What NHL teams no longer exist? List of hockey teams that disappeared or relocated

Using the standard franchise model for its teams, the National Hockey League is full of teams that started elsewhere, and some that disappeared forever

Jeffrey MayJeff_DiarioASUpdate: Aug 19th, 2022 11:19 EDT

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Hockey likes to talk of its history in simplistic terms, with an Original Six, followed by expansion, leading to today’s 32 franchises. Of course, the movement of franchises from one market to another adds a complication to the tale, but the generally linear development of the league remains intact. Except that it just isn’t so.

The Original Six, contrary to the name, aren’t original. Four of them came about as part of the NHL’s first lot of expansion. Nor were they six. Originally, they were ten. Confused? Let’s take a look at how it all came about.

On this day in 1966, the NHL announced expansion beyond the Original Six. pic.twitter.com/tjuw9Gg2zF

— NHL (@NHL) February 9, 2022

When the NHL was founded in 1917, it was actually a successor to the previous National Hockey Association, which had been founded in 1909. In fact, there were 12, often overlapping and competing organizations that led to the emergence of the NHL, and of all of those teams and franchises, only one of the Original Six predates the league itself, and that is the Montreal Canadiens. Another team’s formation was the catalyst for the formation of the NHL.

The Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone was embroiled in a feud with Sammy Lichtenstein, owner of the Montreal Wanderers, who wanted Livingstone kicked out of the NHA. Finding that the rules did not allow an owner to simply be kicked out, Lichtenstein led the charge to create a new league, gathering all of the other owners to his side, minus Livingstone of course.

It wouldn’t be hockey season if Eddie Livingstone weren’t tangled up in a lawsuit.The man who was once the reason for forming the NHL in the first place, gained an early victory in his $700,000 suit against Black Hawks ownership for undermining the old Chicago Cardinals (AHA). pic.twitter.com/pNlzOwskrA

— 1929 NHL Tweets (@1929Hockey) January 23, 2019

Wanting a new team in Toronto to compete in the new league, the Maple Leafs was formed and promptly won the Stanley Cup. Two of the four original NHL teams later folded and the league expanded, ultimately to ten teams. The Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers round out the Original Six, but were not founding teams, instead being formed in 1924 and 1926 expansions.

Within this era, teams came about and floundered, with the Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, Hamilton Tigers, Montreal Maroons, New York Americans, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, and St. Louis Eagles all departing the scene before 1942. Some of these were due to the financial constraints of the Great Depression and others were finally killed off by World War II, but when the dust settled, the six teams who remained were simply referred to as “Original”.

On this date in 1920: Quebec Bulldogs' Joe Malone – and how about the knees of those stockings? – scores a pair to become NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer, with 59. Malone passes Cy Denneny, in League’s 3rd season of existence, in 4-3 win vs Toronto. pic.twitter.com/RC65kxqujs

— Dave Stubbs 🇨🇦 (@Dave_Stubbs) January 7, 2020