1916-17 NHA season

The 1916–17 NHA season was the 8th and final season of the National Hockey Association. Teams were to play two half-seasons of 10 games each, though this was disrupted.
The NHA franchise of the dormant Shamrocks was taken back from its owner Eddie Livingstone and used by the Toronto 228th Battalion, which had a number of NHA hockey players who had enlisted for military service. Also known as the Northern Fusiliers, the team played wearing khaki military uniforms and was the league's most popular and highest scoring club until the regiment was ordered overseas in February 1917 and the team was forced to withdraw. A scandal ensued when several stars were subsequently discharged, not having to fight and alleged they had been promised commissions solely to play hockey. The NHA would sue the 228th Battalion club for its withdrawal, though ultimately did not succeed.
A dispute also erupted over the rest of the playing schedule. The Toronto Blueshirts club was suspended for the rest of the season by the league, and some of its players played for other clubs for the rest of the schedule. The league intended for the players to be returned at the end of the season to whomever would own the Toronto club then. As the sale did not take place, the league kept them. The owner of the Blueshirts would file several lawsuits over the league's actions, sparking the events that led to the founding of the NHL. 
==League Business==
Emmet Quinn resigned as president on October 18,1916.
The Ottawa club wanted to suspend play for the season due to the war, but was voted down. 
===Executives===
* Frank Robinson, Montreal (president)
* Frank Calder, (secretary-treasurer)
Directors:
* S. E. Lichtenhein, Wanderers,
* G. W. Kennedy, Canadiens
* Martin Rosenthal, Ottawa
* E. J. Livingstone, Toronto
* Capt. L. W. Reade, 228th
* Mike J. Quinn, Quebec
===Rule Changes===
A split-schedule of two halves would be used.
The single-referee system would be reinstated.
Throwing the stick to prevent a goal would mean the award of an automatic goal for the other team.
==Regular Season==
===Suspending the Blueshirts===
On February 10, 1917, the Blueshirts played their final game, losing 4–1 at home to Ottawa. The following day, a meeting of the NHA
executive in Montreal was held to deal with the 228th Battalion leaving for overseas. Toronto proposed continuing with a
five-team league, but the other owners instead voted to suspend Toronto's team. The players were dispersed
by a drawing of names. The following day, President Robinson was quoted as stating that the players would return to the club after the season, but he would not guarantee that the club would be allowed to return to play, stating that would be decided at the NHA annual meeting.
===Continuing the season===
Ottawa, while not unhappy at the suspension of Toronto, nevertheless lost a game for the use of Cy Denneny in a game against the 228th, and saw the Wanderers and Quebec receive wins for games against the 228th. The club threatened to not play for the rest of the season. However, cooler heads prevailed and Ottawa went back to work.
The following weekend, Harry Meeking and Eddie Oatman arrived in Montreal, after being discharged by the 228th after arriving in Saint John, New Brunswick. Oatman charged that the 228th owed him $700 for his commission for his play with the 228th. As Oatman had gotten out of being drafted into the PCHA by being a member of the 228th, this set the Ottawa on again to reverse the game decision, claiming that Oatman was ineligible.
===Final standings===
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against
First Half 	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Montreal Canadiens 	10	7	3	0	58	38
Ottawa Senators 	10	7	3	0	56	41
Toronto 228th Battalion	10	6	4	0	70	57
Toronto Blueshirts 	10	5	5	0	50	45
Montreal Wanderers 	10	3	7	0	56	72
Quebec Bulldogs 	10	2	8	0	43	80
Second Half 	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Ottawa Senators 	10	8	2	0	63	22
Quebec Bulldogs 	10	8	2	0	54	46
Montreal Canadiens	10	3	7	0	31	42
Montreal Wanderers	10	2	8	0	38	65
After the 228th Battalion dropped out, and Toronto suspended, the schedule was revised so that the remaining teams would play a 20 game schedule of two halves containing 10 games each. Some of the games to that point were moved into the second half. The 'second half' therefore included some games that the 228th and Toronto played.
===Results===
;First half
Month	Day	Visitor 	Score	Home 	Score
Dec. 	27 	Ottawa 	7 	228th 	10
Dec. 	27 	Wanderers	2 	Quebec 	6
Dec. 	27 	Toronto 	7 	Canadiens	1
Dec. 	30 	Canadiens	1 	Ottawa 	7
Dec. 	30 	Quebec 	5 	Toronto 	8
Dec. 	30 	228th 	10 	Wanderers	4
Jan. 	3 	Ottawa 	10 	Wanderers	5
Jan. 	3 	Canadiens	4 	Quebec 	2
Jan. 	3 	228th 	4 	Toronto 	0
Jan. 	6 	Toronto 	2 	Ottawa 	3
Jan. 	6 	Wanderers	4 	Canadiens	9
Jan. 	6 	Quebec 	9 	228th 	16
Jan. 	10 	Ottawa 	4 	Quebec 	5
Jan. 	10 	228th 	1 	Canadiens	6
Jan. 	10 	Wanderers	4 	Toronto 	9
Jan. 	13 	228th 	1 	Ottawa 	1
Jan. 	13 	Canadiens	6 	Toronto 	2
Jan. 	13 	Quebec 	3 	Wanderers	12
Jan. 	17 	Ottawa 	3 	Canadiens	2
Jan. 	17 	Wanderers	10 	228th 	4
Jan. 	17 	Toronto 	5 	Quebec 	1
Jan. 	20 	Wanderers	5 	Ottawa 	8
Jan. 	20 	Toronto 	6 	228th 	8
Jan. 	20 	Quebec 	6 	Canadiens	10
Jan. 	24 	Ottawa 	5 	Toronto 	8
Jan. 	24 	228th 	12 	Quebec 	4
Jan. 	24 	Canadiens	10 	Wanderers	2
Jan. 	27 	Quebec 	2 	Ottawa 	7
Jan. 	27 	Toronto 	3 	Wanderers	8
Jan. 	27 	Canadiens	9 	228th 	4
;Second half
Month	Day	Visitor 	Score	Home 	Score
Jan. 	31 	228th 	0 	Ottawa‡ 	8
Jan. 	31 	Quebec 	4 	Wanderers	3 (3' OT)
Jan. 	31 	Canadiens 	2 	Toronto 	6
Feb. 	3 	Ottawa 	2 	Canadiens	1
Feb. 	3 	Toronto 	3 	Quebec 	7 (2' to play)
Feb. 	3 	Wanderers†	 	228th 	(postponed)
Feb. 	7 	Wanderers 	5 	Ottawa 	8
Feb. 	7 	Toronto 	4 	228th 	3
Feb. 	7 	Quebec 	3 	Canadiens	6
Feb. 	10 	Ottawa 	4 	Toronto 	1
Feb. 	10 	Canadiens 	6 	Wanderers	3
Feb. 	12 	228th* 	 	Quebec& 	(cancelled)
Feb. 	14 	Canadiens 	1 	Ottawa 	4
Feb. 	14 	Quebec 	7 	Wanderers	3
Feb. 	17 	Wanderers 	3 	Canadiens	4
Feb. 	17 	Ottawa 	2 	Quebec 	3 (16' OT)
Feb. 	21 	Canadiens 	1 	Quebec 	5
Feb. 	21 	Ottawa 	5 	Wanderers	3
Feb. 	24 	Quebec 	7 	Canadiens	6
Feb. 	24 	Wanderers 	6 	Ottawa 	11
Feb. 	28 	Ottawa 	3 	Canadiens	1
Feb. 	28 	Wanderers 	6 	Quebec 	17
Mar. 	3 	Quebec 	1 	Ottawa 	16
Mar. 	3 	Canadiens 	3 	Wanderers	6
‡ Ottawa lost game on use of ineligible Cy Denneny.
† Wanderers given win for this game in revised second half.
& Quebec given win for this game in revised second half.
* 228th was ordered overseas. Toronto club was suspended by league.
===Scoring leaders===
Player 	Team 	GP	G
Joe Malone 	Quebec Bulldogs 	19	41
Frank Nighbor	Ottawa Senators 	19	41
Odie Cleghorn	Montreal Wanderers	18	28
Newsy Lalonde	Montreal Canadiens	18	27
Jack Darragh 	Ottawa Senators 	20	26
Didier Pitre 	Montreal Canadiens	20	22
Dave Ritchie 	Quebec Bulldogs 	19	17
Corb Denneny 	Toronto / Ottawa 	20	19
Eddie Gerard 	Ottawa Senators 	19	17
Eddie Oatman 	228th Battalion 	12	17 †
===Leading Goaltenders===
Name 	Club 	GP	GA	SO	Avg.
Gordon Keats 	Toronto 	2 	5 	 	2.5
Clint Benedict 	Ottawa 	18	50	1 	2.8
Georges Vezina 	Canadiens 	20	80	 	4.0
Brock 	Toronto 	4 	16	1 	4.0
Billy Nicholson	Toronto 	10	40	1 	4.0
Ossie Lang 	Ottawa 	1 	5 	 	5.0
Sam Hebert 	Quebec/Ottawa 	15	84	 	5.6
Lockhart 	228th Battalion	12	69	1 	5.8 †
Bert Lindsay 	Wanderers 	15	96	 	6.4
Paddy Moran 	Quebec 	6 	50	 	8.3
Billy Hague 	Wanderers 	4 	41	 	10.3
† Totals includes two 228th Battalion games played in second half, not counted in standings.
==Playoffs==
Game-by-Game 	Game-by-Game 	Winning Team 	Score 	Losing Team 	Location 	
1 	March 7 	Montreal Canadiens 	5–2 	Ottawa Senators 	Montreal Arena 	
2 	March 10 	Ottawa Senators 	4–2 	Montreal Canadiens 	The Arena, Ottawa 	
Canadiens win two-game playoff 7–6	Canadiens win two-game playoff 7–6	Canadiens win two-game playoff 7–6	Canadiens win two-game playoff 7–6	Canadiens win two-game playoff 7–6	Canadiens win two-game playoff 7–6	Canadiens win two-game playoff 7–6
The Montreal Canadiens won the O'Brien Cup, but lost to the Seattle Metropolitans of the PCHA in the Stanley Cup Finals.
==Game Ads==
16-17NHAMontrealGameAd.jpg|Montreal
16-17NHAOttawaGameAd.jpg|Ottawa
16-17NHAQuebecGameAd.jpg|Quebec City
16-17NHATorontoGameAd.jpg|Toronto
16-17NHAFOttawaGameAd.jpg|Final @ Ottawa
==See also==
*National Hockey Association
*List of pre-NHL seasons
*List of Stanley Cup champions
Category:1917 in hockey
Category:National Hockey Association