Big statement about the Montreal Canadiens organization: it will really please the fans
For as long as we can remember, we have heard that the NHL has six original teams in its ranks. They are the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. According to Jeff Marek's report, however, this term is incorrect.
Let's back up to better understand Marek's comments.
In its first year of existence, 1917, the NHL had only four teams: the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Arenas, the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Wanderers. Of these teams, only the Canadiens have survived.
Indeed, if the 20's and 30's saw a lot of new franchises, the Great Depression (1929) and the Second World War forced many team owners to stop their activities. Of all the teams that remained, only the Canadiens were present at the beginning of the league.
The term Original 6 actually refers to the year 1942. At that time, the NHL had only six franchises (see above). So we can say, as Marek mentions, that the league did not have 6 original teams, but one, the CH. The others all came from an expansion.
The term Original 6 only came into use after the 1967 NHL expansion, when it added six new teams and doubled in size. The term Original 6 began appearing in newspaper articles that year and was used to differentiate the six existing franchises from the six new expansion teams. The term gained popularity and quickly became a household name in the hockey world.
It's nice to know, however, that the Original 6 are not all that original and that the CH is the true original team in this league!
Knowing the dislike Gary Bettman seems to have for Canadian clubs, however, it's not surprising that this isn't publicized throughout the league...
Source : Morningskate
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