1888 AHAC season

The 1888 AHAC season was the second season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in a series format. The Montreal Hockey Club would win a playoff against the Montreal Victorias to win the Canadian championship for the first time.
==League business==
The league at its annual meeting of November 9, 1887, decided to change the method of play for the season to a 'series' between the teams of the AHAC. Each team would play every other team twice. Ottawa did not attend and did not participate in the season.
;Executive
* President: J. J. Arnton, Victorias
* 1st Vice president: J. A. Stewart, Montreal
* 2nd Vice president: H. A. Budden, McGill
* Secretary-treasurer: W. E. Stenvenson, Victorias
* Council: A. L. Shanks, McGill; D. A. Elliott, Crystals; A. Shearer, Victorias; L. Barlow, Montreal
Source: Kitchen 2000, p. 11
==Regular season==
Ottawa would not return this season to challenge.
===Overall record===
Team 	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against
Montreal Hockey Club†	6 	5 	1 	0 	23 	6
Montreal Victorias 	6 	5 	1 	0 	24 	9
Montreal Crystals 	6 	2 	4 	0 	18 	14
McGill University 	6 	0 	6 	0 	4 	40
† National Champion
==Playoff==
* March 15 - Montreal HC 2, Montreal Victorias 1, at Crystal Rink
The playing of the game was tarnished with some scandal. The AHAC council convened to set the date of the playoff. Two players for the Victorias, Ashe and J. J. Arnton Jr. were injured, and the council set the date for the playoff before the players were recovered. The deciding vote for the date was cast by J. Stewart, who played for the Montreal HC team. Hodgson of Montreal scored the first goal at 4½ minutes, followed two minutes by a goal of Campbell for the Vics. 5½ minutes later Hodgson lifted a shot past Arnton in the Vic's goal to put Montreal ahead to stay. The Vics protested that the goal was off-side to no avail. There was no more scoring in the match. The Montreal Daily Herald reporter praised referee Hamilton of the McGill Club, noting that both side broke the off-side rule often.
==Schedule and results==
Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	Score	Location
January 13 	Montreal Hockey Club	4 	Montreal Crystals 	1 	Crystal Rink
January 18 	Montreal Victorias 	8 	McGill 	1 	Victoria Rink
January 23 	Montreal HC 	5 	McGill 	0 	Crystal Rink
January 27 	Montreal Victorias 	3 	Montreal Crystals 	1 	Crystal Rink
February 3 	Montreal Victorias 	3 	Montreal HC 	1 	Victoria Rink
February 10	Montreal Crystals 	4 	McGill 	1 	Crystal Rink
February 15	Montreal HC 	3 	Montreal Crystals 	1 	Crystal Rink
February 22	Montreal Victorias 	6 	McGill 	2 	Crystal Rink
February 27	Montreal HC 	2 	Montreal Victorias	1 	Crystal Rink
March 2 	Montreal HC 	8 	McGill 	0 	Crystal Rink
March 7 	Montreal Victorias 	3 	Montreal Crystals 	2 	Victoria Rink
March 12 	Montreal Crystals 	9 	McGill 	0 	Crystal Rink
Source: "Before the Trail of the Stanley Cup"
==Player statistics==
===Scoring leaders===
Name 	Club 	GP	G
Elliot, D.A. 	Crystals 	6 	8
Campbell, Jack 	Victorias	7 	8
McNaughton, Archie	Montreal 	2 	6
Ashe, Fred 	Victorias	5 	5
Kinghorn, James 	Victorias	7 	5
Lee, Sam 	Crystals 	4 	4
Hodgson, Archie 	Montreal 	5 	4
Shearer, Andy 	Victorias	7 	4
===Goaltender averages===
Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average
Name 	Club 	GP	GA	SO	GAA
Scanlan, Robert	Crystals 	1 	1 	0 	1.0
Paton, Tom 	Montreal 	7 	7 	2 	1.00
Crathern, J.C. 	Victorias	5 	6 	0 	1.2
Arnton, Tom 	Victorias	2 	4 	1 	2.0
Higginson, A.G.	Montreal 	1 	2 	0 	2.0
Virtue, William	Crystals 	4 	9 	0 	2.2
Norris, Jack 	Crystals 	1 	4 	0 	4.0
Shanks, A. 	McGill 	5 	29	0 	5.8
McCaffrey, Ed 	McGill 	1 	6 	0 	6.0
==Montreal HC 1888 AHAC champions==
Source: Kitchen 2000, p. 11
==References==
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1888
Category:1888 in ice hockey