In 1890, the teams that formerly made up the main circuit for the Montreal Winter Carnival played a season-long stand-alone hockey league that was a successor to the popular winter festival. In fact, the MWC Hockey Tournament was cancelled as the teams decided to focus on their own league play. The Montreal Hockey Club, Montreal Dominions (use be the Montreal Crystals), Quebec Hockey Club, and the Montreal Victorias participated in a challenge schedule at the Dominion and Victoria hockey rinks, following the same format found in the predecessor Montreal Winter Carnival.
The fourth season played in 1890 (from January 7 to March 14) saw The Montreal Hockey Club win the Championship.
| Championships to 1890 Season for Amateur Hockey Association of Canada | ||
| Team | # of Championships | Premier Championship Points |
| Montreal Hockey Club | 5 (1885-86, 88-90) | 14 (+3) |
| Montreal Crystals | 1 (1887) | 4 |
| Montreal Victorias | 1 (1884) | 4 |
| McGill University | 1 (1883) | 2 |
The AHAC was the first ever organized Ice Hockey league. It was formed by four Montreal-based teams plus a team from Ottawa. Because these five teams all played in the preceding MWC Hockey Tournament, the AHAC is considered to be the direct descendant to the MWC for historical and statistical purposes.
- Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, 1905 - December 17, 2017
- Canadian Amateur Hockey League, 1905 - December 16, 2017
- Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, 1904 - December 10, 2017
