What Year Did The NHL Start?
Contents
The NHL started in 1917.
The Early Days of Professional Ice Hockey
The birth of professional ice hockey
While there are reports of earlier games, the first professional ice hockey league was formed in Montreal in 1887. Nine teams played in the Canadian Amateur Hockey League, which was formed to play for the Stanley Cup. In 1910, the National Hockey Association was formed, and the Stanley Cup became the championship trophy of the NHL, which still exists today.
The first professional ice hockey league
The first professional ice hockey league was the International Professional Hockey League, which operated from 1904 to 1907. The league was formed by representatives of four Canadian cities – Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and provincial capital Quebec City.
The National Hockey League
The National Hockey League was founded in 1917, and originally consisted of just four teams. The league has since expanded and now includes thirty-one teams. The NHL is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.
The formation of the NHL
On November 26, 1917, the NHL was formed as a response to the termination of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The NHA were in talks of disbanding because of a disagreement with one of its owners, Eddie Livingstone. The other owners met without Livingstone and decided that they were going to form a new league, the NHL. The first game was played on December 19, 1917 between the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators.
The first NHL season
The first NHL season took place in 1917-18, with four teams: the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs and Toronto Arenas. The league officially became the National Hockey League in 1926, with ten teams: the same four Canadian teams from the 1917-18 season, plus the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Cougars (now the Red Wings), New York Americans (now the Rangers) and Pittsburgh Pirates (now the Senators).
The Modern NHL
The expansion of the NHL
In 1942, the NHL expanded with the addition of the Brooklyn Americans, increasing the league’s size to seven teams. The league continued to expand in 1967, when six new teams were added. The most recent expansion occurred in 2017, when the NHL added the Vegas Golden Knights.
The NHL today
The National Hockey League today is a far cry from its humble beginnings. Founded in 1917, the NHL has since expanded to 31 teams across the United States and Canada, with games broadcast to millions of fans around the world. The modern NHL is a high-octane, fast-paced sport that features some of the most skilled athletes in the world. From the Stanley Cup playoffs to the annual Winter Classic outdoor game, there is no shortage of excitement when it comes to hockey.
