The Transcontinental Hockey Association had now been a going concern for two years and both it and the North American Hockey Confederation were bleeding money. Both had instituted a "salary cap" and both had seen their clubs almost universally ignore it and the only real impact it had had thus far had been to alienate the players. There had been a thaw, of sorts, the previous March when an exhibition series was played in Vancouver between the champions of the two leagues. Quebec agreed to play Victoria but the latter refused to come east, so the Champlains went west where the two titlists battled three times, with Victoria winning twice, 6-1 and 7-5 and Quebec winning once, 6-3.

Seeking to staunch the bleeding, he NAHC power brokers turned their attention to making an accommodation with not only the TCHA but also the Maritime circuit. The MHC operated as a professional league that worked outside the boundaries of both the TCHA and NAHC who both officially considered them (and each other) as "outlaw" leagues. Connolly continued to correspond with professional baseball founder William Whitney, now 72 years old and retired, but still very knowledgeable about the pitfalls of professional sports. Whitney advised Connolly, and through him, the NAHC owners, to make peace with not only the TCHA but also the MHC. Only by uniting under one flag, in Whitney's opinion, could professional hockey thrive. Continued war would serve only to destroy the sport from within. 

So Connolly personally approached the Yeadon brothers. George and Bill had both played for Connolly and both had a healthy dislike for the mining magnate. In fact, George Yeadon had already said that there would be no true peace between the leagues as long as Connolly was involved with the NAHC. But the brothers were also shrewd businessmen and recognized the opportunity to wring a concession or two out of the Easterners while retaining the option to keep raiding the NAHC's players. With the Surrey club struggling mightily, the Yeadons were considering relocating or expanding into the United States with a club in Seattle, Washington and needed the financial security a reasonable, temporary peace would bring. 

Therefore an agreement was hammered out that Connolly felt would lessen the tensions between the two leagues. The 1913 agreement ensured that the TCHA champions would face the NAHC titlists for the Challenge Cup at the conclusion of each season. Rights to players continued to be sticking points - the leagues could not agree on a compensation agreement to cut down on the raiding (from both sides) and the MHC got involved when discussions involving amateur players took place. With none of the three organizations trusting any of the others, there would be no agreements on player rights in this round of talks. So as the 1913-14 approached, the MHC found itself on the outside of the Challenge Cup but still able to deal with amateur players as they saw fit, the TCHA happy to finally be able to contest for the Cup and the NAHC hoping that this concession would keep the Yeadons and their money from bankrupting any of the Eastern clubs.

The NAHC would go into the 1913-14 season with the same slate of six clubs as it had boasted in the previous campaign. The TCHA however, had a minor change as the Surrey club, unable to get an arena built, moved south to Seattle, Washington, the first time either of the pro loops had put a club in the United States. The former Seals would play as the Seattle Emeralds and the TCHA would forego expansion for the time being.