Introduction
On December 8, 1886, the teams that made up the circuit for the Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (MWCHT) decided to create a stand-alone hockey league that did not coincide with the popular winter festival. The league was called the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) and was made up by the Montreal Hockey Club, McGill University, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias, and the Ottawa Hockey Club.
The AHAC was the first time ever that a league dedicated to Hockey was created, following the format established by Baseball’s National League. The biggest difference was that the AHAC was purely Amateur.
The AHAC decided to retain the Challenge format from 1887 and 1889. The Montreal Crystals would be known as the Dominion Hockey Club of Montreal for this season.
1890 was Season 4 of play for the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada and took place 134 years ago.
Classification
Season Length
January 3, 1890 to March 4, 1890
Season Champion
Montreal Hockey Club
# of Teams
4
Season Standings (Overall Champion Challenge Record)
Season Playoffs
There were no championship playoffs as the Champion Challenge system was being used. A team would hold the title of Champion until it was defeated by a Challenger as was done in Boxing. The team holding the title at the end of the season would be declared the overall Champion.