1888 AHAC season
{{Infobox sports season
| title = 1888 AHAC season
| league = Amateur Hockey Association of Canada
| sport = Ice hockey
| duration = January 13 – March 12, 1888
| no_of_teams = 4
| season = 1888
| season_champs =
| season_champ_name =
| league_champs = Montreal Hockey Club
| league_champ_name = Champions
| second_place =
| minor_premiers =
| MVP =
| MVP_link =
| Cup_MVP =
| Cup_MVP_link =
| top_scorer =
| top_scorer_link =
| promote =
| promote_from =
| relegate =
| relegate_to =
| playoffs =
| playoffs_link =
| conf1 =
| conf1_link =
| conf1_champ =
| conf1-runner-up =
| conf2 =
| conf2_link =
| conf2_champ =
| conf2-runner-up =
| playoffs_MVP =
| playoffs_MVP_link =
| finals =
| finals_link =
| finals_champ =
| finals_runner-up =
| finals_MVP =
| finals_MVP_link =
| final_four_MVP =
| final_four_MVP_link=
| seasonslist = Amateur Hockey Association of Canada
| seasonslistnames = AHAC
| prevseason_link = 1887 AHAC season
| prevseason_year = 1887
| altseason_link =
| altseason_year =
| nextseason_link = 1888–89 AHAC season
| nextseason_year = 1888–89
}}
The 1888 AHAC season was the second season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in a series format. The Montreal Hockey Club would win a playoff game against the Montreal Victorias 2-1 to win the Canadian championship for the first time.
League business
The league at its annual meeting of November 9, 1887, decided to change the method of play for the season to a 'series' between the teams of the AHAC. Each team would play every other team twice. Ottawa did not attend and did not participate in the season.{{sfn|Kitchen|2000|p=11}}
;Executive
- President: J. J. Arnton, Victorias
- 1st Vice president: J. A. Stewart, Montreal
- 2nd Vice president: H. A. Budden, McGill
- Secretary-treasurer: W. E. Stevenson, Victorias
- Council: A. L. Shanks, McGill; D. A. Elliott, Crystals; A. Shearer, Victorias; L. Barlow, Montreal
Source: Kitchen 2000, p. 11
Regular season
File:Montreal Victorias 1888.jpg
Ottawa would not return this season to challenge.
= Overall record =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||
| Team
! Games Played ! Wins ! Losses ! Ties ! Goals For ! Goals Against | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Hockey Club† | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 6 |
| Montreal Victorias | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| Montreal Crystals | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 14 |
| McGill University | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 40 |
† National Champion
Playoff
- March 15 - Montreal HC 2, Montreal Victorias 1, at Crystal Rink{{Cite news|work=Montreal Daily Herald |date=March 16, 1888 |page=8 |title=Sporting Intelligence}}
The playing of the game was tarnished with some scandal. The AHAC council convened to set the date of the playoff. Two players for the Victorias, Ashe and J. J. Arnton Jr. were injured, and the council set the date for the playoff before the players were recovered. The deciding vote for the date was cast by J. Stewart, who played for the Montreal HC team.{{sfn|Kitchen|2000|p=11}} Hodgson of Montreal scored the first goal at 4½ minutes, followed two minutes by a goal of Campbell for the Vics. 5½ minutes later Hodgson lifted a shot past Arnton in the Vic's goal to put Montreal ahead to stay. The Vics protested that the goal was off-side to no avail. There was no more scoring in the match. The Montreal Daily Herald reporter praised referee Hamilton of the McGill Club, noting that both side broke the off-side rule often.
Schedule and results
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Date ! Visitor ! Score ! Home ! Score ! Location | |||||
| colspan="6" align="center" | AHAC Challenge play | |||||
| Jan. 13 | Montreal HC | 4 | Crystals | 1 | Crystal Rink |
| Jan. 18 | Victorias | 8 | McGill | 1 | Victoria Rink |
| Jan. 23 | Montreal HC | 5 | McGill | 0 | Crystal Rink |
| Jan. 27 | Victorias | 3 | Crystals | 1 | Crystal Rink |
| Feb. 3 | Victorias | 3 | Montreal HC | 1 | Victoria Rink |
| Feb. 10 | Crystals | 4 | McGill | 1 | Crystal Rink |
| Feb. 15 | Montreal HC | 3 | Crystals | 1 | Crystal Rink |
| Feb. 22 | Victorias | 6 | McGill | 2 | Crystal Rink |
| Feb. 27 | Montreal HC | 2 | Victorias | 1 | Crystal Rink |
| Mar. 2 | Montreal HC | 8 | McGill | 0 | Crystal Rink |
| Mar. 7 | Victorias | 3 | Crystals | 2 | Victoria Rink |
| Mar. 12 | Crystals | 9 | McGill | 0 | Crystal Rink |
| colspan="6" align="center" | AHAC Playoff Game | |||||
| Mar. 15 | Victorias | 1 | Montreal HC | 2 | Crystal Rink |
Source: "Before the Trail of the Stanley Cup"{{sfn|Kitchen|2000|p=11}}
Player statistics
= Scoring leaders =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||
| Name
! Club ! GP ! G | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| align="left"| Elliot, D.A. | Crystals | 6 | 8 |
| align="left"| Campbell, Jack | Victorias | 7 | 8 |
| align="left"| Virtue, James | Montreal HC | 7 | 8 |
| align="left"| Ashe, Fred | Victorias | 5 | 5 |
| align="left"| Kinghorn, James | Victorias | 7 | 5 |
| align="left"| Lee, Sam | Crystals | 4 | 4 |
| align="left"| Hodgson, Archie | Montreal HC | 5 | 4 |
| align="left"| Shearer, Andy | Victorias | 7 | 4 |
= Goaltender averages =
Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" style="width:30em" | |||||
| style="width:9em"| Name
! style="width:8em"| Club ! style="width:3em"| GP ! style="width:3em"| GA ! style="width:3em"| SO ! style="width:5em"| GAA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="left"| Scanlan, Robert | Crystals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.0 |
| align="left"| Paton, Tom | Montreal HC | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1.00 |
| align="left"| Crathern, J.C. | Victorias | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1.2 |
| align="left"| Arnton, Tom | Victorias | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2.0 |
| align="left"| Higginson, A.G. | Montreal HC | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.0 |
| align="left"| Virtue, William | Crystals | 4 | 9 | 0 | 2.2 |
| align="left"| Norris, Jack | Crystals | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4.0 |
| align="left"| Shanks, Albert | McGill | 5 | 29 | 0 | 5.8 |
| align="left"| McCaffrey, Ed | McGill | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6.0 |
Montreal HC 1888 AHAC champions
{{Stanley Cup champion
|forwards=
- Findlay, Jack,
- Hodgson, Archie, (also played cover point)
- Hodgson, Billy,
- Low, George S.,
- Virtue, James
|defence=*Cameron, Allan,
- McNaughton, Archie
- Stewart, James A.
|goaltenders=*Paton, Thomas L.
}}
{{Clear}}
Source: Kitchen 2000, p. 11
References
=Bibliography=
- {{Citation
| last = Kitchen
| first = Paul
| author-link =
| year = 2000
| publication-date =
| contribution = Before The Trail of the Stanley Cup
| contribution-url =
| editor-last = Diamond
| editor-first = Dan
| editor-link =
| editor2-last =
| editor2-first =
| editor2-link =
| title = Total Hockey
| edition =
| series =
| place =
| publication-place =
| publisher =
| volume =
| pages = 8–15
| id =
| isbn = 1-892129-85-X
| doi =
| oclc =
| url =
}}
- {{Cite book|title=Ultimate Hockey|last=Weir|first=Glen|publisher=Stoddart Publishing|year=1991}}
=Notes=
{{Reflist}}
{{S-start}}
{{Succession box|
before = Montreal Crystals
1887 |
after = Montreal HC
1888–89 |
title = Montreal Hockey Club
AHAC Champions |
years = 1888|
}}
{{Succession box|
before = 1887 AHAC season|
after = 1888–89 AHAC season |
title = AHAC seasons |
years = 1888|
}}
{{S-end}}