Where Did the NHL Start?
The National Hockey League (NHL) started in 1917 with five teams from Canada. Today, the NHL has 31 teams from the United States and Canada.
Introduction
The National Hockey League, or NHL, is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in the United States and Canada. The NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues in North America.
The NHL was founded on November 26, 1917, with the establishment of the original six teams: the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. These six teams were all located in Canadian cities at the time. The first official game was played on December 19, 1917 between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.
Since its inception, the NHL has undergone several expansions and relocations. In 1942, the Brooklyn Americans ceased operations due to financial difficulties, leaving the league with only seven teams. This prompted the temporary suspension of play during World War II from 1943-1946. The league then expanded to twelve teams in 1967 with the addition of six new expansion teams: Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars), Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Vancouver Canucks.
The NHL continued to grow throughout the 1970s and 1980s with further expansion and relocation of teams. In 1979-1980 season., four more teams were added: Edmonton Oilers (now Arizona Coyotes), Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes), Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche), and Winnipeg Jets (now Arizona Coyotes). As American cities became increasingly interested in hosting an NHL team due to its popularity growth ,the number of American-based teams increased throughout subsequent decades . Presently , 23 out of 30 NHL franchises are located in American cities .
Although it has undergone many changes since its conception over 100 years ago ,the NHL remains a key part of North American professionalsports history .
The Beginnings of Professional Ice Hockey
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams, 23 in the United States and seven in Canada. The NHL is considered the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the North American major professional sports leagues. It was founded on November 26, 1917, with collections of players from four pre-existing American teams: the Boston Bruins, the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs (originally the Arenas), and the New York Rangers. The league expanded to 18 teams by 1925, and then increased to 21 teams by 1926.
The Birth of the NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL) was founded on November 26, 1917, with the merger of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), making it the oldest professional hockey league in existence. The NHL’s first president was Frank Calder, who helped found both the NHA and the PCHA.
The league initially consisted of five teams: the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas. The NHL’s first season began on December 19, 1917. By 1926, the league had expanded to ten teams with the addition of the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Cougars (later renamed the Detroit Red Wings), New York Americans (later renamed the New York Islanders), and Pittsburgh Pirates (later renamed the Pittsburgh Penguins).
Over its first decade or so of existence, the NHL saw several significant changes. In 1918, following the Spanish Flu pandemic which claimed the lives of several players from all of the Canadian-based teams, including Joe Malone of the Canadiens who led the league in scoring that year with 44 goals in 20 games played. The NHL suspended its season for approximately three weeks as a result. In 1924, after setting a record for most goals scored in a season by a team with 231 goals for and just 42 goals against, Canadiens’ head coach Cecil Hart permanently replaced starting goaltender Georges Vezina with backup Clair Duffe. Duffe would go on to win all four of his starts that year as Montreal went on to win their first Stanley Cup championship.
The original Stanley Cup was donated in 1892 by then-Governor General of Canada Lord Stanleystalinof Preston astOUNDing England at that timepitalside Park in Toronto is generally recognized as being home to professional hockey’s first paid admission game
Conclusion
In conclusion, the NHL started in 1917 with four teams in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec. The league has since expanded to 31 teams, with 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The league has seen many changes over its 100+ year history, including the addition of new teams, the relocation of existing teams, and the creation of new divisions.
