When did the NHL Expand to 32 Teams?

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that consists of 32 teams out of which 25 of them are located in the United States and 7 are based in Canada. Notably, the NHL is recognized as one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Globally, it is known as the premier professional ice hockey league, having players from 17 countries as of the latest season 2023-24.

The headquarters of the league is situated in Midtown Manhattan and NHL's Stanley Cup, awarded to its playoff champion each season, is considered as the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also recognizes the Stanley Cup as one of the sport's most significant championships.

NHL First Expansion

Founded in 1917 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, after the suspension of the National Hockey Association (NHA), the NHL started working with four teams, Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Arenas in the 1917-18 season. Unfortunately, the Wanderers dissolved in the middle of the season due to arena issues and the league was continued with just three teams.

However, it was a few years until the first expansion of the league took place in 1924 with the addition of the Boston Bruins, the first team from the United States and the Montreal Maroons. The NHL then saw the addition of several teams, including the New York Americans 1925, Pittsburgh Pirates in 1925, Chicago Black Hawks in 926, Detroit Cougars (later Red Wings in 1926, and New York Rangers in 1926.

However, due to various factors like the Great Depression and other challenges, several teams got folded or suspended later. This led to the “Original Six" era which began in 1942 and lasted till 1967. Notably, the “Original Six”teams were the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks and the Detroit Red Wings.

How many expansions has the NHL had?

After the "Original Six" teams, the NHL made a significant turn in 1967 known as "Great Expansion," when the league doubled its size from six to 12 teams. The addition of six more teams, the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues were aimed to bring lucrative TV contracts and to increase the fanbase of the league. The league continued to expand with additional teams in 1970, 1972, and 1974 respectively, bringing the total number of teams to 18. However, in 1976, just two years after the expansion of the league, the California Seals, one of the teams that joined during the 1967 expansions, were renamed to the Cleveland Barons. Two years later, just before the 1978-79 season, the Cleveland Barons ceased operations and the league operated with 17 teams for that season.

Remarkably, a major event occurred in 1979 when the NHL merged with the World Hockey Association (WHA), incorporating four more teams named, Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets. Notably, the Winnipeg Jets later relocated to become the Phoenix Coyotes (now the Arizona Coyotes) in 1996. This expansion brought the NHL’s total to 21 teams. Meanwhile, Hartford Whalers eventually relocated to become the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997, meanwhile the Quebec Nordiques struggled with financial difficulties and market challenges, leading to their relocation in 1995 to become the Colorado Avalanche.

The expansion continued with the addition of San Jose Sharks in 1991 followed by Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992, increasing the league to 24 teams. By 1993, the league expanded to 26 teams after the Florida Panthers and the Anaheim Ducks. The Nashville Predators entered the league in 1998, taking the number of teams to 27. This was followed by Atlanta Thrashers (who later changed to the Winnipeg Jets in 2011 ) in 1999. In 2000, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wilds debuted in the league, rounding the total to 30 teams. After that, the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league in 2016 while the Seattle Kraken entered the league in 2021, taking the number of teams to 32.

The following table looks at the teams that have joined the NHL since its inception in 1917: