Hi Richard --

I searched newspaperarchive.com, and came up with these mentions:

"While many American hockey teams are rounding into shape in good time
the big international games with Canada have been delayed by the
Dominion players. The Canadian skaters got away to a late start this
year. but now believe that they will make up for lost time by putting
more and better trained teams on the rinks. Many of the Canadian army
camps will have hockey teams In the field and the American Middle
Western Hockey league is being formed to meet them." -- Kingston (NY)
Daily Freeman, 12/13/1917

I found another blurb about a hockey league being formed at Camp Dodge
in Iowa. Not sure if it refers to the same league.

"A hockey league will be formed by the soldiers at Camp Dodge as
soon as the weather gets cold enough to insure good ice. It is the plan
of John L. Griffith, athletic director, to flood some of the firebreaks
for rinks. Many of the soldiers here are from Minnesota and North Dakota
and are said to be proficient hockey players." -- Des Moines Daily News,
11/6/1917.

I also found this odd blurb:

"The National Hockey league, now including teams in Pittsburgh, Boston
and New York as at present organized, will be a seven city circuit next
winter, plans now under way indicate. It is the intention to include
Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and possibly New Haven. Boston now has two
teams." -- Bridgeport Telegram, 3/7/1918

This might be referring to the National Inter-City Hockey League, which
I deduce based on this article:

Pittsburgh, Pa., March 9.-The National Inter-Clty Hockey league
championship was finally decided here tonight, when the Pittsburgh
Athletic association team won from the Boston navy club 3 to 1. The
Pittsburgh team has led the league throughout the season" -- Ogden
Examiner, 3/10/1918.

Based on the cities mentioned, I think that probably evolved into the
United States Amateur Hockey League.

I found more mention of the league too:

"That Pittsburgh hockey team is about the sweetest thing seen on
the ice In many a day. The Smokey club welders are running away
with the championship of the National hockey league." -- Bridgeport
Telegram, 3/16/1918.

Here's more mention:

"Sometimes it is called the National Amateur Hockey league and at other
times the National Hockey league. Perhaps, the "amateur" stuff as
applied to some of our hockey performers is puzzling to the scribes" --
Clearfield (PA) Progress, 3/22/1918.

Here's more:

"PITTSBURGH, April 13.-John P. Casey, of this city, offers a hockey cup
to be known as the "International hockey cup". As trustees Casey has
named Cornelius Fellows, of New York, president of the National
Intercity
Hockey league and head of the International Skating union, Art Ross,
donor
of the Art Ross cup, emblematic of the Canadian championship, and
Canada's
best known exponent of the ice sport, and Roy Schooley, manager of the
Pittsburgh Athletic association team In order to arouse competition. Mr.
Casey
has requested the P A A. hockey team, champions of the United States, be
designated as the first holders and defenders of the International cup"
-- Fort Wayne News And Sentinel, 4/13/1918.

Fellows was apparently involved with the St. Nicholas hockey club of NY.
Schooley was later president of the US Amateur Hockey League
(Association).

Hope this helps somewhat. Newspaperarchive.com isn't the definitive
source, since its archives aren't even close to complete, and the
quality of some of the microfilm makes OCR very sketchy.

Ralph


<-----Original Message----->Hi. Again.
>
>I used to contribute to this forum regularly until 2004, when I stopped
>to go back to university. Anyway.
>
>Tonight I came across an article in the November 5th, 1917, edition of
>the Globe and Mail (page 10). This is available online through a
>database called "The Globe and Mail - Canada's Heritage from 1844."
>The article mentions a "Middle Western Hockey League" (searched for
>that phrase in quotes in Google - not a single hit), and a team in
>Detroit looking for Ontario teams to join the league. The article
>describes "candidates" for the Detroit team "working out three times
>weekly," including future WCHL and NHL goaltender Hal Winkler. As
>Winkler doesn't appear to have actually played for this team, I'm
>guessing the league didn't get off the ground. Has anyone come across
>this league before?
>
>Richard.
>
>


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