Hockey Article Analysis

Hockey Article

The article I read, titled "The Original Six.... well believe what you want!!" dealt with team expansion in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHL was formed in 1917, and contained 5 teams, only one of which had artificial ice. However before the 1918 season began, the Quebec Bulldogs withdrew and the Montreal Arena was burned down resulting in the withdrawal of the Montreal Wanderers. This left the league with only 3 teams for the 1918 season. In the 1923-24 season, the first American team, the Boston Bruins, joined the league. At this point, 6 teams were a part of the league, a different 6 teams than the six teams promoted today as the original six. The "original six" as they are coined today, didn't make up the NHL until the 1942-43 season. Although this was after 25 years of the NHL, it was from these 6 teams that the NHL would blossom into what it is today, so these have the title of the "original six". These six teams played in their own division with each other until the 1970-71 season. The next milestone in the league occurred in the 2000-2001 season, when the NHL acquired its 30th team, the Columbus Bluejackets. The NHL has had 30 teams ever since this final adjustment.

I found this article to very educational and interesting. I am completely shocked that the NHL, which is now one of the biggest sports leagues in North America, was able to exist for a season with only 3 teams. I also thought it was very interesting that the "original six" are not even the actual first six teams to play in the league. I do not pay any attention to the NHL, so this article was especially informative since I got to learn many names of teams. I think its very interesting that for the first few years the NHL was entirely Canadian. I think that from this article I gained respect for the NHL and the sport of hockey. I love that the NHL started with such humble roots, and that teams were added one by one. I also thought it was interesting how many teams transferred between cities.

Citation:

"National Hockey League (NHL) Expansion History." National Hockey League (NHL) Expansion History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.