Royal Arena couldn ' t produce ice , it was decided to move a game against the Toronto St . Patricks to the Forum . The Canadiens beat the St . Patricks 7 - 1 , as Billy Boucher scored a hat trick . On December 17th , goaltenders Jake Forbes of Hamilton and Alex Connell of Ottawa engaged in the first ever scoreless tie in a regular season game in NHL history . Thought of as over the hill , Ottawa had let right wing Punch Broadbent go to the Montreal Maroon hockey club . Broadbent scored five goals January 7th as Montreal walked right into Abso - Pure rink in Hamilton and beat the Tigers 6 - 2 . Final standings . " Note : W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , GF = Goals For , GA = Goals Against , Pts = Points , PIM = Penalties in minutes " < br > " Note : Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold " Scoring leaders . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points " Stanley Cup playoffs . " All dates 1925 " With an increase in the number of NHL teams , the NHL changed its playoff format by having the second and third place teams play a two game " total goals " series to see who would play the number one seed for the NHL championship , the Prince of Wales Trophy . The winner of the Wales Trophy would go on to play the winner of the Western Canada Hockey League for the Stanley Cup . NHL Championship . The third seed Montreal Canadiens played against the second seed Toronto St . Patricks in a total goals series . The winner of that series was to go on and play the first seed team , the Hamilton Tigers . But it was not to happen that way . During the total goals series , the Hamilton players demanded $ 200 each for the extra six games played during the regular season and the league threatened to suspend the players and the team . Last ditch efforts to reach a compromise failed and the Tigers were suspended . It was suggested that the Ottawa Senators be included in the playoffs , but Charlie Querrie and Leo Dandurand cited a fourth place finish didn ' t qualify Ottawa a playoff berth and it was decided that Montreal and Toronto would play for the league title . NHL president Frank Calder announced that the Canadiens would play home games at the Forum , but Leo Dandurand said that they would be played at Mount Royal Arena unless it were necessary to move to the Forum , citing home games were home games , and the Canadiens would play better in front of their own fans . Calder backed down from his stand . Montreal won the series against Toronto and was awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy and earned the right to play for the Stanley Cup . Montreal Canadiens vs . Toronto St . Patricks " Montreal wins total goals series 5 goals to 2 " Finals . Over in the Western Canada Hockey League , the third place Victoria Cougars won their league championship and would face the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup championship . Victoria easily beat Montreal three games to one out - scoring the Canadiens 16 to 8 . This marks the first , and last , time since the inception of the NHL that a non - NHL team won the Stanley Cup . On a foot - note , though , the Seattle Metropolitans could have claimed the Cup during the flu cancelled season of 1919 , but chose not to out of good - sportsmanship . The series was played in Patrick Arena in Victoria . Montreal Canadiens vs . Victoria Cougars " Victoria Cougars win best - of - five series 3 games to 1 for the Stanley Cup " NHL Playoff scoring leader . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points " Debuts . The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1924 - 25 ( listed with their first team , asterisk ( * ) marks debut in playoffs ) : Last games . The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1924 - 25 ( listed with their last team ) :