Expanding the NHL: 1967

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This article was originally posted on the the4thlinepodcast.com.

For a quarter of a century, the NHL was a six team league. As the 1960s rumbled on, the NHL and the ‘original six’ teams decided (or relented, depending on how you look at it) that it was time to expand. Next year the NHL expands again as the Las Vegas
Desert,
Black,
Silver, Something Knights will join, the first expansion team in 16 years. So, ahead of that, we’ll be taking a look at the teams that have joined the league over the years.
With the addition of the six new teams, the league was split into the East and West divisions. The East consisted of the ‘original six’, the West of the expansion teams.

California Seals

The NHL’s expansion into California gave access to two of America’s more populous cities. The California Seals made the move from the Western Hockey League as part of the expansion. This in itself was a bad decision, one of many that would beset the Seals...

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