Numbers

The Original Six

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

The "Original Six" are the six teams that played in the National Hockey League between the 1942-3 season and the League's expansion in 1967 when six new teams (the California Seals [now part of the Dallas Stars], the Los Angeles Kings, the Minnesota North Stars [now part of the Dallas Stars], the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the St. Louis Blues) joined. The Original Six are listed above in the order of their founding.

How It's Used

“The NHL needed a long, engaging series between an Original Six franchise with 10 Stanley Cups and a dynasty-in-the-making. The perfect scenario would have been a Game 7, a winner-take-all match that would attract viewers who could drop in for a night without having to invest emotionally in a sport that unfortunately strikes too many Americans as exotic.”

"The 2008-9 N.H.L. season featured rising television ratings, a revival among Original Six teams and a seven-game Stanley Cup finals. But the summer that has followed has been one to forget."

Links