Amateur Hockey Association of Canada

A meeting was called, for those in favour of the formation of a Dominion hockey association, for the evening of 8 December 1886.

The meeting was held at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal and attended by the following delegates with Mr. Jack Arnton acting as Chairman and Mr. J. G. Monk as Secretary:[2] Victoria Hockey Club Ottawa Hockey Club McGill College

In that age, ice hockey was a very different game compared to today: the AHAC rules stated that there were six skaters on each side.

The face-offs were at a right angle to today's practice, the centre men facing inwards from the sides of the rink.

A match was two halves of thirty minutes (also to note that in the day, game meant goal by modern definition).

Sudden-death overtime was also in place, and a match would continue until a goal was scored in the event of a tie after regulation.

However, teams from outside Montreal incurred huge travelling expenses, which led the AHAC to revert to the challenge system.

It was believed that the people who were in charge of running their team were, in fact, not representative of the team itself, and when the hockey club asked for a loan of $175 in start-up expenses for the 1894 season, it was flatly refused (the first time the MAAA refused anything to the hockey club).

The Capitals applied again at the annual meeting held in Montreal on December 10, 1898, leading to "a cataclysm in the hockey world.

[8] This led to the representatives of the Quebec Bulldogs, Montreal Victorias and Ottawa Hockey Club opting to withdraw from the association.

† Stanley Cup winner Under the challenge system, the league championship would change hands until the end of the playing season.

[10] According to Ultimate Hockey, the play between 1887 and 1892 occurred in the challenge format and the title of champion could change after every series.