Interest in NHL hockey rose substantially through the 1920s and 1930s, but the popularity curve was an arduos uphill battle. In 1919, The Mount Royal Arena was constructed to be the home of the Montreal Canadiens. Just five years later, the Montreal Forum was built to house the Montreal Maroons, the other NHL team in an already hockey obsessed city. In Ottawa, Frank Ahearn built an arena seating 10,000 spectators named the Auditorium, which was completed in 1923. And in Toronto, the legendary Maple Leaf Gardens was completed in 1931. When Ottawa faced the Canadiens in the 1923 - 1924 playoffs, 11,000 fans packed the Auditorium to see the Canadiens, led by scoring ace Howie Morenz, defeat the Senators 4 - 2. The Canadiens would prevail to win the Stanley Cup, the first in a string of 24 over the course of the NHL's next 70 plus years. The Forum, the Canadiens' home for most of the 20th century, was actually built as the home of the Montreal Maroons. Due to a bizzare warm spell, which had a negative effect on the ice surface at the Mount Royal Arena in the Fall of 1924, the Canadiens demanded to play at the Forum, which back then had artificial ice.
The 1924 - 1925 season witnessed the first labor- management dispute when the players of Hamilton Tigers, where the Quebec Bulldogs had shifted in 1920, went on strike before the playoffs. They players demanded a raise of $200 (Canadian). per player for taking the ice during the playoffs. The players proposal seemed reasonable request since the Hamilton franchise had protested, resulting in a record profit. League President Calder, however, argued on behalf of the owners, stating "giving in to the players would put at risk the owners.." large capital investment in rinks and arenas, and this capital must be protected."
By the 1927 - 1928 season, the NHL had grown from three teams to ten, and had split into 2 seperate divisions: the Canadian and the American. The Canadian division was comprised of the Toronto St. Patricks, the Ottawa Senators, the New York Americans, The Montreal Maroons and the Montreal Canadiens. The American division included the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Cougars. This two division alignment remained intact for 12 seasons, despite numerous other changes made in the league during this time frame.
After winning the Stanley Cup in 1927, the Ottawa Senators,became hopelessly strapped for cash as a result of the the Great Depression, and started to collapse, little by little. slid In 1930, the Senators sold star defenseman standout Frank "King" Clancy to the Toronto Maple Leafs for $35,000 (Canadian.), equalling the largest sum ever paid for any professional hockey player. But even that cash infusion couldn't prevent financial haemorrhage and, after suspending operations for the 1931 - 1932 season, the Senators folded and moved to St. Louis. The Eagles, as they were called, staggered through one season, before relocating as well. The game was evolving, finding itself, through the NHL's early days. Forward passing of the puck was not permitted at all until the 1927 - 1928 season. When another rule change in 1929 - 1930 gave players the green light to pass the puck ahead to a teammate in all three zones. Subsequently the number of goal scored nearly tripled from their previous figures. Ace Bailey led the league with 22 goals in 1927 - 1928, compared to 43 goals for the league- leading Weiland the following season. The NHL of the 1930s produced many sublime nights, but none could compare to the Longest Game, a playoff encounter that began March 24 and ended March 25 in 1936. The Montreal Maroons faced off against the Detroit Red Wings, in a Stanley Cup Semifinal that last 176 minutes 30 seconds. The only goal was scored by Detroit's Modere "Mud" Bruneteau at 16:30 of the sixth overtime period, provoking momentary silence among the 9,000 fans at the Montreal Forum, followed by a huge ovation of relief. The Forum was also the scene for one of the most tragic days in NHL history - the funeral of Canadiens great Howie Morenz on March 10 1937. Morenz had died from complications arising from a broken leg. More than 25,000 fans filed past the coffin at centre ice in the Forum to pay their last respects to this remarkable NHL icon.
As the 1930s progressed, the number of teams began to decrease as well, as the NHL dimished from a ten -team, two divisional league to a one- division league, totalling seven teams by 1940.
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