NHL teams that no longer exist are Montreal Wanderers, Hamilton Tigers, Philadelphia Quakers. St. Louis Eagles and Montreal Marrons are also on the list along with the other teams.
Some clubs later received or relocated with a new franchise. For instance, Quebec Bulldogs relocated to the Tigers in 1920. Eventually, the latter collapsed in 1925.
Similarly, Pittsburgh Pirates transferred to the Quakers, that left the league in 1930. Ottawa Senators (also known as Ottawa Hockey Club) relocated to St. Louis Eagles.
Some franchises like Atlanta Flames, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, and Hartford Whalers discontinued their journey in the league. Yet, they merged with other existing teams.
1967 NHL expansion teams are Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St.Louis Blues.
The first enlargement doubled the National Hockey League franchise total from six to twelve. Moreover, it is the biggest expansion in the history of professional sports.
Four franchises are still active in the league with their original names. Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars in 1993, while Oakland Seals relocated as Cleveland Barons.
The Barons dissolved in 1978 but later returned as the San Jose Sharks expansion team in 1991.
Los Angeles Kings
Owner: Philip Anschutz and Ed Roski
Home Arena: Crypto.com Arena
Stanley Cup: 2
GM: Rob Blake
Head Coach: Todd McLellan
Captain: Anze Kopitar
Dallas Stars
Owner: Tom Gaglardi
Home Arena: American Airlines Center
Stanley Cup: 1
GM: Jim Nill
Head Coach: Peter DeBoer
Captain: Jamie Benn
Philadelphia Flyers
Owner: Comcast Spectacor
Home Arena: Wells Fargo Center
Stanley Cup: 2
GM: Daniel Briere
Head Coach: John Tortorella
Pittsburgh Penguins
Owner: Fenway Sports Group (majority)
Home Arena: PPG Paints Arena
Stanley Cup: 5
Head Coach: Mike Sullivan
Captain: Sidney Crosby
St.Louis Blues
Owner: SLB Acquisition Holdings LLC
Home Arena: Enterprise Center
Stanley Cup: 1
GM: Doug Armstrong
Head Coach: Craig Berube
San Jose Sharks
Owner: San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises
Seattle Kraken joined the NHL franchise in 2021, the same year it was founded. It brought the even number in the total NHL clubs from 31.
The Seattle-based club joined National Hockey League as a member of the Pacific Division. Thus, the Coyotes moved to the Central Division to balance four divisions with the same number of clubs.
It has been two years since the club played in the regular season of the league, yet the club needs to try harder to engrave its name in the great Stanley Cup.
Before the inception of Kraken to the coalition, the Vegas Golden Knights remained the new team for around four seasons. It was founded in 2017 and became the 31st expansion team.
NHL Relocation Rumors And History
NHL relocation rumors and history depicts the major remotion of the Arizona Coyotes. Coyotes has Mullet Arena as a home for now.
The franchise dealt on February 10, 2022, to play at the stadium for three years. They previously played in Gila River Arena, which caused a dispute after being delayed to pay $1.3 million in taxes.
On May 16, the city residents rejected their proposal to build a new arena in Tempe. Later they talked to the city of Mesa about a potential stadium at the Fiesta Mall site.
Salt Lake City, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Kansas City, Quebec City, and Greater Toronto Area might be an option for a new home for the Coyotes.
While talking about the Coyotes relocation, they have changed the division twice. After the Kraken entered the NHL, they relocated to the Central Division in 2021.
Previously, they played in the division for two seasons after Winnipeg relocated in 1996. They previously moved to Phoenix from Winnipeg, Canada.
Oldest NHL Teams By Age
Oldest NHL teams by age are Montreal Canadiens, followed by Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens was founded in 1909, eight years before the NHL started.
The checklist of oldest to newest franchises depending upon their inauguration year is as follows:
NHL Teams
Age
Montreal Canadiens
114 years
Toronto Maple Leafs
106 years
Boston Bruins
98 years
Detroit Red Wings
97 years
New York Rangers
97 years
Chicago Blackhawks
97 years
Vancouver Canucks
78 years
Pittsburgh Penguins
56 years
Philadelphia Flyers
56 years
St. Louis Blues
56 years
Dallas Stars
56 years
Los Angeles Kings
55 years
Buffalo Sabres
53 years
New York Islanders
51 years
Calgary Flames
51 years
Edmonton Oilers
51 years
Arizona Coyotes
51 years
Carolina Hurricanes
51 years
Colorado Avalanche
51 years
New Jersey Devils
49 years
Washington Capitals
49 years
Ottawa Senators
33 years
San Jose Sharks
32 years
Tampa Bay Lighting
31 years
Anaheim Ducks
30 years
Florida Panthers
30 years
Winnipeg Jets
25 years
Minnesota Wild
25 years
Columbus Blue Jackets
25 years
Nashville Predators
25 years
Vegas Golden Knights
6 years
Seattle Kraken
2 years
After the NHL was established in 1917, Montreal joined the league as the first professional team. Later, the Leafs joined the alliance in 1919. These two senior teams have the highest number of Stanley Cup wins.
Original 8 NHL Teams
Original 8 NHL teams consist of the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and five others.
Montreal Maroons and New Yorks Americans among the eight no longer exist in the alliance. They dissolved after playing 14 and 17 regular seasons.
Montreal Canadiens
One of the longest-operating ice hockey teams is the Montreal Canadiens. Moreover, it is a founding member of the NHL.
It was formed as a part of the National Hockey Association in 1909. After the NHA ended, it joined NHL, the same year it was founded.
The franchise has 64 athletes in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Nick Suzuki has been the captain since 2022.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs were founded as Toronto Arenas. In 1919, the Maples joined the NHL as Toronto St. Patricks and later renamed Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927.
Second-highest Stanley Cup-winning team is a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They have engraved their name in the giant cup 13 times. Their recent victory was in 2020 and again in 2021.
Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Ltd owns the franchise. Throughout their career in the NHL, 13 jersey numbers have retired.
Boston Bruins
Founded in 1924, the Bruins joined the NHL the same year. The Bruins are a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference.
The third oldest operative franchise has won the Stanley Cup six times. Moreover, they marked victory five times in the conference championship and 27 times in the division championship.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks is one of the "Original Six." It was founded in 1926 as Chicago Balck Hawks.
The franchise has won the Stanley Trophy six times. It has one of the biggest sports arena, United Arena, as its home arena.
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings (then Detroit Cougars) was formed in 1926. It is the thirst highest-scoring Silver Cup winner.
Among the teams from the United States, the Wings are at the top with 11 Stanley Cups. 63 team players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
New York Rangers
Another franchise to join the NHL in 1926 is the Rangers. It is a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference.
The first American team to win the Silver Cup celebrated the glory in 1928. To date, they brought the Cup home four times, making the last victory in 1993-1994.
Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons is the second oldest team in NHL history from Montreal, Quebec. It was formed as Montreal Professional Hockey Club in 1924.
They joined the NHL in their founding year and won the Stanley in 1926. They achieved the trophy once again in 1935.
The Maroons left the league in 1938. In 1947, the team was officially canceled.
New York Americans
New York Americans, also known as the Brooklyn Americans, was founded in 1925. They were the third expansion team in NHL history. The New York-based team never won the Silver Cup but, they reached the semifinals twice.
After playing 14 seasons, the franchise was defuncted in 1942. After that, the remaining six franchises continued the league until other teams joined in 1967.
How many hockey teams are in the NHL?
There are 32 hockey teams in the NHL. Seven clubs are from Canada, while the remaining 25 are from the United States.
The franchises are divided into four divisions; Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific. The last club to join the league is Seattle Kraken.
The Kraken balanced the NHL division with eight teams each. Furthermore, those divisions are parted into two conferences: Western Conference and Eastern Conference.
Teams under the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions are members of the Eastern Conference, and Central and Pacific belong to Western Conference.
For the Stanley Cup playoffs, Divison members compete against each other in the first round and collect points. A club with a maximum points qualifies to fight in the external division.
Similarly, four franchises compete in the rink in Conference Finals. For the Silver Cup Finals 2023, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights are the finalists. The playoff will start on June 3 at T-Mobile Arena.
How many Canadian teams are in the NHL?
There are 7 Canadian teams in the NHL. Montreal Canadiens is the only club from the original four, still active in the league.
Montreal Canadiens is the oldest and one of the Original Six teams of the National Hockey League. It is the only team that didn't relocate or merge with other franchises.
Likewise, starting with the first Stanley Cup in the 1915-1916 season, the Canadiens have the maximum championship title in NHL history.
Following is the checklist of NHL teams from Canada and their current details:
