National Hockey League

The History of the NHL

The Inaugural Season (1917-18)

The National Hockey League, as it exists today, was formed in November of 1917 after a meeting between representatives of the National Hockey Association in Montreal's Windsor Hotel. The owners of the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers[?], Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs[?], and Toronto Arenas decided to form a new league in order to exclude Edward J. Livingston, owner of the NHA Toronto Blueshirts[?] franchise from being involved in their future hockey operations.

The decision to form the NHL nearly proved to be a disastrous one. The new league faced stiff competition from a number of other leagues including the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) and the International Hockey League (IHL) and the talent pool was decimated by World War I. Prior to the start of the 1917-18 season, the Quebec Bulldogs dropped out of the league, and early in the season, Montreal Wanderers were forced to disband. The remaining three teams completed the inaugural season, with Toronto winning the league championship, then beating the Vancouver Millionaires of the PHCL in a best of five series to claim the Stanley Cup.

Some of the NHL's most prestigious trophies and awards:

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy - league scoring champion
• Calder Trophy[?] - Rookie of the year
• Conn Smythe Trophy - most valuable player during the playoffs
• Hart Memorial Trophy - most valuable player during the regular season
• James Norris Memorial Trophy - most outstanding defenseman
• William M. Jennings Trophy [?] - goalkeeper(s) for the team with the fewest goals against
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy[?] - player combining ability and sportsmanship
• Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy - to the goal-scoring leader during the regular season
• Vezina Trophy - voted to be the most outstanding goaltender

The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League since 1966 to honour a recipient's contribution to hockey in the United States.

Five years after retirement, players are eligible to be voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

National Hockey League Teams (in their current incarnation):

Defunct NHL Teams

Presidents/Commissioners of the NHL

• Frank Calder........ 1917–43 President
• Red Dutton.......... 1943–46 President
• Clarence Campbell... 1946–77 President
• John Ziegler........ 1977–92 President
• Gil Stein........... 1992–93 President
• Gary Bettman........ 1993– Commissioner