"Original Six"

[Robert]

Just asking:

What is it with the National Hockey Leagues obsession with the original six 1917 teams: Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York ….? Even in 2016 major networks continue to sell TV NHL games based on original six names???? Why is that??

Major League Baseball is the oldest of the four major sports in both the United States and Canada starting in 1903 and few if any know who their original six were, the National Basketball Association started in 1946 and few if any know who their original six were and the National Football League started in 1920 and few if any know who their original six were????

Why is it so important to the North American world of sport that we are reminded every year who the original six NHL teams were???

 

[Muggs]

Just asking:

What is it with the National Hockey Leagues obsession with the original six 1917 teams: Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York ….? Even in 2016 major networks continue to sell TV NHL games based on original six names???? Why is that??

Major League Baseball is the oldest of the four major sports in both the United States and Canada starting in 1903 and few if any know who their original six were, the National Basketball Association started in 1946 and few if any know who their original six were and the National Football League started in 1920 and few if any know who their original six were????

Why is it so important to the North American world of sport that we are reminded every year who the original six NHL teams were???

Money. Historical rivalries with (generally) bigger fan bases and a built-in generational antagonism. Kinda sells itself, even if both teams aren't at their peak. Bears-Packers, Yankees-Red Sox, Leafs-Habs, Lakers-Celtics, etc.

On top of that, hockey (sadly) is fourth on the totem pole of the 4 major sports in NA, so playing up the "Original 6" is probably in their best interest from a business standpoint considering hockey is considered the most regional sport of the major 4. My guess anyway.

 

[Robert]

Money. Historical rivalries with (generally) bigger fan bases and a built-in generational antagonism. Kinda sells itself, even if both teams aren't at their peak. Bears-Packers, Yankees-Red Sox, Leafs-Habs, Lakers-Celtics, etc.

On top of that, hockey (sadly) is fourth on the totem pole of the 4 major sports in NA, so playing up the "Original 6" is probably in their best interest from a business standpoint considering hockey is considered the most regional sport of the major 4. My guess anyway.

Good start..... Thank you... I'm a Bills fan and wish the world would talk about the original 8 in the AFL...

 

[saskriders]

The original 6 weren't even the original 6


The first season had:

Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Arenas (there was some ownership related issues and apparently it is debated as to whether or not they became the St. Pats and later Leafs or if that was another team)
Ottawa Senators (the modern team claims to have a certificate of reinstatement and somewhat recognizes their history)
Montreal Wanderers (who folded very early in the season after their building burnt down)

Keith Olberman has a good piece you can find on Youtube.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Just asking:

What is it with the National Hockey Leagues obsession with the original six 1917 teams: Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York ….? Even in 2016 major networks continue to sell TV NHL games based on original six names???? Why is that??

Major League Baseball is the oldest of the four major sports in both the United States and Canada starting in 1903 and few if any know who their original six were, the National Basketball Association started in 1946 and few if any know who their original six were and the National Football League started in 1920 and few if any know who their original six were????

Why is it so important to the North American world of sport that we are reminded every year who the original six NHL teams were???

Because we need to be reminded they were the original four; Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Toronto Arenas/St. Pats, Ottawa Senators; who were joined by the Quebec Bulldogs/Hamilton Tigers a and then later the Boston Bruins and Montreal Maroons, which makes 7, but only 6 as the Wanderers were gone?

 

[Robert]

Because we need to be reminded they were the original four; Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Toronto Arenas/St. Pats, Ottawa Senators; who were joined by the Quebec Bulldogs/Hamilton Tigers a and then later the Boston Bruins and Montreal Maroons, which makes 7, but only 6 as the Wanderers were gone?

Getting to the DNA.....

You say: Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec are the original NHL teams?.... All from Canada???

 

[The Panther]

Getting to the DNA.....

You say: Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec are the original NHL teams?.... All from Canada???

Yes. The 'National' in NHL meant Canada.

 

[Sprague Cleghorn]

The Original Six term is so dumb since only two of those teams were playing in the NHL's first season.

 

[Fenway]

Keith Olbermann has the best essay ever on this 2 years ago.

The 6 teams should be 'The Surviving Six'.

 

[ICM1970]

People also tend to forget the New York/Brooklyn Americans franchise. Started out as the Quebec Bulldogs in 1917, then went to Hamilton in 1921, and then New York in 1925. The NHL did not have the "surviving six" until the Americans were mothballed in 1942 (later ultimately cancelled by 1945) due to World War II's call ups among the players for military service.

 

[bobholly39]

It took some 50 years or so until the league went up from 6 teams and started to expand right?

How does that compare to other sports? Maybe that's a reason if so.

 

[Johnny Engine]

It took some 50 years or so until the league went up from 6 teams and started to expand right?

How does that compare to other sports? Maybe that's a reason if so.

25 years, really. The NHL expanded and contracted at various times before 1942, so you really have to start counting from there.

Major League Baseball, on the other hand, stayed at 16 teams from 1903 to 1961, with no relocations from 1903 to 1952. That's a much longer period of stability than the NHL, although it's easier to celebrate 6 clubs that have all lasted to this date, than 9 clubs out of 16 in baseball.

 

[kaiser matias]

It took some 50 years or so until the league went up from 6 teams and started to expand right?

How does that compare to other sports? Maybe that's a reason if so.

The NHL had up to 10 teams in the 1920s, before the Great Depression saw them drop slowly down to six.

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

Money. Historical rivalries with (generally) bigger fan bases and a built-in generational antagonism. Kinda sells itself, even if both teams aren't at their peak. Bears-Packers, Yankees-Red Sox, Leafs-Habs, Lakers-Celtics, etc.

On top of that, hockey (sadly) is fourth on the totem pole of the 4 major sports in NA, so playing up the "Original 6" is probably in their best interest from a business standpoint considering hockey is considered the most regional sport of the major 4. My guess anyway.

All this is true all of the time, but the extra variable that puts everything into overdrive is that all things retro are in, so it's easy to exploit the nostalgia and anemoia to get into their wallets.

 

[Charlestown Chiefs]

No disrespect intended to anyone, but why does the use of the term bother people so much? From a non-marketing prospective, it merely identifies the six current NHL teams that existed before the other 24 current NHL teams. Those six franchises have a heritage that the other 24 do not. That's a fact. But five of the others are now 50 years old themselves and have some pretty cool histories of their own, which is special. But it doesn't take away from the fact that the "surviving six" have been around much longer than anybody else. It is what it is.

 

[MXD]

No disrespect intended to anyone, but why does the use of the term bother people so much? From a non-marketing prospective, it merely identifies the six current NHL teams that existed before the other 24 current NHL teams. Those six franchises have a heritage that the other 24 do not. That's a fact. But five of the others are now 50 years old themselves and have some pretty cool histories of their own, which is special. But it doesn't take away from the fact that the "surviving six" have been around much longer than anybody else. It is what it is.

... Original-6 also obfuscate the fact that one team (or, more like, one team and 3/4 have been there for longer than the other four.

 

[Inkling]

The term made a lot more sense if you were sitting in, say, 1970 or so with a 12 team league. You had the six expansion teams and then the six teams that were around before expansion, which were the original six (existing before expansion).

The further we get from 1967, the less the term makes sense because people think of 'original' as being from 1917, and there have been multiple rounds of expansion and most of your fan base was not even born then and pre-expansion is ancient history in the life of the NHL. Expansion is no longer a singular event which would make the term 'original' make some sense.

 

[ICM1970]

It would have been an interesting twist on all of this to have had the New York Americans franchise brought back following the end of World War II (as per the original idea in 1942) and apparently there was someone in Philadelphia at the time (1945) who wanted to buy the folded Montreal Maroons franchise and revive it in that city. Original Eight, eh?

 

[Moose Head]

Hmmm, if the Americans had survived I'd likely be a fan of theirs. My dad was a huge Rangers fan, and one of the reasons I became a Habs fan was to annoy him, lol. He took me to a Rangers/Habs game at the old msg, and Beliveau instantly became my favourite. But ya gotta think, if the Americans were still around and me being a New Yorker originally....

 

[Killion]

It would have been an interesting twist on all of this to have had the New York Americans franchise brought back following the end of World War II (as per the original idea in 1942) and apparently there was someone in Philadelphia at the time (1945) who wanted to buy the folded Montreal Maroons franchise and revive it in that city. Original Eight, eh?

... yes, and Cleveland actually rejected an "invitation to join" just after WW2 & then later on in the 50's were awarded a "conditional franchise", actually announced to the press by Clarence Campbell however thereafter; went all sideways with the "official story" being that the NHL "wasnt happy with their financing" (unofficially dumped for far more hypocritical & petty, self interested reasons).... As for the Americans, the NHL reneged on their promises to Red Dutton who took over as President of the NHL following the sudden death of Frank Calder in 1943, Dutton serving until 46. He'd been a player (Defenceman), Coach/GM then owner of the Americans, Amerks suspending play in 1942 with the promise that post war & with a new building, could rejoin play. At anyrate, NHL gave him the Royal Shafting, Dutton gave back in spades in tearing into each & every one of them at the Board of Governors Meeting when told the Americans were to be permanently rendered extinct... thought the Rangers were the ones most responsible for the skullduggery and in walking out of the room "cursed" the club, that "the NY Rangers will never win a Cup again in my Lifetime" Known as "Duttons Curse". For realsy. For as we know, Rangers never did win the Cup during the remainder of his life. Some pretty serious kinda voodoo hex huh? Dutton, big time mojo goin on. Dont mess with Big Red.... Sadly, he walked away from the game, returned to Canada, Calgary, built a decent sized construction empire & was active with sport, football etc.

 

[Robert]

Lots of great history here.....

One thing for sure, the "original six" are remembered and almost a badge of honor to be one... Thank you folks..

 

[SealsFan]

Hmmm, if the Americans had survived I'd likely be a fan of theirs. My dad was a huge Rangers fan, and one of the reasons I became a Habs fan was to annoy him, lol. He took me to a Rangers/Habs game at the old msg, and Beliveau instantly became my favourite. But ya gotta think, if the Americans were still around and me being a New Yorker originally....

Oh heck, if the Amerks were still around, I'd have been a fan as a kid just based on those killer jerseys alone (provided they kept that look).

The term Original Six hasn't bothered me, even though I know it's not factually correct. In the 20's and 30's there were as many as 8, 9 or 10 teams in a season. Early expansion and dilution of talent!

 

[ICM1970]

"Oh heck, if the Amerks were still around, I'd have been a fan as a kid just based on those killer jerseys alone (provided they kept that look)."

I have the Brooklyn 1942 sweater that I wear skating on the Rideau Canal here in Ottawa (complete with Red Ensign and US flags not shown in image here)

 

[Killion]

"Oh heck, if the Amerks were still around, I'd have been a fan as a kid just based on those killer jerseys alone (provided they kept that look)."

I have the Brooklyn 1942 sweater that I wear skating on the Rideau Canal here in Ottawa (complete with Red Ensign and US flags not shown in image here)

... well now that warms my heart. never forgiven Lester B. Pearson & the Liberals for foisting that new flag on Canada.... have never flown it at the cottage, never used on any of the boats... Red Ensign or die Sir!.. that is Canadas' flag.

 

[MaxV]

I'll agree about MLB and NBA, but I disagree about NFL.

Original teams in NFL are a big deal.

Packers-Bears is a prime time game very often, even when 1 or both stink. And Lions get a Thanksgiving game every year.