It took a while to get the league going, but on November 20, 1925, the first game of the NIHA inaugural season was played, as NIHA president Paul Benjamin watched the Toronto Pros beat the New York Mad Hatters 4-2. The Pros' top scorer, Maple Thomas, led the team with his first hat trick of the season. The next night, spectators witnessed a very competitive game between the Chicago Lancers and the Minnesota Nationals, which ended in a 5-5 tie. The Montreal Or Rouge was the top team in the league, thanks to John Giroux, Marc Dupont, and Etienne Rehnquist, who formed the league's most dominant line. Behind them were the Toronto Pros in second place, followed by the Minnesota Nationals in third, the Chicago Lynx in fourth, and the New York Mad Hatters in last place.
The playoff format features the top 4 teams, with the last-place team eliminated. The semi-final and final are both best-of-5-game series. In the semi-final, the OR Rouge wastes no time and beats the Lynx in three games, while the Nationals shock the league and end the Pros' season, and it took all five games to do it.
The battle between the Montreal Or Rouge and the Minnesota Nationals for the Alexander Cup. The Nationals played well, but it wasn't enough, as Or Rouge star Etienne Rehnquist scored six of the nine goals to win in three games, becoming the first Alexander Cup champions in NIHA history.
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