Sharpe Group

The NHL Had Decided That It Would Operate A Four-team Circuit Made Up Of The Canadiens Maroons Ottawa And One More Club In Either Quebec Or Toronto Toronto's Inclusion In The NHL's Inaugural Season Was Formally Announced On November 26 1917 With Concerns Over The Bulldog's Financial Stability Surfacing The League Granted Temporary Franchise Rights To The Arena Company Owners Of The Arena Gardens The NHL Granted The Arena Responsibility Of The Toronto Franchise For Only The Inaugural Season With Specific Instructions To Resolve The Dispute With Livingstone Or Transfer Ownership Of The Toronto Franchise Back To The League At The End Of The Season The Franchise Did Not Have An Official Name But Was Informally Called "the Blueshirts" Or "the Torontos" By The Fans And Press. Although The Inaugural Roster Was Made Up Of Players Leased From The NHA's Toronto Blueshirts Including Harry Cameron And Reg Noble The Maple Leafs Do Not Claim The Blueshirts' History As Their Own. During The Inaugural Season The Club Performed The First Trade In NHL History Sending Sammy Hebert To The Senators In Return For Cash. Under Manager Charlie Querrie And Head Coach Dick Carroll The Team Won The Stanley Cup In The Inaugural 1917�18 Season For The Next Season Rather Than Return The Blueshirts' Players To Livingstone As Originally Promised On October 19 1918 The Arena Company Formed The Toronto Arena Hockey Club Which Was Readily Granted Full Membership In The NHL The Arena Company Also Decided That Year That Only NHL Teams Were Allowed To Play At The Arena Gardens�a Move Which Effectively Killed The NHA. Livingstone Sued To Get His Players Back Mounting Legal Bills From The Dispute Forced The Arenas To Sell Some Of Their Stars Resulting In A Horrendous Five-win Season In 1918�19 With The Company Facing Increasing Financial Difficulties And The Arenas Officially Eliminated From The Playoffs The NHL Agreed To Let The Team Forfeit Their Last Two Games. Operations Halted On February 20 1919 With The NHL Ending Its Season And Starting The Playoffs The Arenas' .278 Winning Percentage That Season Remains The Worst In Franchise History However The 1919 Stanley Cup Finals Ended Without A Winner Due To The Worldwide Flu Epidemic A Collection Of Photographic Head-shots Of The Toronto St Patricks Team For The 1921�22 Season