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 and 1893-1896, with each team playing one another twice.
1897 was Season 11 of play for the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada and took place 127 years ago.
Classification / Layer
Season Length
January 9, 1897 to March 6, 1897
Season Champion
Montreal Victorias
# of Teams
5
Season Standings (Overall Champion Challenge Record)
Season Playoffs (Stanley Cup Challenges)
Prior to the season, Victorias would defeat the Winnipeg Victorias of the Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) 6–5, on December 30, 1896, to reclaim the Cup they had lost in the previous season to Winnipeg.
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