Introduction
On December 8, 1886, the teams that made up the circuit for the Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (MWC) decided to create a stand-alone hockey league that did not coincide with the popular winter festival. The league was called the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) and was made up by the Montreal Hockey Club, McGill University, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias, and the Ottawa Hockey Club. These five teams participated in a season of series challenges at the Crystal and Victoria hockey rinks.
While the AHAC shared the same teams and play format as the MWCHT, the AHAC was its own entity, bringing together the best players in Hockey to play in a dedicated league. This was the first time ever that a league dedicated to Hockey was created, following the format established by Baseball’s National League. The biggest difference was that the AHAC was purely Amateur.
The AHAC decided to return to the balanced schedule format from 1888, with each team playing one another twice. The challenge schedule that was used previously was never to be used again.
Montreal HC won the championship for placing first in the regular season. This was Montreal HC’s third straight championship since the Championship Trophy was inaugurated in 1891. According to the terms for the trophy, Montreal HC was allowed to keep the Trophy. A new version was struck for following seasons. The version won by Montreal is on display in the collection of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
As champions of the AHAC, the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup (known today as the Stanley Cup) was to be awarded to Montreal as its inaugural champion.
1893 was Season 7 of play for the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada and took place 131 years ago.
Classification / Layer
Season Length
January 7, 1893 to March 17, 1893
Season Champion
Montreal Hockey Club
# of Teams
5
Season Standings (Overall Champion Challenge Record)
Season Playoffs
There were no championship playoffs as the top team from the regular season was considered the champion.
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