In December of 1914, as the hockey season drew closer, it was becoming quite evident to all interested parties that the war in Europe that everyone had assumed "would be over by Christmas" was instead shaping up to be a long and drawn-out affair. This feeling was felt among the owners and executives of the North American Hockey Confederation when they met for their annual meeting in Toronto. Most of these men had family now serving in the military and they were also losing players to military service. Though the number was relatively small (a dozen) for the 1914-15 season, most expected that number to rise significantly in the not-too-distant future with the war having settled into a relatively static trench-based struggle.

Interestingly, Bert Thomas, who owned the Toronto Wolves, made an impassioned and he felt patriotic speech that the NAHC suspend play for the duration of the war. Hearing this, Jack Connolley - red-faced - rose and shouted that Thomas wanted to shut down because "his team was s**t" and couldn't compete. A fight nearly broke out and the two men had to be separated. If Thomas had been less of a gentleman, he might have used this as a reason to revoke the Silver Skates' lease on his arena. Instead, he took the high road, but later admitted that he was "steaming" and would not forget what Connolly had said. This blow-up would have future repercussions for the NAHC. In the end, Thomas' suggestion wouldn't have meant anything as the government insisted that professional hockey carry on as it was good for morale.

Meanwhile George Yeadon, in his role as President of the Transcontinental Hockey Association, was equally concerned with the war (Yeadon would attempt to enlist in 1915 but be told that he - and his brother - would better serve Canada by running their hockey league). Still he remained practical as well: ever the innovator, he was always looking for ways to improve the game. For the 1914-15 season the TCHA clubs would put player numbers on their uniforms - the first time this had been done in professional sports in North America. Yeadon believed it would help the fans follow the action by easily determining the players' identities by the number on their backs. What we've taken for granted for years was a great innovation that was subsequently copied not only by the NAHC (in 1916) but also by FABL in the 1920s, and further down the road by professional and amateur sport clubs in every sport.

Yeadon also prohibited bodychecking within ten feet of the boards. This rule was a bit ironic as Yeadon the player was considered a "ruffian" whose bodychecks were ferocious. Regardless of what he may have been used to doing on the ice, Yeadon was actively transitioning out of his on-ice role and fully embracing his role as manager and coach, and even more so, as TCHA President. This might explain an amusing incident that took place once the season began: Yeadon, preparing to enter the game, forgot to take his skate guards off and upon jumping on to the ice, fell flat on his face to the vast amusement of his players, the opponents and the fans in attendance. "Maybe it's time for me to retire," Yeadon grumped later.

Business-wise the 1914-15 season would see attendance drop as the public's attention was increasingly focused on the war in Europe. This would eventually result in issues with player salaries as the owners (naturally) sought to restrain their spending while the players were now accustomed to a certain salary-level that had risen with the debut of the TCHA and had not yet fallen back to pre-1911 levels. As always, the labor-management relationship was difficult - and Max Dewar was at the forefront of this fight on the players' side.