The National Hockey League was founded in 1917 as the successor to the National Hockey Association (NHA). Founded in 1909, NHA had its first season in 1910 with seven teams from Ontario and Québec, and was one of the first professional hockey tournaments. But in the eighth season, a series of disputes with Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone led owners of Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, and Quebec Bulldogs to hold a discussion about the future. hybrid of the tournament. Realizing that NHA’s rules did not allow them to remove Livingstone from the tournament, the four teams agreed to stop NHA’s operation, and on November 26, 1917, formed the National Hockey League. Frank Calder was elected the first president, and held this position until 1943.

The Bulldogs were unable to compete, so the remaining bosses decided to form a new team in Toronto, called Toronto Arenas, to compete with Canadiens, Wanderers and Senators. The first matches were held on December 19, 1917. When the Montreal Arena burned down in January 1918, causing the Wanderers to shut down, NHL was forced to continue with his father. The team remained until the Bulldogs returned in 1919.

NHL replaces NHA to become one of the Stanley Cup competitive tournaments; At that time Stanley Cup acted as a common title for the strong teams of the major hockey leagues across North America. Toronto won the NHL championship first, and then the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) at the 1918 Stanley Cup Final The Canadiens won the NHL in 1919; however, the Stanley Cup Final Stanley Cup Final against Seattle Metropolitans was canceled due to the Spanish flu. In 1924 Montreal won the Stanley Cup for the first time as a member of the NHL. Hamilton Tigers, who won the regular season 1924-25 season, refused to compete in the Championship Series unless they were rewarded with an additional $ 200. NHL rejected and declared Canadiens the champion after it defeated Toronto St. Patricks (formerly Arenas) in the semi-final. Montreal then lost to the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) Victoria Cougars in the Stanley Cup Final of 1925. This was the last time a non-NHL team won the Stanley Cup, after the Stanley Cup became the NHL championship in 1926 after. when WCHL was dissolved.

The National Hockey League began an expansion in the 1920s with the joining of Montreal Maroons and Boston Bruins in 1924. The Bruins team was the first US team to compete. New York Americans started playing in 1925 after acquiring Hamilton Tigers, with a new team called the Pittsburgh Pirates. The New York Rangers joined in 1926. Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Cougars (later changed to Red Wings) also joined the tournament after NHL acquired WCHL. A corporation quickly goes to Toronto St. Patricks in 1927 and renamed the team to Maple Leafs.