1910 – 11 NHA season The 1910 – 11 NHA season was the second season of the now defunct National Hockey Association . Five teams played 16 games each , starting on December 31 , 1910 and ending on March 10 , 1911 . The Ottawa Hockey Club won the league championship and took over the Stanley Cup from the Montreal Wanderers . League Business . The annual meeting was held November 12 , 1910 electing the following executive : Directors : The Shamrocks resigned from the league and were not replaced . The Club Athletique - Canadien and the Quebec Hockey Club were granted franchises . Haileybury and Cobalt left the league . Club - Athletique - Canadien had made a claim on the Canadiens name and threatened a lawsuit if they were not granted a franchise . There are three written descriptions of this transaction . Coleman ( 1966 ) writes that George Kennedy , president of the CAC bought the Haileybury franchise . In Andy O ' Brien ' s book , Ambrose O ' Brien is quoted as saying that he sold the Canadiens to Kennedy . In Holzman ' s book , the franchise was given to Kennedy , but Kennedy had to pay O ' Brien for the rights to Newsy Lalonde . In " The Globe " of March 7 , 1911 , it is claimed that Lalonde ' s sale was the first ever sale of a player . The NHA decided to impose a $ 5 , 000 per team salary cap . A second meeting , on November 26 , 1910 updated the Board of Directors to : The salary cap , while opposed by the players was upheld at the meeting . Salary Cap . The salary cap of $ 5000 per club caused a situation where Bruce Stuart of Ottawa threatened a mass defection to a new league . However , the players found that the Arena Company , owners of the Montreal Arena would not rent to the players . There was no other suitable arena in Montreal available for a new league and the players had no choice but to abandon the effort . Some players took a large cut in salary : Marty Walsh , Fred Lake and Dubby Kerr were paid $ 600 each where they had been paid $ 1200 each in 1910 . The dispute caused the cancellation of a pre - season exhibition series in New York for the Ottawas and Wanderers . Rule Changes . Games were changed from two periods of 30 minutes , to three periods of twenty minutes , with ten minute rest periods . The Spalding hockey puck was adopted as the standard puck . Regular season . Final standings . " Note : W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , GF = Goals For , GA = Goals Against " Results . † Protested by Renfrew . ‡ Replay of protested game . Stanley Cup Challenges . Preliminary playoffs . Four teams challenged for the Stanley Cup : Prince Albert , who was disqualified out of the 1910 - 11 Saskatchewan Senior Playoffs ; Port Arthur , who won the New Ontario League in present - day Thunder Bay ; Galt , who won the Ontario Professional League ; and Port Hope , who won the Eastern Ontario Professional League . Two preliminary series were played : " 2 games total goals " Port Arthur beat Prince Albert 12 goals to 8 . Galt beat Port Hope 12 goals to 8 . The Ottawa Senators then played two challenges against Galt and Port Arthur at The Arena in Ottawa . Port Arthur vs . Ottawa . Marty Walsh was a " one - man wrecking crew " , scoring ten goals against Port Arthur . Post - season Exhibition series . After the season a series was arranged between Renfrew and Montreal Wanderers and Ottawa to play in New York . Renfrew and Montreal played first , with the winner to play - off against Ottawa . After the Wanderers defeated Renfrew 18 – 5 ( 13 – 4 , 4 – 1 ) , Ottawa won a $ 2 , 500 prize for the two - game series winning 12 – 7 ( 7 – 2 , 5 – 8 ) .