NHL’s Original Six should be called Remaining Six

The Original Six is a term hockey fans use to describe the following six teams:

• Boston Bruins
• Chicago Blackhawks
• Detroit Red Wings
• Montreal Canadiens
• New York Rangers
• Toronto Maple Leafs

Here’s the confusing part – the six teams above were NOT the six original NHL franchises.  They just happen to be the six remaining franchises after The Great Depression and World War II (over a decade later) left only six financially viable teams standing in 1942.  The reality is that NHL games were played as far back as ’20s (1917 was the first official season) with such forgotten teams as the Hamilton Tigers, New York Americans, and Montreal Maroons to name a few.

The Original Six vehemently opposed expansion after 1942 and stubbornly played until 1967 without adding additional teams until it was obvious that expansion was necessary for the league to continue financially.

Now that you are a little more hockey informed, when your uncle or grandpa boasts about the Original Six during the game tonight, surprise him and tell him that the Maroons won a Stanley Cup before the Blackhawks existed, so maybe he should rethink the name.

Read on:

Wikipedia – Original Six

Wikipedia – History of the NHL