What Were The Original NHL Teams?
The National Hockey League (NHL) was founded in 1917 with just four teams, and has since exploded in popularity. But what were the original NHL teams?
NHL Original Six
The National Hockey League (NHL) was founded in 1917 with five Canadian teams and one American team. The first expansion happened in 1924, when the NHL added two more American teams. Then, in 1926, the NHL added two more Canadian teams. This left the NHL with what were to become known as the “Original Six” teams: the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the oldest NHL franchise located in the United States and one of the “Original Six” teams.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They have won six Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926. The Blackhawks are one of the “Original Six” NHL teams along with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) and are one of the Original Six teams of the league. The Red Wings were founded in 1926 as the Detroit Cougars, and were known as the Falcons from 1930 to 1932. Detroit is one of the NHL’s most successful franchises, having won 11 Stanley Cup championships.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal) are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club’s official name is le Club de hockey Canadien. The team is frequently referred to in English and French as the Habs. French nicknames for the team include Les Glorieux (The Glorious One), Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge (The Blue-White-Red), La Sainte-Flanelle (The Holy Flannel) and Les Habitants (The Inhabitants).
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden in the borough of Manhattan, an arena they share with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Toronto Raptors, and the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Toronto Argonauts. they are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL.
Expansion Teams
In 1967, the NHL doubled in size from six to twelve teams with the addition of the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues.
1967 NHL Expansion
In 1967, the NHL doubled in size from 6 to 12 teams with the addition of the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues.
1970 NHL Expansion
In 1967, the NHL doubled in size from 6 to 12 teams with the addition of the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Francisco Sharks (now the Oakland Golden Seals). These six teams were originally supposed to start play in the 1967-68 season, but because of issues with arena availability and construction, the start date was pushed back a year.
The KeyArena in Seattle is currently undergoing renovations that are scheduled to be completed in October 2020. Once these renovations are finished, the arena will be able to accommodate an NHL team. As of right now, there are no plans for NHL expansion, but it is something that has been discussed in the past.
In 2016, Las Vegas was awarded an NHL expansion team that will begin play in the 2017-18 season. The team will be known as the Vegas Golden Knights.
1972 NHL Expansion
On February 6, 1966, the NHL announced six expansion teams would be added for the 1967-68 season: the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. The league doubled in size from the Original Six to 12 teams.
1974 NHL Expansion
In the summer of 1974, the NHL doubled in size from six to twelve teams. The six “new” teams were the Kansas City Scouts, Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, Atlanta Flames, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks.
The Scouts only lasted two seasons in Kansas City before moving to Denver and becoming the Colorado Rockies (who would eventually become the New Jersey Devils). The Capitals, North Stars, Flames and Canucks are still in existence today, though all four have relocated at least once. The North Stars became the Dallas Stars in 1993; the Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary in 1980; and the Canucks moved from Vancouver’s PNE Coliseum to BC Place in 1995.
The most successful of the 1974 expansion franchises has been the Islanders. They won four Stanley Cups in a row from 1980 to 1983.
1979 NHL Expansion
In 1975, the NHL announced that it would expand from 17 to 18 teams for the 1976–77 season with the addition of the Hartford Whalers. The league had been considering adding a team in the American South (Atlanta had been rumored) for some time but, feeling that a second team in Canada was a higher priority, added the Whalers instead. In June 1976, as part of an agreemeent with the World Hockey Association (WHA) to help ensure the WHA’s survival, four WHA teams – the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets – joined the NHL. The NHL then expanded to 21 teams with the addition of these four former WHA franchises for the 1979–80 season.
1991 NHL Expansion
In 1991, the National Hockey League (NHL) was at a crossroads. After years of stability with 21 teams, the league was looking to expand again. This time, however, it wasn’t just about adding a few teams to keep up with the growing popularity of the sport. The NHL saw an opportunity to completely change the way the game was played. With that in mind, they set out to add two more teams for the 1991-92 season.
The first team to be announced as an expansion franchise was the Tampa Bay Lightning, who would begin play in the 1992-93 season. The second team was awarded to a group in Ottawa, who would become the Ottawa Senators. These two teams would help spur a new era of hockey and change the landscape of the NHL forever.
The Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t just an expansion team; they were also a completely new start for hockey in Florida. The state had never had an NHL team before, and many thought that it wasn’t ready for one. However, the Lightning quickly proved doubters wrong. They sold out every home game in their inaugural season and went on to reach the Stanley Cup Finals in their fourth season of existence. The Lightning are now one of the most popular teams in all of hockey and are considered a model franchise.
The Ottawa Senators were also met with skepticism when they were first announced as an expansion team. However, they too quickly proved that they belonged in the NHL. In their first season, they set an attendance record forexpansion teams that still stands today. They would go on to have one of the most successful stretches of any NHL team in history, making the playoffs 18 times in 19 seasons from 1997-2016. The Senators are currently experiencing some financial difficulties, but remain one of Canada’s most beloved hockey teams.
The 1991 NHL expansion was a resounding success story and changed hockey forever. These two teams not only proved that expansion could work, but that it could thrive under any circumstances.
1992 NHL Expansion
In 1992, the National Hockey League (NHL) welcomed two new teams into the fold, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators. These two teams were the result of an expansion process that saw the NHL add four new teams in two rounds of expansion. The first round, which took place in 1967, saw the addition of six new teams, while the second round added only two teams.
The Lightning and Senators were not the first expansion teams in NHL history, but they were the most recent at the time of their addition to the league. The expansion process for these two teams was different from previous rounds of expansion in a few ways. First, each team was required to pay a $50 million entrance fee, which was a significant increase from previous rounds of expansion. Second, each team was allowed to protect only one player from their existing roster, while all other players were made available in an expansion draft.
Despite these differences, both teams put together competitive rosters and found success early on in their history. The Lightning made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in their third season of existence while the Senators reached the Finals in their sixth season. While neither team was able to win a championship, they both proved that expansion teams can be competitive right from the start.
1993 NHL Expansion
In 1993, the NHL added two expansion teams: The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators. This brought the total number of teams in the league to 24. The Lightning were owned by Japan-based Emperor Akihito, making them the first non-North American team in the NHL. The Senators were owned by real estate developer Bruce Firestone, who had previously tried to get an NHL team in 1990.
1998 NHL Expansion
In 1998, the NHL announced that it would be expanding to Nashville and Atlanta. These two cities were among a group of five finalists, which also included Columbus, Ohio; Saint Paul, Minnesota; and Houston, Texas. The league awarded the franchises to Nashville and Atlanta on June 25, 1997. The Predators and Thrashers both began play in the 1998-99 season.
2000 NHL Expansion
In 2000, the NHL expanded by adding two new teams: the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets. These teams were the first expansion teams in the NHL since the league added the San Jose Sharks in 1991.
2017 NHL Expansion
On June 22, 2016, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced that it had awarded an expansion franchise to Las Vegas. The as-yet unnamed team will begin play in the 2017–18 NHL season, becoming the league’s 31st franchise and the first since the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets entered the league in 2000. It will also be the first major professional sports franchise to be based in Las Vegas.
Current NHL Teams
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America, currently comprising 31 teams: 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL’s Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded to the league playoff champion at the end of each season.
Eastern Conference
When the National Hockey League (NHL) was formed in 1917, it originally consisted of four teams: the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Arenas.
The NHL added two more Canadian teams in 1918-19: the Hamilton Tigers and Vancouver Millionaires. These six teams made up the NHL until 1924 when financial problems forced the league to fold the Hamilton Tigers.
The league remained at five teams until 1926 when the New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates joined, bringing the total to seven. Thus, the Original Six era began.
Western Conference
The Western Conference (formerly the Clarence Campbell Conference) is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League (NHL), used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Eastern Conference.
Originally, the two were only geographical designations, but starting in the 1993–94 season, when the NHL expanded from 22 to 26 teams with the addition of the San Jose Sharks, Quebec Nordiques, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators, the conferences and divisions were realigned. The conference was renamed to its current name as a result of realignment that saw all six former Campbell Conference teams relocate to Western markets.
As a result of further realignment that resulted in the Charlotte Hornets relocating to New Orleans and then eventually becoming the current incarnation of the New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA as well as dissolution of their previous incarnation as well as original incarnation of Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets again), all former Norris Division teams now play in either Central Division or Pacific Division.
