The Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) was an amateur men's ice hockey league founded on 8 December 1886, in existence until 1898. It was the second ice hockey league organized in Canada, after one in Kingston, Ontario started in 1883. It was organized to provide a longer season to determine the Canadian champion. Prior to its founding, the Canadian championship was determined in a tournament in Montreal. It is the first championship ice hockey league. The 1893 champion of the league, Montreal Hockey Club was the first winner of the newly introduced Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup (later known as the Stanley Cup). Montreal was awarded the Cup as the champions of the AHAC since the AHAC was considered the top league of Canada. History Beginnings A meeting was called, for those in favour of the formation of a Dominion hockey association, for the evening of 8 December 1886. Mr J.G. Monk of the Victoria Hockey Club was asked to send a written invitation to Ottawa Hockey Club and the Quebec Hockey Club, asking each to send a representative to the meeting, Only Ottawa had responded. The meeting was held at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal and attended by the following delegates with Mr J. Arnton acting as Chairman and Mr, J. G. Monk as Secretary: With all strongly in favour of forming the new association, the name given was the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada and a constitution similar to the one governing Lacrosse was adopted but modified to suit hockey. Afterwards, officers were elected for the upcoming inaugural season, who were: President — Mr. Thomas D. Green First Vice-president — Mr J. Arnton Second Vice-President — Mr R. Laing Secretary-treasurer — Mr E. Stevensom Council — Messrs. James Stewart, J. G. Monk, H. A. Budden, E. Sheppard, Percy Myles They agreed that the season should run from 1 January 1887 until 15 March 1887. The teams knew each other. They had competed at the Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments from 1883–1885 and the 1886 Dominion Championship: 1883 - Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner McGill), 1884 - Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner Victorias), 1885 - Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner Montreal), 1886 - Dominion Championship (winner Crystals) Thomas D. Green of Ottawa had played on the 1883 McGill hockey team. The game In that age, ice hockey was a very different game compared to