1918-19 NHL season
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The 1918-19 NHL season was the 2nd regular season of the National Hockey League.
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Regular Season
The regular season proceeded with three teams and a twenty-game split-season schedule. However, the second half of the season was cut short to eight games when the Toronto Arenas suspended operations for the year following financial difficulties. Left with only two teams, the league had its first ever best-of-seven series to determine who would meet the Pacific Coast Hockey Association champions for the Stanley Cup.
Standings
First Half
| Team | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 57 | 50 | 14 |
| Ottawa Senators | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 39 | 10 |
| Toronto Arenas | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 42 | 49 | 6 |
Second Half
| Team | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Senators | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 14 | 14 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 31 | 28 | 6 |
| Toronto Arenas | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 43 | 4 |
Leading Scorers
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newsy Lalonde | Montreal | 17 | 22 | 10 | 32 |
| Odie Cleghorn | Montreal | 17 | 22 | 6 | 28 |
| Frank Nighbor | Ottawa | 18 | 19 | 9 | 28 |
| Cy Denneny | Ottawa | 18 | 18 | 4 | 22 |
| Didier Pitre | Montreal | 17 | 14 | 5 | 19 |
| Alf Skinner | Toronto | 17 | 12 | 4 | 16 |
| Harry Cameron | Toronto / Ottawa | 14 | 11 | 3 | 14 |
| Jack Darragh | Ottawa | 14 | 11 | 3 | 14 |
| Ken Randall | Toronto | 15 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| Sprague Cleghorn | Montreal | 18 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
Leading Goltenders
| Player | Team | GP | MINS | GA | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clint Benedict | Ottawa | 18 | 1152 | 53 | 2 | 2.76 |
| Georges Vezina | Montreal | 18 | 1117 | 78 | 1 | 4.19 |
| Bert Lindsay | Toronto | 16 | 998 | 83 | 0 | 4.99 |
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against
Stanley Cup Playoffs
With the NHL reduced to two teams eighteen games into its 20-game season, a decision was made to have the two remaining teams, coincidentally the two teams leading each half of the playoffs, compete in a best-of-seven series to see which team would head west to battle against the Pacific Coast Hockey Association champions. Montreal would eventually win the series and face the Seattle Metropolitans for the Cup.
With the series tied after five games (with one tie), the sixth game was slated for April 1, 1919 when the Spanish Flu epidemic forced the cancellation of the series. Several players on both sides were sick because of it, and it would eventually claim the life of Canadiens star Joe Hall four days later. This was the first of two times in the NHL's history in which the Cup was not awarded. This would not happen again until the 2004-2005 season.
All dates in 1919
League Finals
Ottawa vs. Montreal
- February 22: Montreal 8-4 Ottawa
- February 27: Montreal 5-3 Ottawa
- March 1: Montreal 5-3 Ottawa
- March 3: Ottawa 6-3 Montreal
- March 6: Montreal 4-2 Ottawa
Montreal wins series 4-1
Stanley Cup Championship
Montreal vs. Seattle (PCHA)
- March 19: Seattle 7-0 Montreal
- March 22: Montreal 4-2 Seattle
- March 24: Seattle 7-2 Montreal
- March 26: Montreal 0-0 Seattle
- March 29: Montreal 4-3 Seattle
no winner awarded -- playoffs were curtailed due to the influenza epidemic
Related topics
| Preceded by: 1917-18 NHL season | NHL seasons | Succeeded by: 1919-20 NHL season |