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Before the National Hockey League became a popular sport it has become today, the game had been played all over Canada without an official name, being referred to as Wicket, Hurley or Ricket that was played on the streets. As the game evolved and became a part of mainstream Canadian culture, hockey spread to Quebec, to Kingston, to Ontario, to Toronto and across Winnipeg, Victoria and British Columbia from 1875 to 1890.
Although the popularity of the Canadian sport spread coast-to-coast across Canada, the first professional league created in 1904 was in the United States. Under the name International Pro Hockey League, the sports became official, but folded quickly three years later. Two other leagues emerged – the National Hockey Association and the Pacific Coast League. To decide which league gets the Lord Stanley cup, the two decided to participate in a transcontinental championship series in 1914, but was canceled due to World War I. All existing hockey leagues vanished, but once the war was over, a new league known as the National Hockey League emerged with five franchises and played its very first game in December of 1917.
Since the birth of the NHL, the league has produced 48 franchises, with Montreal Canadiens leading the all-time best record and followed by Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Quebec Bulldogs. Last season, the Detroit Red Wings grabbed their 11th Stanley Cup, making them the third team with the most Stanley Cups won, Montreal Canadians with 24 Cups and Toronto Maple with 14. Who will win the Stanley Cup this season? Get your NHL tickets early and experience the heat as the teams battle it out on ice.
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