History of the National Hockey League (1967–1992)

The expansion era of the National Hockey League began in 1967. The Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues began play in the 1967–68 season. The NHL added another six teams by 1974 to bring the league to 18 teams. This was the highest scoring period in NHL history, led by the Edmonton Oilers and Wayne Gretzky, who scored 200 points or more four times.

About History of the National Hockey League (1967–1992) in brief

The expansion era of the National Hockey League began in 1967. The Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues began play in the 1967–68 season. They formed the newly created West Division, and the existing teams were grouped into the East Division. The NHL added another six teams by 1974 to bring the league to 18 teams. This continued expansion was partially brought about by the creation of the World Hockey Association, which operated from 1972 until 1979. The fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 saw many former Soviet-Bloc players stream into the NHL, joining several players who had defected in the 1980s. This was the highest scoring period in NHL history, led by the Edmonton Oilers and Wayne Gretzky, who scored 200 points or more four times, including a current league-record 215 in 1985–86. The playoff format was constructed so that an established team would face an expansion team in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl was created in honour of league president Clarence Campbell, and was awarded to the West Division champion. In their inaugural season, the Flyers finished atop the West division, recording 73 points in 74 games. The California Seals reached the finals in both 1969 and 1970, but were both swept by the expansion team. The Blues defeated the Flyers and the North Stars to become the first expansion team to play for theStanley Cup, where they were defeated in four consecutive games by the Montreal Canadiens. The Kings bought the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League the night before the expansion draft, leading the Flyers to purchase the Quebec Aces.

Some teams created instant farm systems by buying existing minor league franchises. The old system, in which franchises sponsored junior teams and players was abandoned by 1969 when all junior-aged players were made eligible for the entry draft, was later abandoned by the NHL. The expansion draft was held following the 1968 and 1969 seasons to help accelerate the improvement of the expansion teams. The new teams selected 20 players from the existing franchises. Each team protected two goaltenders and fourteen skaters, leaving their remaining players open to be selected by any other team. The NHL became involved in international play, starting with the Summit Series in 1972, which pitted the top Canadian players against the top players of the Soviet Union. This led to the success of the Canada Cup, held five times between 1976 and 1991. NHL teams also faced Soviet League teams that toured North America between 1975 and 1991 in what was known as the Super Series. This brought the NHL to 21 teams, a figure that remained constant until the San Jose Sharks joined as an expansion franchise in 1991. It was also the first time that the NHL had more than one team in a single division, with the New York Rangers having two teams in the East and Pittsburgh Penguins having two. The league’s first expansion draft took place in 1966, with each team protecting 11 players to start the season. In 1969, the California Seal, a pre-season favourite to win the division, changed their name to the Seals.

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