In 1916, the Canadiens won their first cup. In 1917, they lost in a series to the Seattle Metropolitans, which, in one game, involved a very dirty incident. The Metropolitans won 6-1, and Lalonde was given five penalties by the ref. Exasperated, he went to the other side of the ice and butt-ended the ref in the stomach. He was fined $25 and given a match penalty, barely missing a long suspension. In 1917, the NHA disbanded, and three teams went on to the new NHL, those being the Canadiens, the Wanderers and the Senators. Quebec opted out, but were replaced by the Toronto Arenas. The players for the Quebec team were put into a "draft" with the Wanderers, the worst team from the previous season getting first cracks. A few weeks earlier, Joe Malone of Quebec scored 8 goals against the Wanderers, which gave the Wanderers a scouting advantage. But they didn't take the NHA's leading scorer, and so the Canadiens did, and he set a record that still stands by scoring 44 goals in 20 games, a 2.25 goals-per-game average, the only time in NHL history a player average more than 2 goals per game in a season.
Things weren't always great for the Canadiens. In 1919, they were set to have a rematch with the Metropolitans in the Stanley Cup finals. However, 1919 was the year of the Spanish flu epidemic. In Seattle, where the series was played, after 5 games the series was tied at 2 wins apiece with 1 tie. Game 4 was when the first signs were shown. It ended in a scoreless tie in a game reporters called the greatest ever on the west coast. Overtime lasted an hour and 40 minutes, but many players could barely skate. The majority of the sick players were Canadiens. After the fifth game, numerous players were either sick or injured. During the game, Joe Hall, also known as "Bad Joe", staggered off the ice and was rushed to the hospital feeling very sick. Another player followed, and after the game, five more Habs went, as did manager, George Kennedy. Kennedy asked if he could borrow players from the Victoria Cougars to play on his team, because he didn't have enough. Seattle execs said no, but decided not to take the Cup via forfeit and gave it back to the Toronto Arenas, the defending champs. The Canadiens returned to Montreal on a train, either injured from the games, or ill from the flu. Joe Hall stayed behind in hospital in serious condition. The same day the Habs left, Joe Hall was discovered to have pneumonia. Days later he passed away. Joe Hall, husband and father of three, dead at 38.
