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The following is a complete history of organizational changes in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHL was founded in 1917 as a successor to the National Hockey Association (NHA), starting out with four teams from the predecessor league, and eventually grew to thirty-two in its current state.
In the first two seasons, there were only three teams, but now, there are thirty-one. Over the time that it has been around the NHL has added and lost teams many times. This is the complete history of organizational changes in the NHL.
The following is a complete history of organizational changes in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHL was founded in 1917 as a successor to the National Ho...
- Overview
- Early years
- Original Six and expansion years
- Further expansion
- Possible expansion
Since being founded in 1917, the National Hockey League (NHL), which in its first two seasons started out as a three-team league and eventually grew to 31 in its current state, has expanded and contracted numerous times throughout its history. The following is a complete history of organizational changes in the NHL.
Three teams (1917–19)
The four teams that began the inaugural NHL season were the Montreal Canadiens, the Montreal Wanderers, the Ottawa Senators, and Toronto. However, after completing four games out of the scheduled 22, the Wanderers withdrew from the league due to their arena burning down, and the NHL continued this season and the next with only three teams.
Four teams (1919–24)
In its third season, 1919–20, the NHL underwent its first expansion, adding the Quebec Bulldogs. Toronto changed its name to Toronto St. Patricks. The next season, however, Quebec relocated to Hamilton, becoming the Hamilton Tigers. These same four teams continued playing for four seasons, up to 1923–24.
Six teams (1924–25)
Two new teams joined the NHL in its eighth season, the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Maroons.
Six teams (1942–67)
The 1942–43 season saw the folding of the Brooklyn Americans, thus ushering in the Original Six era of the NHL, which lasted without any organizational changes for twenty-five seasons until the 1967 expansion, which doubled the number of teams in the league.
Twelve teams (1967–70)
For the 1967–68 season, six new teams were added to the NHL: the California Seals, the Los Angeles Kings, the Minnesota North Stars, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the St. Louis Blues. During their first season, the California Seals were renamed the Oakland Seals.
Fourteen teams (1970–72)
The Oakland Seals were renamed the California Golden Seals for their fourth season in 1970–71. The same season the NHL added two new teams, the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks.
Twenty-two teams (1991–92)
The 1991–92 season saw the dawn of rapid expansion and relocation in the NHL, which lasted for the next ten years, bringing the total number of teams to the current thirty, with the addition of the San Jose Sharks.
Twenty-four teams (1992–93)
Two new teams joined the league the following season, the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Twenty-six teams (1993–98)
The next season, another two teams were added, the Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Minnesota North Stars relocated, becoming the Dallas Stars. Two seasons later, for the 1995–96 season, the Quebec Nordiques relocated and became the Colorado Avalanche. The following season, the Winnipeg Jets also moved, becoming the Phoenix Coyotes. The season after that, the Hartford Whalers relocated, becoming the Carolina Hurricanes.
Despite recent statements from the NHL that no further expansion or even relocation is planned for the foreseeable future, there have been rumors and talks of potential new sites for existing or new teams in various locations in the United States, Canada, and even Europe.
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4 days ago · National Hockey League (NHL), organization of professional ice hockey teams in North America, formed in 1917 by four Canadian teams, to which the first U.S. team, the Boston Bruins, was added in 1924.
