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 reverted to the challenge system it used in 1887, hoping to attract teams from outside Montreal. The Quebec Hockey Club would return to play in the AHAC, but the Ottawa Hockey Club did not participate. The Halifax Chebuctos participated for the first and last time.
1889 was Season 3 of play for the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada and took place 135 years ago.
Classification / Layer
Season Length
December 15, 1888 to March 27, 1889
Season Champion
Montreal Hockey Club
# of Teams
6
Season Standings (Overall Champion Challenge Record)
Season Playoffs
There were no championship playoffs as the Champion Challenge system was being used. A team would hold the title of Champion until it was defeated by a Challenger as was done in Boxing. The team holding the title at the end of the season would be declared the overall Champion.
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