| 1897 AHAC season | |
| League: | Amateur Hockey Association of Canada |
| Sport: | Ice hockey |
| Duration: | January 9 – March 6, 1897 |
| No Of Teams: | 5 |
| Season: | 1897 |
| League Champs: | Montreal Victorias |
| League Champ Name: | Champions |
| Seasonslist: | Amateur Hockey Association of Canada |
| Seasonslistnames: | AHAC |
| Prevseason Link: | 1896 AHAC season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1896 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1898 AHAC season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1898 |
The 1897 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season was the eleventh season of play of the ice hockey league. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were again first with a 7–1 record, retaining the Stanley Cup. The club won the Stanley Cup back from the Winnipeg Victorias prior to the season. This was their third-straight league championship.
At the annual meeting on December 12, 1896, the secretary reported that the association had lost all of its records in a fire, except for its minutes.
Clare McKerrow of Montreal HC set a new record with six goals in the opening game against Quebec on January 9.
The Ottawa club moved to new Dey's Arena.
| Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Victorias | ||||||
| Ottawa | ||||||
| Montreal | ||||||
| Quebec | ||||||
| Montreal Shamrocks | ||||||
Prior to the season, Victorias would defeat the Winnipeg Victorias of the (Manitoba Hockey Association) 6–5, on December 30, 1896, to reclaim the Cup they had lost in the previous season to Winnipeg.
The Montreal Victorias submitted their challenge on November 11, 1896, and they arrived in Winnipeg on December 27 for the one-game playoff on December 30. The challenge, the first outside of Montreal attracted national interest. Excitement for the game in Winnipeg sent the price of $1 tickets to $5, with reports of tickets being sold for over $10. The Montreal Vics' practice in the McIntyre Rink itself drew a crowd of 700. The game was reported back to Montreal by telegraph, with the score available at train stations or telegraph offices throughout Canada. Hundreds of standing-room tickets were sold on the night of the game.
| Montreal | (6) | at | Winnipeg | (5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | ||||
| P | ||||
| CP | ||||
| 1 | F | |||
| F | 1 | |||
| 2 | F | 2 | ||
| 3 | F | 2 | ||
Referee – Weldy Young, Ottawa
Umpires – A. Shearer, Montreal; D. Clark, Winnipeg, Shaw, Ottawa
Source: Montreal Gazette[1]
Montreal played the Halifax Wanderers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on February 25, 1897. The Wanderers defeated Montreal 4–3 on a second-half goal after the teams were tied 3–3 at half-time.[2]
| Month | Day | Visitor | Score | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. | 9 | Quebec | 2 | Montreal | 8 |
| 9 | Shamrocks | 1 | Ottawa | 4 | |
| 12 | Montreal | 4 | Victorias | 5 | |
| 16 | Quebec | 1 | Ottawa | 4 | |
| 16 | Shamrocks | 2 | Montreal | 3 | |
| 23 | Victorias | 6 | Shamrocks | 4 | |
| 23 | Montreal | 4 | Quebec | 2 | |
| 30 | Victorias | 9 | Quebec | 4 | |
| 30 (†) | Ottawa | 0 | Montreal | 1 | |
| Feb. | 6 | Quebec | 1 | Shamrocks | 9 |
| 6 | Victorias | 4 | Ottawa | 2 | |
| 10 | Montreal | 5 | Shamrocks | 1 | |
| 13 | Ottawa | 3 | Victorias | 1 | |
| 13 | Shamrocks | 3 | Quebec | 6 | |
| 17 (‡) | Ottawa | 4 | Montreal | 0 | |
| 20 | Quebec | 2 | Victorias | 8 | |
| 20 | Montreal | 4 | Ottawa | 3 | |
| 27 | Ottawa | 1 | Quebec | 4 | |
| 27 (††) | Victorias | 7 | Montreal | 3 | |
| Mar. | 3 | Shamrocks | 4 | Victorias | 8 |
| 6 | Ottawa | 4 | Shamrocks | 3 | |
† Protested by Ottawa who scored the tying goal in last few seconds but the goal was disallowed by the referee. The protest was upheld and the game replayed.
‡ Replay of January 30 protested game.
†† Victorias clinch league championship.
Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average
| Name | Club | GP | GA | SO | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chittick, Fred | Ottawa | 8 | 18 | 1 | 2.3 |
| Lewis, Gordon | Victorias | 8 | 26 | 3.3 | |
| Collins, Herb | Montreal | 8 | 26 | 3.3 | |
| Pagnuelo, Ernest | Shamrocks | 8 | 37 | 4.6 | |
| Stocking, Frank | Quebec | 6 | 25 | 5.8 | |
| Name | Club | GP | G |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKerrow, Clare | Montreal | 8 | 12 |
| Ottawa | 8 | 12 | |
| Barlow, Billy | Montreal | 8 | 10 |
| McLea, Ernie | Victorias | 8 | 8 |
| Dobby, Bill | Shamrocks | 8 | 7 |
| Swift, Albert E. | Quebec | 8 | 6 |
| Ottawa | 8 | 6 | |
| Davidson, Cam | Victorias | 6 | 5 |
| Doyle, Pat | Quebec | 8 | 5 |
| Horsfall, Herbert | Montreal | 8 | 5 |