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| - The National Hockey League was founded in 1917 in Montreal after a series of disputes within the (Canadian) National Hockey Association (NHA), which would see the NHA suspend operations and the new NHL start play. The primary conflict involved Toronto Blueshirts' owner Eddie Livingstone. An ongoing source of controversy among fellow NHA owners, he was often accused of exploiting loopholes in league regulations to create what some viewed as unfair advantages, and had particularly incited the wrath of owners when he merged his two Toronto teams (the Ontarios and the Blueshirts) after the latter had been deprived of its top players. Livingstone sometimes offered contracts to other teams' members not to play hockey, and once campaigned to kick the Montreal Wanderers out of the league after the team tried to lure two of his top Blueshirts players. Throughout his battles with owners, Livingstone repeatedly threatened to start a rival league in the United States. This article is part of the Evolution of the NHL series.
* Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (1886-1898)
* Canadian Amateur Hockey League (1898-1905)
* Federal Amateur Hockey League (1904-1909)
* International Professional Hockey League (1904-1907)
* Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (1906-1909)
* Ontario Professional Hockey League (1908-1911)
* Canadian Hockey Association (1909-1910)
* National Hockey Association (1909-1917)
* Pacific Coast Hockey Association (1911-1924)
* National Hockey League (1917-present)
* Western Canada Hockey League (1921-1926)
* World Hockey Association (1972-1979) In its final season (1916-17), the National Hockey Association was comprised of six teams: The Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, Toronto Blueshirts, and an army team from the Toronto-based 228th Battalion. The team owners met in the Windsor Hotel in Montreal to consider the league's future on February 11, 1917, a day after members of the 228th Battalion, the most popular NHA team, were called into World War I action. Livingstone, unable to attend the meeting because of illness, was shocked to learn that owners had all agreed to withdraw from the NHA, to effectively ejecting Livingstone and the Blueshirts. After the resignation of NHA president and Livingstone ally Frank Robinson, Livingstone stopped attending league meetings and sent a lawyer to represent his interests. On November 9, 1917, it was reported that the Toronto NHA franchise was sold to Charles Querrie of the Toronto Arena corporation. At this point, NHA president Robertson and secretary Calder denied that the NHA would change, dissolve or adopt other subterfuge. This 'sale' never completed and must be considered a ruse. The November 10, 1917 annual meeting of the NHA was presided over by Mr. Calder and was adjourned without any public statement. At this time, the Quebec club had not committed to play the season, and had been given deadlines to commit. On November 17, 1917, it was announced that Quebec had dropped out, but that NHA league play would continue. This would mean that the NHA would be reduced to three teams, an undesirable number for scheduling purposes, if Toronto would not be allowed to continue, and the other owners did not want to continue with Livingstone as an owner. On November 26, 1917, representatives of the NHA clubs met at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal. The decision was made to start a new league, the NHL:
* constitution and rules the same as the NHA
* Frank Calder elected president and secretary
* M. J. Quinn of Quebec was named honorary president
* franchises were granted to Ottawa, Canadiens, Wanderers,
* Quebec players to be disbursed among the other teams
* Toronto franchise to be operated 'temporarily' by the Toronto Arena Company Thus Livingstone was frozen out. This tactic of forming new leagues to resolve conflicts was not new. The NHA's oldest clubs, the Bulldogs and Senators, had seen the AHAC, CAHL, FAHL, ECAHA and CHA leagues shut down since organized league play began in 1886.
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