March 11, 1918, was a pivotal moment in the history of professional hockey. The National Hockey League (NHL) hosted its inaugural championship game, a landmark event that reshaped the sport. On this historic night, the Toronto Hockey Club emerged victorious, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 7-3 in the two-game total-goals series opening game, thereby determining the league’s first-ever champion.
The NHL’s inception was not a smooth journey but a turbulent birth born out of conflict. Just months prior, team owners had reached a breaking point with the National Hockey Association (NHA), particularly due to disputes with Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone. Instead of prolonging the strife, they suspended the NHA and established the NHL in November 1917. The Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, and Ottawa Senators were the first to join the new league. On the other hand, Toronto was given a temporary team, managed by the owners of Arena Gardens, which was comprised of players from the Blueshirts. This team would later be known as the Toronto Arenas, but they had no official nameduring that inaugural season.
The 1917-18 NHL season was anything but smooth. The Montreal Wanderers withdrew after their arena burned down in January 1918, leaving the league with just three teams. The season was split into two halves—Montreal won the first half, while Toronto claimed the second. This set up the league’s first championship series.
The NHL Championship was structured as a two-game total-goals series. The first leg occurred in Toronto on March 11, 1918, at Arena Gardens. Toronto dominated the game, securing a 7-3 victory, with Alf Skinner leading the charge and eventually becoming the playoff scoring leader. Montreal fought back in the second game, winning 4-3 two days later. However, Toronto’s earlier lead ensured their victory in the series, with a final score of 10-7 on aggregate, thereby clinching the first NHL title.
Toronto’s triumph earned them the O’Brien Cup, the old NHA’s championship trophy. More importantly, it secured their place in the Stanley Cup Final, where they would defeat the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to become the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup.