What Were The Original 8 NHL Teams?

A look at the original 8 NHL teams and how they’ve fared over the years.

The Original Six

Before the NHL even existed, there were already six professional hockey teams in existence. These teams were all based in Canada and were known as the “Original Six.” They were the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Rangers. These teams made up the NHL when it was founded in 1917.

The 1967 Expansion

When the National Hockey League doubled in size for the 1967-68 season, it ushered in a new era for the sport. The Original Six became the Original Eight with the addition of the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers.

These four expansion teams were not only an injections of new blood into the NHL, but they also helped to establish hockey on both coasts of the United States. Prior to 1967, there were no NHL teams west of Chicago.

The new teams were not especially successful on the ice in their first few seasons. None of them made the playoffs in their inaugural campaigns and only the Flyers managed to do so in their second year. But by the early 1970s, all four teams had become legitimate contenders.

The Blues were perhaps the most successful of the expansion teams, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals three times in four seasons from 1968 to 1971. They finally won it all in 2019, more than 50 years after joining the league.

The Flyers are also one of the most storied franchises in NHL history. They reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1974 and 1975, losing to the Montreal Canadiens both times. But they rebounded to win consecutive championships in 1974 and 1975, becoming one of only a handful of teams to ever win back-to-back Cups.

The North Stars and Kings had less success in their early years, but both made deep playoff runs in the 1980s. The North Stars made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981, where they lost to the New York Islanders. The Kings reached consecutive finals appearances in 1993 and 1994, winning it all in 1994 for their first and only championship thus far.

The 1970s

The 1970s were a decade of expansion for the National Hockey League. In 1970, the NHL doubled in size with the addition of six new teams, and in 1974, it doubled again with the addition of another six teams. The original eight NHL teams were joined by the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers in 1967. In 1970, the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs were joined by the expansion Atlanta Flames (now the Calgary Flames), New York Islanders , and San Diego Mariners (now the Minnesota North Stars). The 1974 expansions saw the additions of the Kansas City Scouts (now the New Jersey Devils), Washington Capitals , and Vancouver Blazers .

The 1980s

The original eight teams that made up the National Hockey League were the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vintage Team. These teams were all based in Canada with the exception of the Bruins who were based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Original Six teams all played in the same division and communicated frequently with each other.

The 1990s

The 1990s were an eventful decade for the National Hockey League. The league began the decade with 22 teams and ended with 30. In between, there were several landmark events, including the introduction of the San Jose Sharks, the Quebec Nordiques becoming the Colorado Avalanche, and the Winnipeg Jets becoming the Phoenix Coyotes.

The 2000s

In the 2000s, the NHL went through a major expansion, adding eight new teams. These teams were the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Minnesota Wild, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Nashville Predators, the Dallas Stars, the Phoenix Coyotes, the Anaheim Ducks and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The 2010s

In 2010, the NHL returned to Winnipeg with the Atlanta Thrashers relocating to become the Jets. The following season, the NHL welcomed its newest franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights. In 2017, the NHL expanded again with a new team in Seattle to become the 32nd franchise in league history, which will begin play in 2021.