The
Renfrew Hockey Club, also known as the
Creamery Kings and the "Renfrew Millionaires" was a founding franchise in 1909 of the
National Hockey Association, the precursor to the
National Hockey League. The team was based in
Renfrew, Ontario.
Its founder,
Ambrose O'Brien, a millionaire from the then-current silver and mining boom in the Cobalt area of Ontario, sought to join the new
Canadian Hockey Association with his existing Renfrew team in the semi-pro
Federal Hockey League, and was rejected. With fellow rejectee
Montreal Wanderers, O'Brien founded the NHA, along with franchises in
Cobalt,
Haileybury and
Montreal.
With O'Brien's money backing the Creamery Kings, Renfrew iced a powerful team its first season, with
Frank Patrick and
Lester Patrick commanding salaries of $3,000 each, and
Cyclone Taylor receiving a record-setting $5,250 for a two-month season. In consequence the team became widely nicknamed the "millionaires." In addition, O'Brien secured the services of
Newsy Lalonde midseason from the Canadiens franchise, and Lalonde would wind up the season the NHA's first scoring champion. Coached by
Ottawa Senators legend and future
Hall of Famer Alf Smith, Renfrew finished in third place in the
1910 season with an 8-3-1 record.