The Chicago Blackhawks are a major part of NHL history. This storied franchise dates back to 1926, when the NHL awarded Major Frederic McLaughlin a franchise. To get enough players to field a team, he purchased the Portland Rosebuds from the struggling Western Hockey League and moved them to Chicago. Becoming the Blackhawks McLaughlin wasn’t fond of the team name “Rosebuds,” … Read more
The Detroit Red Wings date back to the 1920s when they played in the Western Hockey League as the Victoria Cougars. Looking to build an NHL franchise, a group from Detroit bought the Victoria Cougars’ roster in 1926. The Cougars started playing their home games in Windsor, Ontario, until they moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1927. Head coach Jack Adams … Read more
The Philadelphia Flyers brought ice hockey back to the City of Brotherly Love in 1967 as one of six expansion teams added by the NHL. They doubled their number of clubs in the league from six to 12. The Flyers would go on to win their home debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 19 under the leadership of head coach Keith … Read more
The Boston Bruins (also known as the Bears or the B’s) got their start in the NHL during the 1924–1925 season. Rumor has it, Charles Francis Adams – a grocery-chain tycoon from Vermont – paid a hefty $15,000 to the NHL in exchange for the first United States entry into the league. Bruins’ Origins Adams held a contest open … Read more
Where It (All-Star)ted The NHL All-Star game came into existence in 1934 when the defending Stanley Cup Champions – The Maple Leafs – faced off against the league’s All-Stars in Toronto. The first All-Star contest, dubbed the “ACE Bailey Benefit Game,” paid homage to Hall of Famer Irvin E. “Ace” Bailey; he was the former winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs. During … Read more
Pittsburgh Welcomes Hockey The Pittsburgh Penguins first took to the ice in 1967. It was more than three decades after the city’s first NHL team, the Pirates, folded during the Great Depression. The new Pittsburgh team was part of a six-team influx of new hockey clubs and a contest that tasked the public with choosing a new club name. … Read more
Pittsburgh isn’t a natural habitat for penguins, but thanks to “The Igloo” – the nickname of the Civic Arena where the NHL team got its start – they’ve come to thrive in the city. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been able to bring home four Stanley Cup titles (1991, 1992, 2009, and 2016) across five total appearances since they joined the league … Read more
The beloved New York Rangers came together in 1926 when “Tex” Rickard, president of Madison Square Garden, decided that one New York hockey team just wasn’t enough. The Rangers were an expansion team in addition to the New York Americans at the time. The Americans played at Madison Square Garden but weren’t owned by the facility. To form a team that … Read more
The Lightning Capital The Tampa Bay Lightning got their start in the early 1990s when the franchise’s first owner, Phil Esposito, announced the future team’s name – several months before the NHL officially awarded the franchise to Tampa. The Lightning name is unique, as they were the first in NHL history to have a team name that … Read more
In the 1970s, there was interest in expanding the then 16-team NHL by two more teams. NBA’s Baltimore Bullets owner Abe Pollin was interested in an NHL franchise for the Washington area. There was plenty of competition for Pollin as he worked to secure a D.C.-area hockey team, but ultimately Washington and Kansas City were … Read more