Chicago Cardinals (ice hockey)

The Chicago Cardinals were a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey Association. The team only played one season in the league. It was notable because it was founded by Eddie Livingstone, a Toronto businessman, who had owned an ice hockey team in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and whose actions led the owners of the NHA to disband the league and form the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1917. The Cardinals were formed by Livingstone in an attempt to bring about a rival league to the NHL. Because of the Cardinals, the NHL attacked the AHA and attempted to steal its players. The Cardinals would fold under the pressure placed on the league and the team. Livingstone would attempt to recoup his losses by selling the team, but this was denied. He later tried to sue for damages.

The American Hockey Association was founded in October 1926. The Chicago franchise was purchased by Livingstone. Livingstone was president of the franchise and Nip Dwan was the coach. Training camp was held in secret at the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto. After the NHL caught wind of the franchise, the AHA president asked Livingstone to limit his ownership to one season only. Livingstone refused and the team began to play at the Chicago Coliseum.

The game of ice hockey was new to Chicago and a price war broke out between the Cardinals and the Black Hawks. NHL president Calder declared the NHL-AHA co-operation agreement void and declared that two players of the Cardinals belonged to other teams. McLaughlin began asking players to break their contracts and leave the team. The AHA found that Teddy Graham had broken a valid contract and was fined the amount of the difference between his Cardinals' contract and his contract with London, Ontario Ravens of the Ontario Senior League.

The price war sent the Cardinals into financial difficulty and the team was sold in March 1927 to a syndicate of Chicago businessmen, led by Harry Herendeen, a Chicago miller, which intended to continue the team as the "Chicago Americans." The team played two games against the Duluth Hornets under the new ownership. However, the league did not approve the transfer and Livingstone suspended the team on the day of a game with St. Paul. The Coliseum announced that the ice hockey team was in arrears on its rent. Livingstone said the rejected new club owner had agreed to pay the rent.

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