The Toronto 228th Battalion (NHA) was an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team, composed entirely of troops in the 228th (Northern Fusiliers) Battalion of the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

, in the

National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association (NHA), officially the National Hockey Association of Canada Limited, was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor of today's National Hockey Lea ...

(fore-runner to the modern

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

) for the 1916–17 season. The Battalion assumed the place of the former

Toronto Shamrocks Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

franchise, which had been dormant since the end of the 1914–15 season, and played out of the

Mutual Street Arena Mutual Street Arena, initially called Arena Gardens or just the Arena, was an ice hockey arena and sports and entertainment venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1912 until 1931, with the opening of Maple Leaf Gardens, it was the premier site o ...

. Also known as the Northern Fusiliers, the team played wearing khaki military uniforms and was the league's most popular and highest scoring club until the unit was ordered overseas in February 1917 and the team was forced to withdraw. A scandal ensued when several stars were subsequently discharged and alleged they had been promised commissions solely to play hockey. The NHA then sued the military for $3000 and some game revenues due to the team leaving the league. This lawsuit was not successful.

Team roster

George McNamara, Toronto 288th Battalion

Results

References

* * {{cite book, title=Deceptions and Doublecross: How the NHL conquered hockey, last=Holzman, first=Morey, year=2002, isbn=978-1-55002-413-5 Ice hockey teams in Ontario Military sport in Canada National Hockey Association teams Ba Military ice hockey teams 1916 establishments in Ontario 1917 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1916 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1917

Team roster

Results

See also

References