A rivaling senior amateur league called the Montreal Hockey League (MHL) ran simultaneously with the MCHL for seven seasons between 1913 and 1920.[4]
The amateur teams in Montreal did not follow strict rules of player residency and were thus not eligible to compete for the Allan Cup as Canadian amateur champions against teams from other provinces, so instead the Art Ross Trophy was introduced as a challenge trophy between the champion teams from the various amateur leagues in the city. The trophy was competed for from 1913–1920.