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Great Depression
The Depression forced the New York Americans, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Maroons, and Pittsburgh Pirates all to fold due to financial pressure. The ten original professional hockey teams were thus cut to only six (Rangers, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Canadiens, Bruins, and Maple Leafs). All of these teams were based in the North, partly because the South was hit hardest by the depression; no addtional team could be supported financially in such a poor economic region. -
World War II
Because Canada immediately entered the war, many Canadian players were forced into the conflict. With over half of their talent pool gone, Canadian teams' revenue as well as interest dropped significantly. The hope of expansion was crushed soon after the start of the war due to this and the league remained with the "Original Six" teams. -
Post-War Expansion Efforts
The league wanted to expand earlier in the 1960s to reduce corruption within league management, but the North American economy was not strong enough to support even more teams (due to the war in Vietnam and LBJ's war on poverty). The idea was that more teams could lessen the impact that one owner could have on the entire league. Expansion was thus delayed until 1967. -
Atlanta Flames Become 1st Southern NHL Franchise
The Atlanta Flames were added to the league at this time. The Flames became the NHL’s first southern franchise, but were moved to Calgary in 1980 after huge financial losses and poor team play. Another factor was the surging Canadian economy of the 1970s. Optimism about the state of the economy encouraged Canadian businessmen to invest in their country’s most popular sport. -
Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts Added to the League
The Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts were added at this time while the Golden Seals moved to Cleveland before eventually merging with the Minnesota North Stars. A weakening North American economy and poor attendance in Cleveland played major roles in these shifts. -
WHA merged with the NHL
The WHA merged with the NHL and brought along the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets. The NHL was the stronger of the two leagues at the time and thus encouraged the merger with the Canadian economy once again in jeopardy -- this time due to a massive decline in the country’s mining industry. In addition to those expansions and the move of the Flames to Calgary, the Colorado Rockies also moved to New Jersey to become the Devils. -
San Jose Sharks join the league
After the Minnesota North Stars were sold on May 9, 1990, the NHL allowed George and Gordon Gund to start a team in the San Francisco Bay Area. This resulted in the San Jose Sharks joining the league in 1991. This was the first NHL team in the San Francisco Bay Area since the California Golden Seals left the area in 1976. -
Senators and Lightning join the NHL
The move to Tampa Bay was driven by the NHL’s desire to take advantage of an untapped southern market. The franchise struggled financially however, and made many question the decision to move south. The Canadian economy had contracted at this point as Ontario’s economy grew and the other provinces struggled. The increase in Ontario's prosperity impacted the league’s decision to reintroduce the Senators. The team was not as successful as hoped, but they have recently had success in the league. -
Nashville Predators were introduced
The Nashville Predators were introduced and Atlanta saw the return of an NHL franchise when the Thrashers were introduced. Neither team was especially successful on ice or financially and the Thrashers eventually moved back north to Winnipeg when the Canadian dollar began to make a comeback at the start of the 2011-12 season. -
Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild join NHL
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild were added at the start of the 2000 season as the league reached its current 30 team standing. The league had now expanded to nearly
every region in Canada and the US and barely resembled the northern-led NHL of the early 1900s. As previously mentioned, the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and reintroduced the Jets
franchise due to financial pressures and the desire to add another Canadian franchise. -
Future Expansion
The NHL’s southern movement has spread the league to nearly every region of North America, but the teams there have struggled financially. This has prompted speculation that one of the league’s southern teams may move north to Quebec. Additionally, commissioner Gary Bettman has hinted at a possible expansion to 32 teams with potential franchises being located in Seattle and Las Vegas.
