1926–27 NHL season

NHL expansion was the main topic of discussion between the NHL owners at the April 1926 and May 1, 1926 league meetings. The new New York Rangers franchise was approved in principle after the Madison Square Gardens president Hammond agreed to revenue sharing. President Calder, plus owners Strachan and Dandurand formed a committee to study franchise candidates in Chicago, Detroit, Jersey City and Philadelphia, while further applications from Cleveland, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit were received. The owners were split on which new franchises to accept. Part of the disagreement was over the Chicago franchise. Sports promoter Paddy Harmon had announced a new Chicago Stadium and backed a team in partnership with Thomas Duggan, while Madison Square Garden's Tex Rickard wanted to build a Chicago Madison Square Garden with the participation of Huntington Hardwick.[1]

At the 1926 Stanley Cup Finals, WHL president Frank Patrick had began shopping the WHL's players to the NHL, hoping to raise $300,000 to distribute to the WHL owners. Patrick approached Art Ross of the Bruins, who agreed to purchase the contracts of Frank Fredrickson, Eddie Shore, and Duke Keats. After the series, Patrick approached the new New York Rangers owner Charles Hammond and their general manager Conn Smythe, but they were turned down. Patrick and Ross approached the Bruins' owner who agreed to purchase the entire lot of players for $250,000, and gave Patrick a $50,000 check as a deposit. He planned to keep some of the players for the Bruins, sell twelve players each to the new Chicago and Detroit franchises and distribute the rest to the rest of the league.[2]

At a May 14 meeting, the NHL awarded the Detroit franchise to the syndicate of Wesson Seybourn and John Townsend, formed by Charles A. Hughes.[3] The split over the new Chicago franchise prevented its immediate acceptance as a new franchise required unanimity. However, the NHL governors could amend their constitution with a two-thirds vote, and they amended the constitution at the May 14 meeting to lower the bar for a new franchise to a simple majority vote. The governors agreed that Huntwick would get the Chicago franchise. Huntwick proceeded to buy the Portland Rosebuds and the Hughes group purchased the Victoria Cougars, each for $100,000. The Bruins took Fredrickson, Shore, Keats and others, while the Rangers took Frank Boucher. In total, the player's contracts purchased that day totalled $267,000 for Patrick to take back to the WHL. On May 15, the NHL awarded the franchises to the Hardwick and Hughes consortiums, with provisals that each team would have an NHL-ready team for September 1, and new arenas by November 10.[4]

At the September 25, 1926, NHL meeting, the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Cougars and New York Rangers were added to the league. The Hughes consortium proceeded with the purchase of the Cougars and the franchise, while the Chicago franchise instead went to Frederic McLaughlin, who took over the deal from Huntwick on June 1.[5] The NHL's second franchise in New York City went to the Madison Square Garden syndicate of John S. Hammond.[6] Both Detroit and Chicago had not begun construction on arenas. Detroit would play in Windsor, Ontario at the Border Cities Arena, while the Black Hawks played at the Chicago Coliseum.[7]

Toronto bought the players of the Saskatoon franchise separately, and Montreal claimed George Hainsworth. The rest of the WHL players would be distributed by a committee of Frank Calder, Leo Dandurand and James Strachan. The former WHL players make an impact in the NHL. The top scorer was Bill Cook, the top goalie was George Hainsworth, and defenceman Herb Gardiner was the league MVP.[8]

A special meeting was held on October 26 at which the NHL was split into the Canadian and American divisions. It was the first divisional format to be implemented in a major professional North American sports league. To balance the divisions, the New York Americans were placed in the Canadian Division. With the new divisional alignment came an altered playoff format: the top team from each division would meet the winner of a total-goals series between the second and third place teams from their divisions. The winners of those total-goals series would meet in a best-of-five Stanley Cup Finals.

The Central Hockey League changed its name to the American Hockey Association. The new AHA signed an agreement of co-operation with the NHL, wanting to place itself on an equal footing with the NHL, but non-competitive. However, the new AHA placed franchises in Chicago and Detroit, competing with NHL teams. The Chicago Cardinals were backed by old nemesis Eddie Livingstone and became a source of friction with the NHL. Calder declared that several of the Cardinals' players were illegally signed and broke off the agreement with the AHA. The AHA could not compete with the NHL and the Detroit franchise folded in December, and the Chicago franchise folded in March. The AHA then signed another cooperation agreement with the NHL and forced Livingstone out.[9]

Majority ownership of the Toronto St. Patricks was sold on February 14, 1927 to a syndicate headed by Conn Smythe for CA$160,000 (equivalent to $2,489,670 in 2021).[8] Nathan Nathanson sold his interest entirely, while J. P. Bickell retained his share of the company.[10] The club is renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs and Bickell became its president.[11] However, the NHL ruled that the team had to use the name St. Patricks until the end of the 1926–27 season or the team's players would become free agents, as they were under contract as the St. Pats. They became the Maple Leafs the following season.

The Montreal Canadiens, last place finishers in 1925–26, solved their goaltending woes by signing George Hainsworth. They further strengthened their team by signing Herb Gardiner of the Western League's Calgary Tigers for defence. The Canadiens finished second in the Canadian Division to powerful Ottawa, who was the league's best team.

Dave Gill, secretary-treasurer (general manager), decided to take over as coach of the Ottawa Senators. He would be assisted by Frank Shaughnessy, a former manager of the Senators in the NHA days, to assist him with the strategy used in games. Ottawa finished first atop the Canadian Division.

The arena is not ready in Detroit for the start of the regular season. The expansion Cougars play their first 22 home games just across the Canada–United States border in Windsor, Ontario, at the Border Cities Arena.[8]

New York Americans right winger Shorty Green's career was ended after an injury in a game on February 27, 1927. New York Rangers defenceman Taffy Abel bodychecked Green, caused a kidney injury that requires an emergency operation to remove the kidney; Abel retired for health reasons.[8]

With the collapse of the Western Hockey League, the Stanley Cup became the championship trophy of the NHL. The NHL teams now battled out amongst themselves for the coveted Cup. The new division alignment and the new playoff format also meant that an American team was guaranteed to be the first American NHL team to make the Cup Finals.

The division winners received a bye to the second round. The second-place and third-place finishers played a two-game, total-goals series to advance to the second round. The second-place Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins both advanced to the second round. The Canadiens lost to the first-place Ottawa Senators, while the Bruins upset the first-place New York Rangers to set up the Finals. Ties were not broken using overtime. After two ties in the Finals, NHL president Frank Calder capped the Finals at four games and neither team won three games of the best-of-five Finals. Ottawa won two to Boston's none and the series ended on April 13 with Ottawa the winner.

A new trophy in memory of Georges Vezina, the Vezina Trophy, was donated this year by Montreal Canadiens owners Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau and Joseph Cattarinich. It is to be presented to the league's "most valuable goaltender." It is won by his successor with the Canadiens, George Hainsworth.

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1926–27 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Percy Galbraith, Boston Bruins
• Eddie Shore, Boston Bruins
• Harry Oliver, Boston Bruins
• Duke Keats, Boston Bruins
• George Hay, Chicago Black Hawks
• Mickey MacKay, Chicago Black Hawks
• Dick Irvin, Chicago Black Hawks
• Frank Foyston, Detroit Cougars
• Jack Walker, Detroit Cougars
• Frank Fredrickson, Detroit Cougars
• George Hainsworth, Montreal Canadiens
• Art Gagne, Montreal Canadiens
• Herb Gardiner, Montreal Canadiens
• Hap Emms, Montreal Maroons
• Red Dutton, Montreal Maroons
• Norman Himes, New York Americans
• Paul Thompson, New York Rangers
• Bill Cook, New York Rangers
• Bun Cook, New York Rangers
• Murray Murdoch, New York Rangers
• Lorne Chabot, New York Rangers
• Clarence Abel, New York Rangers
• Ching Johnson, New York Rangers
• Danny Cox, Toronto St. Patricks
• Ace Bailey, Toronto St. Patricks
• Butch Keeling, Toronto St. Patricks
• Carl Voss, Toronto St. Patricks

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1926–27 (listed with their last team):

• Shorty Green, New York Americans
• Newsy Lalonde, New York Americans
• Jack Adams, Ottawa Senators
• Bert Corbeau, Toronto St. Patricks

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• Prairie Hockey League
• List of pre-NHL seasons
• 1926 in sports
• 1927 in sports

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
• Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
• Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
• Jenish, D'Arcy (2013). The NHL: 100 Years of On-Ice Action and Boardroom Battles. Random House LLC. ISBN 9780385671477.
• McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York, NY: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.
• Ross, J. Andrew (2015). Joining the Clubs: The Business of the National Hockey League to 1945. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815633839.

Notes

• Hockey Database
• NHL.com