Federal Amateur Hockey League

Infobox sports league
current_season =
sport = Ice hockey
founded = 1903
inaugural = 1904
folded = 1909
ceo =
country = CAN
champion = Renfrew Creamery Kings
most_champs = several teams won it onceThe Federal Amateur Hockey League was a Canadian men's senior-level ice hockey league that played six seasons from 1904 to 1909. The league was a professional league for its last two years and was known as the "Federal Hockey League."

History

The league was formed December 5, 1903, at a meeting held at the Savoy hotel in Montreal.

The first executive officers were:
* W. Foran, Ottawa Capitals
* W. Fizgibbon, Cornwall
* A. Meunier, Nationals
* J. Strachan, Wanderers.

The first franchises were granted to the Wanderers, the Capitals, Cornwall and the Nationals.Three of the four teams had been rejected for membership by the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL), while the fourth—the Montreal Wanderers—was comprised of disillusioned players from two Montreal-based CAHL teams. Only the Cornwall team would still be a member of the league at the end of the 1906–07 season.

The Stanley Cup-champion Ottawa HC, aka "Ottawa Silver Seven" jumped from the CAHL to the FAHL for the 1904–05 season, while the Montreal Nationals went in the opposite direction and joined the CAHL.

The 1906–07 season ended early following the death of Owen McCourt of Cornwall, after an on-ice brawl in a game March 6, 1907 between Cornwall and the Ottawa Victorias. This led to criminal charges of manslaughter against Charles Masson of the Victorias, however he was acquitted as witnesses stated at the trial that other Ottawa hockey players had hit Mr. McCourt in the head prior to Mr. Masson's blow.

In 1907-08 the Federal League returned with only three teams, all professional. Brockville, unable to field a competitive team hired the Renfrew Creamery Kings club to play as the Brockville entry. This was unacceptable to the Ottawa Victorias, which refused to play the Renfrew players, causing the league to suspend operations.

The final season of 1908-09 saw Renfrew become a member of the league on its own. Ottawa's entry, called the Senators, was organized by former players of the Ottawa Hockey Club, such as Alf Smith, Bouse Hutton, Arthur Moore and Rat Westwick who no longer played for the first team. [cite news |work=The Globe |title=New Ottawa "Pro" Team |date=December 24, 1908 |page=7]

The league dissolved in 1909, with Renfrew joining the National Hockey Association.

Teams

† Stanley Cup winner

* After the 1904 season, Montreal Nationals joined the CAHL.
* After the 1904-05 season, Montreal Wanderers and Ottawa HC joined the ECAHA.

ee also

* Canadian Amateur Hockey League
* Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
* List of Stanley Cup champions
* List of pre-NHL seasons
* List of ice hockey leagues

References

*cite book | author=Coleman, Charles L | title=The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893-1926 inc.
*Citation | newspaper = La Patrie | pages = 2 | year = 1905 | date = January 23, 1905 ("Les Montagnards de Montréal ... sont allés rencontrer les Cornwall chez eux samedi ... le score étant de 4 à 2 pour l'équipe locale."