List of pre-NHL seasons

This is a list of seasons of leagues that were the precursors of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Amateur and professional leagues

Amateur leagues	Professional leagues	Champion / Stanley Cup Champion
MWCT	AHAC		CAHL	FAHL/FHL	ECAHA	WPHL	IPHL	OPHL	CHA	NHA	PCHA	WCHL/WHL
1883												McGill University
1884												Montreal Victorias
1885												Montreal Hockey Club
1886												Montreal Crystals
1887	1887											Montreal Hockey Club Montreal Victorias Montreal Crystals
Cancelled	1888											Montreal Hockey Club
1889	1889											Montreal Hockey Club Montreal Crystals Montreal Hockey Club
	1890											Montreal Hockey Club
	1891											Montreal Hockey Club
	1892											Ottawa Hockey Club Montreal Hockey Club
	1893											Montreal Hockey Club
	1894											Montreal Hockey Club
	1895											Montreal Hockey Club Montreal Victorias
	1896											Winnipeg Victorias
	1897				1896–97							Montreal Victorias
	1898											Montreal Victorias
		1899			1898–99							Montreal Shamrocks
		1900			1899–1900							Montreal Shamrocks
		1901			1901							Winnipeg Victorias
		1902			1902							Winnipeg Victorias Montreal Hockey Club
		1903			1903							Montreal Hockey Club Ottawa Hockey Club
		1904	1904		1904							Ottawa Hockey Club
		1905	1904–05			1904–05						Ottawa Hockey Club
			1905–06	1906		1905–06						Ottawa Hockey Club Montreal Wanderers
			1906–07	1907		1906–07						Montreal Wanderers Kenora Thistles Montreal Wanderers
			1908	1907–08	1908		1908					Montreal Wanderers
			1909	1909	1909		1909					Montreal Wanderers Ottawa Hockey Club
							1910	1910	1910			Ottawa Hockey Club Montreal Wanderers
							1911		1910–11			Ottawa Hockey Club
									1911–12	1912		Quebec Bulldogs
									1912–13	1912–13		Quebec Bulldogs
									1913–14	1913–14		Toronto Blueshirts
									1914–15	1914–15		Vancouver Millionaires
									1915–16	1915–16		Montreal Canadiens
									1916–17	1916–17		Seattle Metropolitans
										1917–18		Toronto
										1919		no decision
										1919–20		Ottawa Senators
										1920–21		Ottawa Senators
										1921–22	1921–22	Toronto St. Pats
										1922–23	1922–23	Ottawa Senators
										1923–24	1923–24	Montreal Canadiens
											1924–25	Victoria Cougars
											1925–26	Montreal Maroons

Notes

• The Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments (MWCT) were a series of annual tournaments held in the 1880s in conjunction with the Montreal Winter Carnival, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. First held in 1883, these tournaments are considered to be the first championship ice hockey tournaments and the predecessor to the first championship ice hockey league, the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada.
• The Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) existed from 1886 to 1898. Season series play started in 1893.
• The Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) existed from 1899 to 1905.
• The Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL/FHL) existed from 1904 to 1909. The league was professional from 1908 onwards.
• The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) existed from 1906 to 1909. The league allowed professional players from 1907 onwards, becoming fully professional in the 1909 season.
• The Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) existed from 1896 to 1909. It was the first league to officially allow professional players.
• The International Professional Hockey League (IPHL) existed from 1904 until 1907.
• The Ontario Professional Hockey League (OPHL) existed from 1908 until 1911.
• The Canadian Hockey Association (CHA) existed in 1910 for part of one season.
• The National Hockey Association (NHA) existed from 1910 to 1917.
• The Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) existed from 1911 to 1924.
• The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) existed from 1921 to 1926. While the WCHL wasn't a pre-NHL league, it is generally deemed by hockey historians to have been a major league. Two years prior to its folding, the PCHA merged with it. The last season, 1925–26, it had been renamed the Western Hockey League because one of its teams had moved to the United States. The NHL would buy the rights to the WHL players as part of its disbanding.
• Prior to 1905 (FAHL), 1910 (NHA) and 1912 (PCHA) league play started in January and ended in March of one calendar year.
• The Stanley Cup was first awarded in 1893.
• Prior to 1915, championships could be won or lost during a season through challenge play. Hence, multiple championship holders were possible during each season.

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of NHL seasons
• List of WHA seasons