Everybody knows the Original 6 NHL teams, Toronto, Boston, Montreal, New York, Chicago and Detroit. How did these teams become known as the original teams when there were actually 5 teams in the first NHL season, Montreal Canadiens, the Montreal Wanderers, the Ottawa Senators, the Quebec Bulldogs, and the Toronto Arenas? Jim.

I know that I have read a lot about this, but I can't remember an exact answer to your question, so this is just a guess. When the NHL was first formed, no one knew that it would actually remain a strong league that would grow in the league we have today. Of the first 5 teams, 4 of them folded. Of the "Original 6" all are still teams today, in the same cities. I figure that the term "Original 6" came later, possibly when the league began expanding. All the new teams were "expansion" teams, and all of the older, established teams were the "original 6."

I may be a little off, but I think that this is the basic idea.

Earl

That sounds right to me. They weren't "original" until the expansion teams came along; so it's whoever was in the league immediately before expansion.

Sounds good. So they weren't known as the original 6 until expansion came along. Jim.