Born in Leeds, Quebec, Northey became secretary at the Montreal Hockey Club in 1893. He would help lead the team to two Stanley Cups. In 1909, he helped convince ice hockey executives to change two rules still in place today. The first was the change from a game consisting of two 30 minute halves to three 20 minute periods. He was also instrumental in the decision to discontinue the rover position. The number of players on the ice per team was dropped to six. Northey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947.