Toronto Arenas

Lore & Background

The Toronto Arenas originated from the collapse of the NHA in 1917, when four of its five clubs formed the NHL to exclude Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone. To maintain a team in Toronto, NHL president Frank Calder assigned the Blueshirts' players to a temporary franchise run by the Toronto Arena Company. The team had no official nickname; the press called them the 'Blue Shirts' or 'Torontos.' Despite legal uncertainty and players being paid in cash or personal cheques, the team won the second half of the 1917–18 season, defeated the Montreal Canadiens in a playoff, and then beat the Vancouver Millionaires 3–2 in the Stanley Cup Final.

For the 1918–19 season, the Arena Company returned its temporary franchise to the NHL and formed a new club, the Toronto Arena Hockey Club, popularly called the Toronto Arenas, to avoid Livingstone's lawsuits. The team struggled, finishing last in both halves with a 5–13 record and poor attendance. Several players left due to the team's uncertain legal status and informal payment arrangements. The team requested an early end to the season and officially withdrew from the NHL on February 20, 1919.

In December 1919, the NHL approved the sale of the Arenas to a group led by Charlie Querrie for $5,000, and the team was renamed the Toronto St. Patricks. The NHL uses the abbreviation TAN to distinguish player records of the Toronto Arenas from subsequent Toronto teams.

Reader's Guide

The Toronto Arenas hold a unique place in NHL history as a temporary franchise that nonetheless won the Stanley Cup in its first season. The team's existence was a direct result of the NHA's dissolution and the effort to exclude Eddie Livingstone, with the Arena Company operating the club under a one-year lease of Blueshirts players. The 1917–18 championship was achieved despite the team lacking a formal organization or official nickname, and the players often signed contracts with both Livingstone and the Arenas. The franchise's legacy is complicated: the Toronto Maple Leafs claim the history of this temporary franchise as their own, but not that of the pre-NHL Blueshirts. The Arenas' second season was marked by legal battles, poor performance, and low attendance, leading to the team's withdrawal from the league. The sale and renaming to the St. Patricks in late 1919 began the direct lineage to today's Maple Leafs. The NHL's use of the abbreviation TAN for player records ensures the Arenas are recognized as a distinct entity in league statistics.

Did You Know?

• The Toronto Arenas won the Stanley Cup in 1918 but did not engrave their name on the Cup at the time.
• The team withdrew from the NHL on February 20, 1919, after finishing last in both halves of the season.
• NHL president Frank Calder assigned the contracts of the Blueshirts players to the temporary Toronto franchise.