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==History==
Hockey had been played for over 10 years before Alberta was proclaimed a province in 1905. Play took place on an exhibition or friendly basis. As teams developed, a need developed for a governing body to administer the game at a provincial level for intra-city games. At a November 29, 1907 meeting in [[Red Deer, Alberta|Red Deer]], the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association was founded, with R.N. Brown elected as the first president of the organization.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/early_leagues_AAHA.html |title=Organizing The West—The AAHA |accessdate=
In 1914, the AAHA would be one of the founding associations for the [[Canadian Amateur Hockey Association]], formed at meetings held on December 4, 1914 in the Chateau Laurier at [[Ottawa]].
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In 1919, under the guidance of AAHA league president Allan McCaw, a new elite [[senior ice hockey|senior amateur]] league was established in Alberta with two teams each in Calgary and Edmonton.<ref name="Big4">{{cite web |url=http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/early_leagues_big_4.html |title=The Big 4 League—Amateurs or Pros? |accessdate=2007-12-11}}</ref> The league's intention was to compete for the [[Allan Cup]], emblematic of Canada's national senior championship.<ref name="Sandor21">{{Harvnb|Sandor|2005|p=21}}</ref> The [[Calgary Tigers|Tigers]] were created, along with the ''Canadians'' to represent Calgary, while the [[Edmonton Eskimos (hockey)|Edmonton Eskimos]] and Dominions represented Alberta's capital.<ref name="Big4"/> The Calgary teams were hosted at the [[Victoria Arena (Calgary)|Victoria Arena]], which had been converted into a hockey rink in 1918.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/early_teams_calgary_vics.html |title=Calgary Vics—A New Era Of Hockey In The South |accessdate=2007-12-13}}</ref>
While the Big Four League billed itself as an amateur circuit, it became known as a notorious example of a "shamateur" league, as amateur teams secretly employed professional players in an attempt to gain an upper hand on their competition.<ref name="Sandor21" /> When the Big Four announced their intention to compete in the Allan Cup playdowns, the [[Pacific Coast Hockey Association]] sent a letter of protest to the [[Canadian Hockey Association (1909-1910)|Canadian Hockey Association]], demanding that the league be declared professional, thus ineligible to compete for the Allan Cup.<ref name="Big4" /> The CHA agreed, and stripped the league of its amateur standing after only one season.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sandor|2005|p=22}}</ref>
The controversy continued to haunt the Big Four in its second season. Repeated accusations were made by teams against their opponent's star players, accusing them of being pros.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cole|2006|p=299}}</ref> An accusation against the Eskimos' goaltender, [[Bill Tobin (ice hockey)|Bill Tobin]] by the two Calgary teams led both to threaten to pull out of the league.<ref name="Big4" /> While Tobin was vindicated, the threats led the league to suspend operations, formally canceling the championship.<ref name="Big4" /> The Tigers and Eskimos, however, agreed to play their own playoff, known as the ''Intercity Championship''. The Tigers defeated the Eskimos in a two-game, total goal series, but the Big Four League was finished.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sandor|2005|p=25}}</ref>
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==References==
===Bibliography===
*{{Citation|surname=Cole|given=Stephen|Authorlink=|year=2006|title=The Canadian Hockey Atlas|Place=|Publisher=|
*{{Citation|surname=Sandor|given=Steven|Authorlink=|year=2005|title=The Battle of Alberta: A Century of Hockey's Greatest Rivalry|Place=|Publisher=|
*{{Citation|surname=Zeman|given=Gary|Authorlink=|year=1986|title=Alberta on Ice|Place=|Publisher=|
===Notes===
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