Beginnings of the National Hockey League

In 1909 the Renfrew Creamery Kings a hockey team in the Upper Ottawa Valley Hockey League issued a Stanley Cup Challenge to the Montreal Wanderers. The Wanderers a team in the Eastern Canadian Hockey Association and holders of the Stanley Cup turned down the challenge. In the early 1900's there was only two ways a team could get to play for the Stanley Cup, a challenge that was accepted, or by playing in the same league as the cup holders.

To keep their their dream of playing for the Stanley Cup alive M.J. O'Brien and his son Ambrose owners of the Creamery Kings tried to join the Eastern Canadian Hockey Association, they were turned down. The Eastern Canadian Hockey Association members decided to limit membership to maximize profits and restructured to form the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA). The newly formed CHA then rejected the Renfrew Creamery Kings and excluded them and the Montreal Wanderers from the new League.

M.J. O'Brien decided to start his own hockey league. On December 2, 1909 O'Brien and Montreal Wanderers owner Jimmy Gardner established the National Hockey Association. The NHA started with five teams, along with the Montreal Wanderers there were four teams financed by O'Brien, the Renfrew Millionaires (formerly the Creamery Kings), Les Canadiens de Montreal and the Cobalt Silver Kings and Haileybury Comets two mining towns in northern Ontario. In 1910 the Ottawa Senators joined. By 1912 the NHA had outgrown its small town Ontario beginnings. The Renfrew Millionaires never got the chance to play for Lord Stanley's Cup. In November 1917 the National Hockey Association became the National Hockey League . The little hockey league that started with 5 teams in central Canada is now an international league with 30 teams spread across North America. The NHL has had players who were born in every continent except Antarctica. --GO SENS --

Later in the century another son of Renfrew was responsible for the beginnings of the National Hockey League Players Association. Terrible Ted Lindsay (his father Bert Lindsay played goal for the Millionaires) played left wing for the Detroit Red Wings on the 'Production Line' with Sid Abel and Gordie Howe. Lindsay would become the captain and later General Manager of the Red Wings. Ted Lindsay was one of the toughest players to ever play the game of hockey. Today the Ted Lindsay Foundation funds research to find a cure for autism.

The movie opens looking towards the Renfrew Municipal Offices, Town Hall and Police Station. The Cenotaph 1914-1918 remembers the men from Renfrew who fought at the battles of Ypres, Vimy Ridge and Mons. The flags represent Canada, United Kingdom, Province of Ontario, the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force. Panning right is the fire station and next to it the municipal library. Raglan Street is the main business and commercial area for the 8,000 residents of the town and the approximately 30,000 people in the surrounding townships and villages.

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USA-Canada / Canada-Ontario

Lat: 45° 28' 22.71" N
Long: 77° 42' 6.45" W

Elevation: 127 metres

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: Unknown / Undeclared.

Nikon Coolpix 950, WC-E24 converter lens,Kaidan KiWi950, Photoshop CS2, Apple QuickTime Virtual Reality Studio

The day the photos were taken was very cold with a north wind blowing hard. We had above average snow fall this year about 10 feet so the path I set up on hadn't been cleared of snow for months. The tripod kept sinking as I rotated and it looks like the camera wasn't focused for one of the photos. Oh well the story remains the same. Renfrew, Ontario the beginnings of the National Hockey League.