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In 1883 at Montreal’s inaugural Winter Carnival, the world’s first hockey championship was held, pitting three teams against one another: the Montreal Victorias, the McGill University Hockey Club, and a team from Quebec City. The three teams vied for the sterling silver Carnival Cup. McGill University won the series. The championship was restaged at the carnival in 1884 and 1885.

What was the first NHL team to relocate?

Today it is all too common for sports franchises to pull up stakes and move to seemingly greener pastures. Hockey is no stranger to the pain of fans losing their beloved club. Think Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche), Winnipeg Jets (now Phoenix Coyotes), the old Ottawa Senators (briefly St. Louis Eagles, then defunct, then revived as the new Senators in 1992–93), Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars), and Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes). The first team to leave its original city in the NHL was the Quebec Bulldogs, which headed for Hamilton, Ontario, with its superstar Joe Malone, to become the Tigers in 1920–21 after only one season in the big league. The Tigers didn’t last long in Hamilton, either. Despite having a pretty good team, the club’s players ended up in New York City to become the Americans in 1925–26. The Amerks, as they were nicknamed, finally gave up the ghost in 1941–42, leaving Madison Square Garden to the New York Rangers. Hamilton is still waiting for another NHL team; so is Quebec City.