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1967 NHL Expansion
The NHL and the "Original Six" had a good TV deal in both American + Canada. The Shakeout caused by The Great Depression and WW2 caused the NHL to not want to expand. In 1965, the NHL was told they would not receive a new TV team in America without expansion, and America was going to start boradcasting WHL (Western Hockey League) games. The NHL feared that the WHL would become a major rival, and the NHL desired a lucrative US TV contract much like the MLB + NHL had, So they expanded. -
Pittsburgh becomes a Franchise
In the spring of 1965, Jack McGregor, a state senator from Kittanning, began lobbying campaign contributors and community leaders to bring an NHL franchise back to Pittsburgh. The group focused on leveraging the NHL as an urban renewal tool for Pittsburgh. The senator formed a group of local investors that included H. J. Heinz Company heir H. J. Heinz III, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney, and the Mellon family's Richard Mellon Scaife. -
The vote
The 1967 NHL Expansion depended on securing votes from the then-current NHL owners; to ensure that Pittsburgh would be selected for expansion, McGregor enlisted Rooney to petition votes from James D. Norris, owner of the Chicago Black Hawks, and his brother Bruce Norris, owner of the Detroit Red Wings. The effort was successful, and on February 8, 1966, the National Hockey League awarded an expansion team to Pittsburgh for the 1967–68 season. -
Six new teams
Six new teams were ultimately added.
The Oakland Seals. LA Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St Louis Blues. -
How the "Penguins" came about.
The penguins name was chosen after people nicknamed their home arena, the civic arena, "The Igloo."
Penguins live in Igloos, and it also starts with P, so it rolled off the tongue. "The Pittsburgh Penguins" were born.
The logo was designed as a hockey playing penguin in front of a gold triangle that represented downtown pittsburgh
