The Development of National Hockey League during the 70s till now

The sport increasingly put pressure on scoring and offensive play. In the 1970s, Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins set new records with 76 goals and 152 points in a season (1970–71), while defence star Bobby Orr revolutionized in his position, becoming the first player to win the scoring championship (Orr got the Art Ross Trophy in 1970 and 1975). The offensive focus of the sport was typified during the 1980s by the remarkable scoring feats of Mario Lemieux and those of Wayne Gretzky, whose accomplishments are perhaps unmatched in any other sport. Gretzky is the all-time leading score-makers in the NHL, wining 2,857 points, and the only player to win 2,000 career points; he held or shared 61 NHL records, including the most goals of 894 and most number of assists -1963)

Expansion and Change in the NHL during the 90s

Further expansion in 1991 and 1992 increased the number of teams to 26, including another Canadian clubs, the Ottawa Senators. Franchises were also given to Tampa Bay (Lightning), Miami (Florida Panthers), Anaheim (Mighty Ducks), and San Jose (Sharks). The Quebec Nordiques, suffering financial loss from competing in the league’s smallest market, were sold in 1995 and relocated to Denver, where they were renamed the Avalanche. The Winnipeg Jets were also relocated in 1996 and renamed the Phoenix Coyotes (Arizona Coyotes since 2014), after being sold to a group in Phoenix; this left six franchises competing in Canada.

In the summer of 1997, the league informed that it would expand to four other American cities. By 2000, with the participation of the Nashville Predators (1998), Atlanta Thrashers (1999), Minnesota Wild (2000) and Columbus Blue Jackets (2000), the NHL had total 30 teams. In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, and the Jets name was reinstated. In 2016, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman informed that a new franchise in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights, would be included to the league for the 2017–18 season, increasing the total number of clubs to 31.