Hockey is Canada’s official winter sport and is an integral part of the definition of what it means to be Canadian. Hockey is the sport and the NHL is its league. The National Hockey League (NHL) is a North American professional league and is widely regarded as the top-ranked ice hockey league in the world. Let’s take a look at NHL history. When was the league formed and how has it evolved?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
– When Was The NHL Created
– Early Years And The Original Six Era
– Expansion Era And The WHA
– Evolution Of Gameplay
– Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
– How Many Teams Are In The NHL?
– How Many Canadian Teams Are There In The NHL?
November 26th, 1917
The NHL was established in Montreal on November 26, 1917, and the first NHL games were played on December 19th, 1917. Its predecessor league the National Hockey Association was facing numerous problems. Teams were dealing with solvency issues and players involuntary leaving to fight in World War I and the NHA was in shambles.
The National Hockey League was formed with four teams: the Montreal Canadiens, the Montreal Wanderers, the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Arenas. In 1924 the NHL expanded for the first time and crossed international borders with the formation of the Boston Bruins. A year later the NHL expanded into three more US cities with the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Cougars (later named the Red Wings) and the New York Rangers.
By 1926 there were 10 NHL teams. However, this wasn’t meant to last. The hardships of the Great Depression and World War II reduced the league to 6 teams by 1942, and the teams left standing were known as the Original Six which is a phrase that is widely used today. These teams dawned an era of Stability to the NHL and it brought the greatest ice hockey league past its infancy stage. The teams comprised are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings.
The Original Six era lasted for over 20 years but by the end of the 1960’s the NHL expanded. 8 more teams were formed: The California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres.
Within a few years, the National Hockey League had more than doubled in size but one can make a case that it was too little too late. In the early 70’s, a rival league was formed, the World Hockey Association (WHA). In its inaugural season, the NHL lost 60 or so players to the WHA including highly regarded superstar Brett Hull, and even the great Wayne Gretzky played a season in the WHA. However, by the late 1970’s both leagues were in financial hardship due to numerous legal battles and bidding wars over players, so in 1979 a merger agreement was finalized. The WHA disbanded and the NHL absorbed several WHA markets.
During the NHL’s formative years, gameplay continued to evolve and so did the rules that govern it. In the early 1920’s the Ottawa Senators won three Stanley Cups by utilizing a defensive strategy of keeping one forward and one defenseman in their zone at all times once a lead was formed. After their third championship, a rule was formed prohibiting the use of having players in their defensive zone if the puck was not.
Other surprising rule formations were the use of a forward pass in all zones to increase goal-scoring league-wide, offside was created to prevent forwards from parking themselves in front of the opposing team’s goalie and lastly, icing was formed to prevent teams from firing the puck down the ice to relieve offensive pressure. The rule followed a season after a game where the Boston Bruins iced the puck 87 times in a matchup that was scored 0-0.
There are 32 NHL teams in the league today. The most recent team is the Seattle Kraken which joined the league in the 2021-22 NHL season.
There are 7 Canadian teams in the National Hockey League. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators.
References
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