The Windsor Hotel in Montreal (postcard, c. 1919), where NHL founders met in November 1917.  Source: Wikimedia Commons.  Public domain.

The National Hockey League (NHL) didn’t begin as a grand vision for a modern sports empire. It was born from frustration, rivalry, and a mid-winter power struggle in Montreal. Yet, from that turmoil in 1917 grew the world’s premier professional hockey league — one that would eventually span two continents and shape the identity of the sport itself.

The Precursor: The National Hockey Association

Before the NHL, there was the National Hockey Association (NHA), founded in 1909. The NHA featured some of the earliest professional hockey clubs in Canada, including the Montreal Canadiens, the Ottawa Senators, and the Quebec Bulldogs. But internal politics turned poisonous, fueled by one man — Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto Blueshirts. Livingstone’s relentless disputes over contracts and league operations pushed the other owners to revolt. By 1917, they decided to start fresh — without him.

The Breakaway: November 1917

On November 26, 1917, representatives from Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec met at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal and founded the National Hockey League. Their workaround was simple and effective: suspend the NHA and immediately form a new organization, shutting Livingstone out.

The league’s first lineup included the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, and a hastily assembled Toronto club operated by the Toronto Arena Company — a team that would later evolve into the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A Rough Beginning

The NHL’s first puck drop came on December 19, 1917. The league faced chaos from the start: the Montreal Wanderers’ arena burned down weeks into the season, forcing them to withdraw. Toronto went on to win the inaugural NHL championship and then defeated the Vancouver Millionaires for the Stanley Cup in 1918. The NHL had survived its turbulent debut — a crucial victory for a league built in haste and defiance.

Growth, Expansion, and the “Original Six”

In the 1920s and 1930s, the NHL absorbed rival leagues and crossed into U.S. markets, planting teams in Boston, New York, Chicago, and Detroit. By 1942, only six franchises remained — the storied Original Six era that would dominate for a quarter century and forge enduring rivalries and dynasties.

Legacy of a Rebellion

It’s fitting that the NHL — now a global, billion-dollar enterprise — began as an act of rebellion. In trying to escape one man’s stubbornness, a handful of Canadian owners unintentionally built one of the greatest sports leagues in history. Over a century later, the NHL’s first spark still burns: a league born not of peace, but of passion, competition, and the irresistible chaos of hockey itself.