The 1927–28 NHL season was the 11th season of the National Hockey League. Ten teams played 44 games each. The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup beating the Montreal Maroons, becoming the first NHL team based in the United States to win it. League business The O'Brien Cup, which used to go to the National Hockey Association (NHA), later the NHL league champion, would now go to the winner of the Canadian Division. The Prince of Wales Trophy, first awarded to the winner of the first game at Madison Square Garden, and later the NHL league champion, would now go to the winner of the American division. The first indications that the Ottawa Senators were in financial trouble surfaced when they asked the league for a bigger share of road game income. Though the league entertained the Senators suggestion, the Senators did not receive this income. It was decided by the Ottawa management to sell star right wing Hooley Smith to the Montreal Maroons for an undisclosed amount of money ($22,500 it was believed). At the same time, right wing Punch Broadbent returned to Ottawa. The Toronto Maple Leafs introduce new sweaters of blue and white, changing from the former green logo on white uniform. They are the first team in the NHL to have a set of white uniforms and a set of dark uniforms. Rule changes The league changed the rule for substitution, allowing "on the fly" changes, as long as the player going off is on the bench before the substitute goes on. Regular season The Chicago Black Hawks fired coach Pete Muldoon before the season, and coaching was split between Hugh Lehman and Barney Stanley. The Black Hawks finished last, recording only seven wins. The firing of Muldoon prompted him to publicly put "a curse" (known as the "curse of the Muldoons") on the Black Hawks, stating that the team would never win the NHL pennant. The Black Hawks would not place first in the NHL until the 1966–67 season. The Ottawa Senators, the smallest market in the league, were affected by franchises in the U.S. and sold their star right wing Hooley Smith to the Montreal Maroons for $22,500 plus the return of right wing Punch Broadbent, followed by the sale of defenceman Edwin Gorman to Toronto. Howie Morenz, the NHL's top drawing card, dominated the scoring race and was runaway winner of the