The Original National Hockey League

The Original Six (1942–67)

In 1942, there were six official club members in the NHL: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. The league remained stable with this same arrangement for 25 years. When six expansion teams were included in the league in 1967, the existing franchises are called the “Original Six.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs, headed by Walter “Turk” Broda, Syl Apps, Ted Kennedy and Max Bentley, were the most successful team of the 1940s, winning the Stanley Cup six times in 10 years. However, the Canadian player Maurice “Rocket” Richard 

was clearly the remarkable offensive player, scoring 50 goals in 50 games in the 1944–45 season, including five goals and three another assists in one game. In 1948, the colour barrier was broken down when Larry Kwong played for the New York Rangers. Ten years later, in 1958, Willie O’Ree has become the first Black player in the league, when he became the member for the Boston Bruins.

The remarkable team of the early 1950s was the Detroit Red Wings, led by Gordie Howe (who got the scoring championship title five times and the Hart Cup four times in the decade), Ted Lindsay, Red Kelly, and Terry Sawchuk. In the mid-1950s, the Montreal Canadiens became possibly the most powerful and successful team in NHL history, with Maurice and Henri Richard, Jacques Plante, Bernie Geoffrion, Jean Béliveau, Dickie Moore, Doug Harvey and others. The Canadiens has won the Stanley Trophy six times, including a record five consecutive ones (1955–56 to 1959–60).

The 1960s started with Chicago’s first Stanley Cup victory in 23 years (1960–61), headed by the brilliant Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Glenn Hall. Toronto won the Stanley Trophy four more times, and Montreal won two more times before the league expanded in 1967.