The National Hockey League, one of the oldest professional sports leagues, has been around for more than a century. The league is steeped in history in North America, dating back even further than the NBA and NFL. The Original Six, the oldest teams still playing in the league, are a part of its history. Two of the six teams have already reached the age of 100, while the remaining four will soon turn 100.
The Original Six are who are They?
The National Hockey League’s founding six teams were the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings.
These six teams are now the oldest active members of the NHL, despite not joining at the same time. The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs are the only two of the original six teams that are included in the NHL charter. In 1917, the Canadiens and Maple Leafs joined the NHL.
Four more teams joined after that. The Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers joined the NHL in 1926, while the Boston Bruins debuted in the league in 1924.
New Teams Joining the NHL
The NHL chose to expand after operating with only these six teams for almost 30 years. As a result, six more clubs were added to the league, bringing the total number of clubs to 12. The Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, California Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, and St. Louis Blues were these six new clubs.
There are presently just four active teams in the league: the Penguins, Kings, Flyers, and Blues.
Oldest NHL club
The Montreal Canadiens are the most established team in the league and the world’s oldest active professional hockey team. It was formerly a member of the National Hockey Association, which included teams from Quebec and Ontario and is regarded as the National Hockey League’s direct antecedent.
