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.
With a new agreement in place between the TCHA and NAHC to contest the Challenge Cup for the first time, there was some small semblance of peace as the 1913-14 season got underway. The shuffling back and forth of players between the two rival loops had slowed (some). Among the bigger moves (from a fan's standpoint) before games began was former Ottawa LW Frank Rerhard (Victoria), former Valiant Pete Boutet (Vancouver) and ex-Silver Skate Efrem Massicotte (Vancouver). Injuries took a toll on Massicotte (9 g, 5 a in 11 games) and he didn't pay the big dividends George Yeadon was expecting... and neither did Boutet (13g, 2 a in 16 games) but he didn't have an injury excuse. Rerhard, however, did pay off as he finished second in goals (22), assists (12) and points (34) and helped the Capitals to again claim the TCHA Championship.
The TCHA pushed back its start date into early December. This was due to the agreement with the NAHC to contest the Challenge Cup - a sticking point the previous two seasons had been that the TCHA season ended two weeks or more after the Eastern loop's campaign did. Victoria had a stellar season, posting a 13-3 record despite losing Bill Yeadon to a broken arm early in the season (he ultimately played 9 games and had 5 goals and 5 assists). In addition to Rerhard, Victoria had Max Thibodeau whose 26 goals topped the TCHA and whose 30 points were third.