During the summer of 1914, while the hockey world was hibernating, real world events in Europe spiraled out of control, plunging the major powers into what would become known as the Great War (later known as World War I after its sequel 20 years later wrought carnage on an even larger scale). At first the impact on Canada, and by extension, the professional hockey leagues that called it home, was relatively small. Still, several players joined the military and would eventually join the Canadian Expeditionary Force when it sailed for France. Ultimately several NAHC and TCHA players would make the ultimate sacrifice on the Western Front. 

In 1914-15 the impact of the war upon hockey was manageable - a dozen active professionals enlisted in the armed forces and missed the 1914-15 season. This number would rise significantly in subsequent years. Initially the war impacted mainly the amateur ranks, where the players were younger, while the war was expected to be short, were more likely to enlist than their older and more likely to be married, brethren who were playing in the TCHA or NAHC. One star nearly did leave in 1914: Al Fleming of Vancouver. With Vancouver's strategic value on the Pacific coast, Fleming, who worked in Immigration during the offseason, immediately enlisted. But he - and other Immigration officials - were soon exempted from military service due to their vital role in government. 

For those who remained and played that season, the 1914-15 campaign featured dominant team and outstanding individual performances in both circuits. 

Out west, the Vancouver Pacifics recovered from a very disappointing 1913-14 campaign with a dominating performance that saw them go 16-2 with a +62 goal differential. The Pacifics debuted a new star in 20-year-old center Malcolm Cummings. "Mighty Mal" would go on to become one of the biggest stars the TCHA would ever produce and his debut was an eye-opener: a league-best 37 goals (with 12 assists as well) as he teamed with Al Fleming (27 goals, 24 assists) to become the first 100-point tandem in pro hockey history. With Efrem Massicotte recovered and productive (26 goals, 8 assists), even the loss of George Yeadon's on-ice leadership for all but five contests could not derails the Pacifics' steamroller. Seattle took second-place (distantly) with an 8-10 season as they got 23 goals apiece from Sibby Danielson and Andrew Burns. As surprising as the Pacifics' dominance was, the same could be said for the dismal performance of the defending champion Victoria club. Bill Yeadon's charges had a terrible season, posting a 3-15 record behind the league's worst offense (68 goals) and most porous defense (125 goals allowed). The formerly dynamic tandem of Max Thibodeau and Frank Rerhard struggled, posting 29 and 19 points respectively with Paul Guimond and Vital LeBlanc also dropping off dramatically from their production of the 1913-14 season.

The TCHA scoring title went to Vancouver's Fleming whose assist total (24) easily topped the circuit (his nearest competitor had 12) and combined with his 27 goals, powered him to 51 points and the scoring title. With Cummings 37 goals leading the circuit by a large margin, Fleming, Massicotte (26), Danielson (23) & Burns (23) were the other 20-goal scorers. On the netminding side, Vancouver's Adam Scott led with a 3.66 GAA.

In the East, the Ottawa Athletics put it all together for the best season in club history, going 17-3 behind a breakout goaltending performance of Davey Vert and a muscular all-around performance from 22-year-old third-year winger Jim Beyer. Beyer played a physical style, racking up 115 penalty minutes but also leading his team with 28 goals as he and Mack Watson (11 goals, 12 assists) built a rapport that made them extremely tough to defend. Meanwhile Vert had emerged as the game's top goalie with six shutouts and a miniscule 1.99 GAA playing behind the talented defensive duo of Max Dewar and Andy Barnwell. 

The Montreal Nationals played bridesmaid again. The Nationals were very talented, particularly offensively, but they didn't have a true difference makers like Vert or Dewar on the defensive side. They did have George McIntosh (24 goals), Francis Craft (19) and the Vandenburg brothers - Pete, playing defense, had his best season (17 goals, 10 assists) while Dolph continued to be a force on the wing (17 goals) - as a club the Nationals had four players with 17 or more goals and another (Tom Spicer) with 14. The Quebec Champlains' reign as champions of the NAHC came to an end with their 10-10 third-place finish. With money now becoming an issue, the Champlains dealt away Fletcher Troop in midseason, banking on a return to form of Paddy O'Donoghue. Troop had racked up 20 goals in just nine games before the trade and O'Donoghue missed eight games, finishing with 14 goals in the 12 games he did play in.

The surprise of the season was the resurgence of the Toronto Wolves. The team's owner, Bert Thomas, was fed up with his club's poor performance and was determined to do something about it. To that end, he brought in Fletcher Troop in a midseason deal and Troop tallied 15 goals in 10 games with Toronto. With Joe McMahan scoring 18 goals and new winger Charlie Oliphant bursting making his mark with 11 goals as a rookie, the Wolves had a promising look about them at long last. It certainly warmed Thomas' heart that his team finished ahead of the "other" Toronto team.

Jack Connolly, owner of two clubs, did not enjoy the 1914-15 season. Both of his clubs underachieved and finished in the bottom two spots in the standings. The Montreal Valiants, at 7-13, finished fifth with a typically stingy defense (thanks in large part to Al Juneau in net) while the offense sputtered. The bigger surprise was the poor showing by the Silver Skates. Connolly had sunk a lot of money into the Skates and to have them post a 4-16 mark rankled. The Skates both scored the fewest goals and allowed the most and some felt were lucky to have even won as many as four games. In typical Connolly fashion he stewed and plotted a big offseason move to rectify what he saw as an unacceptable situation.

On the minor league front, the Maritime league was having financial problems. Trying to compete directly with the big spenders in the NAHC and TCHA was crippling the smaller teams in the Maritime provinces. The Moncton Monks folded before the season, meaning only three clubs suited up for the 1914-15 season. One of them (the Halifax Gaels) would fold in late January. The remaining clubs (Sydney and Dartmouth) decided to end the season and would play exhibition matches for the remainder of the winter. The league itself would return in 1915-16, with a dedication to a smaller profile.

In the meantime, the Challenge Cup series once again would feature the TCHA champs facing the NAHC's best. With the 1914 series having been played in the East, the 1915 edition would be played in Vancouver. The Pacifics took full advantage of their home-ice advantage, sweeping the best-of-five series in three games by scores of 7-3, 8-5 and 12-4 to claim the TCHA's first-ever Challenge Cup.

NAHC TOP GOALIE

Davey Vert, 17-3, 1.99 GAA

TCHA TOP GOALIE

Adam Scott, VAN: 16-1, 3.66 GAA