History of the National Hockey League ( 1917 - 1942 ) The National Hockey League ( NHL ) was founded in 1917 following the demise of its predecessor league , the National Hockey Association ( NHA ) . In an effort to remove Eddie Livingstone as owner of the Toronto Blueshirts , a majority of the NHA franchises ( the Montreal Canadiens , Montreal Wanderers , Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs ) suspended the NHA and formed the new NHL . Quebec , while a member , did not operate in the NHL for the first two years . Instead the owners of the Toronto Arena Gardens operated a new Toronto franchise . While the NHL was intended as a temporary measure , the continuing dispute with Livingstone led to the four NHA owners meeting and making the suspension of the NHA permanent one year later . The NHL ' s first quarter - century saw the league compete against two rival major leagues , the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and Western Canada Hockey League , for players and the Stanley Cup . The NHL first expanded into the United States in 1924 with the founding of the Boston Bruins , and by 1926 consisted of ten teams in Ontario , Quebec , the Great Lakes region , and the Northeastern United States . At the same time , the NHL emerged as the only major league and the sole competitor for the Stanley Cup . The game itself continued to evolve during this time . Numerous innovations to the rules and equipment were put forward as the NHL sought to improve the flow of the game and make the sport more fan - friendly . The NHL played with six men to a side rather than the traditional seven , and was among the first leagues to allow goaltenders to leave their feet to make saves . The NHL ' s footprint spread across Canada as Foster Hewitt ' s radio broadcasts were heard coast - to - coast starting in 1933 . The Montreal Forum and Maple Leaf Gardens were built , and each played host to All - Star benefit games held to raise money to support Ace Bailey and the family of Howie Morenz in Toronto and Montreal , respectively . Both players ' careers had ended due to an on - ice incident , with Morenz eventually dying , a month after he sustained his initial injury . These early NHL All - Star games would lead to the annual All - Star games which continue today . The Great Depression and World War II reduced the league to six teams by 1942 . Founding team Ottawa , and expansion teams New York Americans , Montreal Maroons and Pittsburgh Pirates / Philadelphia Quakers passed from the scene . Expansion team Detroit Falcons declared bankruptcy in 1932 and only survived through a merger with the Chicago Shamrocks of the American Hockey League and the pockets of prosperous owner James Norris to become the Detroit Red Wings . Desperate conditions in Montreal meant that the city nearly lost both of its teams in the 1930s ; the Canadiens nearly moved to Cleveland , but survived due to its stronger fan support . The six teams left standing in 1942 ( the Boston Bruins , Chicago Black Hawks , Detroit Red Wings , Montreal Canadiens , New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs ) are known today as the " Original Six " . Background . The first attempts to regulate competitive ice hockey matches came in the late 1880s . Before then , teams competed in tournaments and infrequent challenge contests that prevailed in the Canadian sports world at the time . In 1887 , four clubs from Montreal , ( the Montreals , the Crystals , the Victorias , McGill University , as well as Ottawa HC ) formed the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada ( AHAC ) and developed a structured schedule . Lord Stanley donated the Stanley Cup and appointed Sheriff John Sweetland and Philip Dansken Ross as its trustees ; they chose to award it to the best team in the AHAC , or to any pre - approved team that won it in a challenge . Since the Cup carried an air of nobility , its prestige greatly benefited the AHAC . The coordination and regularized schedule that the AHAC brought helped commercialize amateur ice hockey , which ran against the spirit of the prevailing amateur ethic . As the importance of winning grew , AHAC clubs began recruiting players from outside , and the disparity in skill between teams of the AHAC and those of other leagues became clearer . Since team owners in the AHAC wanted to defend the Stanley Cup and maintain the organization ' s honour , and rink owners wanted senior hockey as their marquee attraction , AHAC clubs became increasingly reluctant about admitting new teams into the league and the senior series . When the relatively weak Ottawa Capitals joined in 1898 , the five original clubs withdrew from the AHAC to form the new Canadian Amateur Hockey League ( CAHL ) . In 1903 , four new teams created the Federal Amateur Hockey League ( FAHL ) , and in 1904 , the International Hockey League ( IHL ) , based around Lake Michigan , was created as the first fully professional league . In recruiting players , the IHL caused an " Athletic War " that drained amateur clubs of top players , most noticeably in the Ontario Hockey Association ( OHA ) . By the 1905 – 06 season , several of the FAHL and CAHL markets were overcrowded ; for example , Montreal had seven clubs . To solve the problem , the leagues merged into the new Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association ( ECAHA ) , which kept four of the Montreal clubs . The new league mixed paid and amateur players in its rosters , which led to the demise of the IHL . With the IHL gone , teams from Toronto , Berlin ( now Kitchener ) , Brantford , and Guelph filled the void with the Ontario Professional Hockey League ( OPHL ) . Bidding wars for players led many ECAHA teams to lose money , and before the 1907 – 08 season , the Montreal Victorias and the Montreal HC left . The ECAHA dropped " Amateur " from its name for the 1909 season , and on November 25 , it folded . Ottawa HC , Quebec HC , and the Montreal Shamrocks founded the Canadian Hockey Association ( CHA ) , and the league later admitted the Montreal Le National and All - Montreal HC . Rejected CHA applicants formed the National Hockey Association ( NHA ) . When compared to the CHA , the geographical distances between NHA teams were much greater ; however , the NHA ' s financial backers were more notable businessmen . These businessmen applied financial principles similar to those of early baseball , and the leagues quickly entered a bitter bidding war over players . In particular , after being rejected from the CHA , Renfrew aggressively pursued any players that the CHA ' s Ottawa club wanted . Montreal became a notable battleground as the NHA established two franchises , including the modern - day Montreal Canadiens . With its significantly wealthier backers , the NHA easily recruited the top players , leaving the CHA teams , except Ottawa , relatively mediocre . Ottawa regularly trounced its opponents , and league attendance and interest dropped . The CHA ' s final season lasted eight games , and the league folded in 1910 , as its Ottawa and Montreal clubs joined the NHA . Founding . In the 1916 – 17 season , the NHA was facing numerous problems . The Quebec Bulldogs were in financial difficulty , while the league ' s most popular team , the Toronto 228th Battalion , was called away to fight in World War I . Several of the league ' s team owners were growing frustrated with Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone , with whom they had been having problems since 1915 . Prior to the start of the season , the owners of the Montreal teams , Sam Lichtenhein of the Wanderers and George Kennedy of the Canadiens , threatened to drop the Blueshirts from the league over a player dispute Livingstone was having with the 228th Battalion . Livingstone was also in a dispute with the Ottawa Senators over the rights to Cy Denneny , while Kennedy and Livingstone had a mutual dislike that occasionally threatened to come to blows at league meetings . The remaining owners used the loss of the 228th Battalion as a reason to eliminate the Blueshirts on February 11 , 1917 . The Montreal teams led a motion to reduce the NHA to four teams by removing the Blueshirts , ignoring Livingstone ' s attempts to create a revamped five - team schedule . Livingstone was promised that his players would be returned to him after the season . The dispersal of the Blueshirts ' players , organized by league secretary Frank Calder , was described by the Toronto " Mail and Empire " as a " raid of the Toronto players " . At the same meeting , the league adopted a motion commanding Livingstone sell the Blueshirts by June 1 . By November 1917 , with the sale of Livingstone ' s Blueshirts still not completed , the remaining owners , realizing they were powerless under the NHA constitution to forcibly eject Livingstone , decided to suspend the NHA and form a new league without Livingstone . On November 26 , 1917 , following several meetings of the NHA owners throughout the month , the National Hockey League was created at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal . The new league was represented by Lichtenhein ' s Wanderers , Kennedy ' s Canadiens , Tommy Gorman on behalf of the Senators , and Mike Quinn of the Bulldogs . A new team in Toronto , under the control of the Toronto Arena Company , completed the five - team league . The NHL adopted the NHA ' s constitution and named Calder its first president . Quebec retained membership in the NHL , but did not operate that season , so their players were dispersed by draft among the other teams . Minutes of the first meeting . At a meeting of representatives of hockey clubs held at the Windsor Hotel , Montreal , the following present , G . W . Kendall , S . E . Lichtenhein , T . P . Gorman , M . J . Quinn and Frank Calder , it was explained by the last named that in view of the suspension of operations by the National Hockey Association of Canada Limited , he had called the meeting at the suggestion of the Quebec Hockey Club to ascertain if some steps could not be taken to perpetuate the game of hockey . Frank Calder was elected to the Chair and a discussion ensued after which it was moved by T . P . Gorman , seconded by G . W . Kendall : “ That the Canadiens , Wanderers , Ottawa and Quebec Hockey Clubs unite to comprise the National Hockey League ” . The motion was carried . It was then moved by M . J . Quinn seconded by G . W . Kendall that : “ This League agrees to operate under the rules and conditions governing the game of hockey prescribed by the National Hockey Association of Canada Limited ” . The motion was carried . At this stage , Mr . W . E . Northey , representing the Toronto Arena Company asked to be admitted to the meeting and was admitted . Mr . Northey explained that he was empowered by the interests he represented to say that in the event of a league being formed to contain four clubs , the Toronto Arenas desired to enter a team in the competition . Upon this assurance M . J . Quinn on behalf of the Quebec Hockey Club declared the latter willing to withdraw provided a suitable arrangement could be made regarding players then the property of the Quebec Hockey Club . After discussion it was unanimously agreed that the Quebec players be taken over by the league at a cost of $ 700 of which amount 50 % should be paid to the Quebec Hockey Club by the club winning the championship , 30 % by the second club and 20 % by the third club in the race . The meeting then proceeded to the election of officers . The following directors were elected S . E . Lichtenhein ( Wanderers ) , Martin Rosenthal ( Ottawa ) , G . W . Kendall ( Canadiens ) and a director to be named by the Toronto club . M . J . Quinn was elected Honorary President with power to vote on matters pertaining to the general welfare of the league . Frank Calder was elected President and Secretary - Treasurer at a salary of $ 800 on the understanding that there could be no appeal from his decisions . After a schedule of Wednesday and Saturday games was adopted the meeting was adjourned . From the Minutes of the First NHL Board of Governors Meeting , November , 1917 The NHL was intended to be a temporary league , as the owners hoped to remove Livingstone from Toronto , then return to the NHA in 1918 – 19 . Livingstone had other ideas , filing lawsuits against the new league , the owners and the players in an attempt to keep his team operating . Nonetheless , the NHL began play three weeks after it was created , with the first games held on December 19 in Ottawa and Montreal . Early years . The NHL ' s first superstar was " Phantom " Joe Malone . A two - time NHA scoring champion , Malone scored five goals for the Montreal Canadiens in a 7 – 4 victory over the Ottawa Senators on the NHL ' s opening night . Malone went on to record a league - leading 44 goals in 20 games in 1917 – 18 . He again led the NHL in scoring in 1919 – 20 , scoring 39 goals in 24 games with the Quebec Bulldogs . During that season , on January 20 , 1920 , Malone scored seven goals in one game against the Toronto St . Patricks , a record that still stands today . Malone was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950 . The first goal in NHL history was scored by Dave Ritchie of the Montreal Wanderers one minute into a 10 – 9 win over Toronto , which was the only victory the Wanderers recorded in the NHL . On January 2 , 1918 , a fire destroyed the Montreal Arena , home to both the Wanderers and the Canadiens . While the Canadiens relocated to the 3 , 000 - seat Jubilee Arena , Lichtenhein chose to withdraw the Wanderers , citing the lack of available players due to the war . The NHL continued on as a three - team league until Quebec returned to it in 1919 . In its first years , the NHL continued the NHA ' s split season format . The first - half champion Canadiens fell to the second - half champion Toronto team in the 1918 playoffs for the O ' Brien Cup by a combined score of 10 – 7 in a two - game , total goals series . The victory gave Toronto the right to face the Pacific Coast Hockey Association ' s champion , the Vancouver Millionaires , in the Stanley Cup final . The Torontos defeated Vancouver to become the first NHL team to win the Cup . The Canadiens won the NHL championship over the Senators in 1918 – 19 , and traveled west to meet the PCHA ' s champion , the Seattle Metropolitans . The series is best remembered for its cancellation with the series tied at two wins , two losses , and a tie ( 2 – 2 – 1 ) due to the Spanish flu pandemic . Several players from both teams became ill , prompting health officials in Seattle to cancel the sixth , and deciding , game . Canadiens defenceman Joe Hall died as a result of the flu on April 5 , 1919 . Meanwhile , defending champions Toronto finished in last place in both halves of the 1918 – 19 season . On February 20 , 1919 , Toronto informed the league that it was withdrawing from competition . The NHL avoided being reduced to two teams for 1919 – 20 when the team was reorganized as the Toronto St . Patricks . The Quebec Bulldogs also returned , increasing the league to four teams . The Bulldogs posted a 4 – 20 record in their one season in Quebec , despite the return of Malone , before relocating to Hamilton , Ontario to become the Hamilton Tigers in 1920 . Throughout , Livingstone continued to try to revive the NHA , convening league meetings on September 20 and December 11 , 1918 , which representatives of the Canadiens , Senators and Wanderers determined to close out the expired league for good . Competition with the WCHL . Beginning in 1921 , the NHL faced competition from a third major league , the prairie - based Western Canada Hockey League ( WCHL ) . With three leagues competing for talent , ice hockey players were among the highest - paid athletes in North America . They commanded salaries equivalent to the top Major League Baseball players of the era . The WCHL only survived for six seasons , merging with the PCHA in 1924 , but challenged the NHL for the Stanley Cup four times . In the 1923 Stanley Cup Finals , the Senators defeated the Edmonton Eskimos after eliminating the PCHA ' s Vancouver Millionaires . In 1924 , the Canadiens defeated the PCHA ' s Millionaires and the WCHL ' s Calgary Tigers on the strength of two shutouts by Georges Vezina and a strong offensive showing by rookie forward Howie Morenz . In 1924 – 25 , the Hamilton Tigers finished first in the NHL after four consecutive last - place finishes . While the Canadiens and St . Patricks prepared to play in a semi - final playoff round , the Tigers ' players , upset that the team had turned a sizable profit despite claiming financial difficulty , went on strike to demand a C $ 200 playoff bonus each . Threatened with fines , suspension and a possible lawsuit by league president Frank Calder , the players , led by Billy Burch and Shorty Green , held firm . Calder then suspended the entire team and declared Montreal the NHL champions after they defeated Toronto in the semi - final . The Canadiens faced the Victoria Cougars , then of the WCHL , in the 1925 Stanley Cup Finals . Victoria defeated Montreal three games to one in the best - of - five final . In doing so , they became the last non - NHL team to win the Stanley Cup . The WCHL ceased operations one year later , with its assets purchased by the NHL for $ 300 , 000 . The rights to the Tigers ' players , meanwhile , were purchased for $ 75 , 000 by New York mobster Bill Dwyer to stock his expansion New York Americans . The Americans began play in 1925 , replacing the Tigers . 1920s expansion . The NHL grew to six teams in 1924 , adding a second team in Montreal , the Maroons , and the first American team , the Boston Bruins . The Bruins were purchased by Charles Adams , a grocery store financier who first developed an interest in hockey during the Stanley Cup playoffs , paying $ 15 , 000 for the team . The Maroons were created to replace the Wanderers and to appeal to the English population of Montreal . The first NHL game played in the United States was a 2 – 1 Bruins victory over the Maroons at the Boston Arena on December 1 , 1924 . The Montreal Forum , which in later decades became synonymous with the Canadiens , was built in 1924 to house the Maroons . The Canadiens did not move into the Forum until two years later . The Forum hosted its first Stanley Cup final in its second year , as the Maroons defeated the WCHL ' s Victoria Cougars in the 1926 Stanley Cup Finals , the last time a non - NHL team competed for the Cup . The New York Americans began play in 1925 along with the NHL ' s third American - based team , the Pittsburgh Pirates . Three more teams were added for the 1926 – 27 season . Tex Rickard , operator of Madison Square Garden , had reluctantly allowed the Americans into his arena the year before . However , the Americans were so popular in New York he felt his arena could support a second team . As a result , the New York Rangers were granted to Rickard on May 15 , 1926 . In November of that year , the league announced that the cities of Detroit , Michigan and Chicago , Illinois would get teams . Detroit purchased the assets of the Victoria Cougars to stock the expansion Detroit Cougars . The players of the Portland Rosebuds were sold to coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin for his new Chicago Black Hawks team . The three new franchises brought the NHL to ten teams . The Rangers reached the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals , in just their second season , against the Maroons . Lorne Chabot was injured early in the second game of the series , leaving the Rangers without a goaltender . As the Maroons were unwilling to allow the Rangers to substitute a goaltender watching from the Montreal Forum stands , Rangers coach Lester Patrick was forced into goal himself . A defenceman during his playing days , the 44 - year - old Patrick allowed only one goal on 19 shots as the Rangers won the game in overtime , 2 – 1 . The Rangers signed New York Americans goaltender Joe Miller the next day , and went on to capture the Stanley Cup in five games . Conn Smythe and the Toronto Maple Leafs . Livingstone ' s court battles . Throughout the NHL ' s first decade , Eddie Livingstone continued to press his claim to the Toronto franchise in court . On October 18 , 1923 , the Supreme Court of Ontario awarded Livingstone $ 100 , 000 in damages . St . Patricks owner Charlie Querrie made numerous attempts to prevent Livingstone from collecting on his awards . In 1923 , he transferred the ownership of his team to his wife , Ida , making her the first female owner in ice hockey history . The $ 100 , 000 award was later reduced , causing Livingstone to appeal to the highest court in the British Empire , the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London , England ; the court denied his claim . Despite the reduced awards , the Querries found the pressures of meeting their obligations to Livingstone too great and , as a result , placed the St . Patricks up for sale in 1927 . On February 14 , 1927 , the St . Patricks were sold to a group represented by Conn Smythe for $ 160 , 000 despite a potentially greater offer from a Philadelphia - based group . Among the first moves Smythe made was to rename his team the Toronto Maple Leafs . When Smythe bought the Leafs , he promised that the team would win the Stanley Cup within five years . To that end , Smythe wanted to bring in a star player to help his team . In 1930 , with the Senators struggling financially due to the Great Depression , they put King Clancy up for sale . Smythe ' s partners could only offer $ 25 , 000 for Ottawa ' s defensive star , one - half of Ottawa ' s asking price . In an attempt to raise money , Smythe entered a thoroughbred racing horse he owned , Rare Jewel , in the Coronation Futurity Stakes at odds of 106 – 1 . Rare Jewel won the race , earning Smythe over $ 15 , 000 . Smythe then acquired Clancy for $ 35 , 000 and two players worth $ 15 , 000 , which was an unprecedented price to pay for one player . It was also the only race Rare Jewel ever won . " Smythe ' s Folly " . Smythe also envisioned building a new shrine for his team . He described it as " a place where people can go in evening clothes , if they want to come there for a party or dinner . . . a place that people can be proud to bring their wives or girlfriends to " . Smythe purchased a piece of land at the corner of Church and Carlton Street s from the Eaton ' s department store chain for $ 350 , 000 . Skeptics argued that Smythe would never get the arena built , nor fill it , as the Depression was in full swing . They referred to the arena plan as " Smythe ' s Folly " . To help fund the arena , the Leafs convinced construction workers to accept 20 % of their wages in shares in the arena . Just 4½ months after breaking ground , Maple Leaf Gardens opened on November 12 , 1931 . Many in the sold - out crowd of over 13 , 000 wore evening clothes in response to Smythe ' s stated goal in building the arena . In 1932 , five years after Smythe ' s promise , the Leafs won the Stanley Cup in three games over the Rangers . Maple Leaf Gardens also featured the famous " gondola " , a broadcast booth specially constructed for Foster Hewitt . Hewitt began broadcasting hockey games in 1923 on CFCA , a radio station owned by his father , W . A . Hewitt . It was an assignment he initially did not want . Smythe supported the broadcast of Leafs games in contrast of other team owners , who feared that airing games on the radio would cut into gate receipts . By 1931 , Hewitt had established himself as the voice of hockey in Canada with his famous catch - phrase : " " he shoots , he scores ! " " On January 1 , 1933 , Leafs ' broadcasts were first heard across Canada on 20 stations of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission ( today the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ) . Hewitt ' s broadcasts quickly attracted audiences of over one million listeners . The broadcasts became the precursor to Hockey Night in Canada , a Saturday night tradition that continues today . Ace Bailey benefit game . On December 13 , 1933 , Bruins defenceman Eddie Shore , in a daze following what he thought was a check by Toronto ' s Ace Bailey , charged the latter player from behind , flipping Bailey into the air and causing him to suffer a severe skull fracture after he landed on his head . The check was so vicious that Bailey was given the last rites before being transported to the hospital in Boston . Neurosurgeons operated throughout the night to save his life ; however , Bailey ' s prognosis was so grim that morning papers printed his death notice . Bailey survived , but he never played professionally again . Shore ultimately served a 16 - game suspension for the hit , and avoided being charged with manslaughter had Bailey died . To raise money for Bailey ' s recovery , Maple Leaf Gardens hosted the Ace Bailey All - Star Benefit Game on February 14 , 1934 . The Maple Leafs defeated an all - star team of players from the rest of the league 7 – 3 while raising over $ 20 , 000 . Prior to the game , the Leafs announced that no Toronto player would ever wear Bailey ' s # 6 again , marking the first time in NHL history that a team retired a player ' s jersey number . Before the game , each player came out and shook Bailey ' s hand as they received their all - star jersey . The last player to do so was Eddie Shore . The crowd , which had fallen silent as Shore approached , erupted into loud cheering as Bailey extended his hand towards his attacker . Elmer Ferguson described the moment as " the most completely dramatic event I ever saw in hockey " . Great Depression . While Smythe was building Maple Leaf Gardens , several other teams were facing financial difficulty . At the end of the 1929 – 30 season , the Pittsburgh Pirates were $ 400 , 000 in debt and relocated to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania to become the Philadelphia Quakers . The Quakers lasted only one season before suspending operations in 1931 , along with the Ottawa Senators . The Quakers never returned , but Ottawa resumed operations in 1932 – 33 . The Senators continued to struggle , and despite a promise by Calder in 1934 that the Senators would never leave " hockey ' s birthplace of Canada " , the team was nonetheless transferred south to become the St . Louis Eagles . The Eagles played only one year in St . Louis before asking for permission to suspend operations . The league refused , and instead bought and dissolved the team . The Eagles ' players were dispersed amongst the remaining teams . It was announced that the NHL would be an eight - team league in 1935 – 36 . That summer , the Canadiens ' franchise was for sale , after posting losses of $ 60 , 000 over the previous two seasons . Over forty thousand families and 150 , 000 individuals were receiving social assistance in Montreal . Owners Leo Dandurand and Joseph Cattarinich held negotiations with A . C . Sutphin to sell the club and move it to Cleveland . Just before the season , a syndicate of local Montreal businessmen , led by Maurice Forget and Ernest Savard , stepped forward to buy the club and prevent the transfer . Howie Morenz . At the same time , the league reduced its salary cap to $ 62 , 500 per team , and $ 7 , 000 per player . Several well - paid star players were traded as teams attempted to fit under the cap . The biggest name was Montreal ' s Howie Morenz , a three - time Hart Trophy winner , two - time scoring leader and the face of the Canadiens organization . Drawing only 2 , 000 fans per game in an arena that held 10 , 000 , Canadiens owner Leo Dandurand sent his star to the Black Hawks . The Montreal fans voiced their opinion of the deal by giving Morenz a standing ovation when he scored against the Canadiens on the last day of the 1935 season . Less than two seasons later , Morenz was traded back to Montreal after a brief time playing for the Rangers . On January 28 , 1937 , Morenz ' s skate caught on the ice while he was being checked by Chicago ' s Earl Seibert , suffering a broken leg in four places . On March 8 , Morenz died of a coronary embolism . Morenz ' s teammate , Aurel Joliat , had a different explanation of his death : " Howie loved to play hockey more than anyone ever loved anything , and when he realized that he would never play again , he couldn ' t live with it . I think Howie died of a broken heart . " On the day of his funeral , 50 , 000 people filed past Morenz ' s casket at centre ice of the Montreal Forum to pay their last respects to the man the media called " the Babe Ruth of hockey " . A benefit game held in November 1937 raised $ 20 , 000 for Morenz ' s family as the NHL All - Stars defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6 – 5 . Morenz was one of the first players elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame when it was created in 1945 . Chicago ' s " All - American " team . In the mid - 1930s , Black Hawks owner and staunch American patriot Frederic McLaughlin commanded his general manager to compile a team of only American players . At the time , Taffy Abel was the only American - born player who was a regular player in the league . The Black Hawks hired Major League Baseball umpire Bill Stewart to be the first American coach in NHL history . They were led in goal by Minnesotan Mike Karakas , one of eight Americans on the 14 - man roster . The 1937 – 38 Black Hawks " All - American " team won only 14 of 48 games , finishing third in the American division . In the playoffs , however , the Hawks upset the Canadiens and the Americans to reach the Stanley Cup Final against the heavily favoured Maple Leafs . In the first game of the final , the Hawks were forced to use minor - league goaltender Alfie Moore after Karakas suffered a broken toe . Moore led the Hawks to a 3 – 1 victory before being ruled ineligible to play the rest of the series by the NHL . After Chicago lost game two , Karakas returned wearing a steel - toed boot and led the Hawks to victories in games three and four , and the Stanley Cup . The 1938 Black Hawks remain the only team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup despite a losing regular - season record . Six - team league . In the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals , the heavily favoured Maple Leafs initially found themselves unable to counter the fifth - place Red Wings ' strategy of firing the puck into the offensive zone then chasing after it , losing the first three games of the final as a result . Jack Adams ' " dump - and - chase " tactic led Leafs goaltender Turk Broda to declare the Wings " unbeatable " . Toronto rebounded , however , winning the final four games , and the Stanley Cup . The 1942 Leafs remain the only team in NHL history to come back from a 3 – 0 deficit to win a championship series . In financial difficulty , and unable to compete with the Canadiens for fan support in Montreal , the Maroons suspended operations prior to the 1938 – 39 season after being denied permission to relocate to St . Louis . Six Maroons players were transferred to the Canadiens while three were sold to the Black Hawks . The Americans , also struggling in New York and under the control of the league , were turned over to Red Dutton in 1940 with orders to improve the club ' s finances . By 1942 , 90 players had left the NHL for active duty during World War II . Continuing to struggle financially , and due to a lack of players , the Americans were suspended prior to the 1942 – 43 season . Thus began what became known as the " Original Six " era of the National Hockey League . Rules and innovations . The 1920s saw numerous rule innovations as the sport evolved . The Ottawa Senators won three Stanley Cups in the early 1920s using strong defence , and the goaltending of Clint Benedict , who recorded a record five shutout s in a 24 - game season in 1921 . The Senators employed a strategy where they kept both defencemen and a forward in their own zone at all times after they gained a lead . After the Senators ' third championship in 1924 , Frank Calder made it illegal for more than two players to be in their defensive zone if the puck was not . Defence continued to dominate the game , however , as in 1928 – 29 , the league averaged less than three goals per game . Canadiens goaltender George Hainsworth set what remains a league record with 22 shutouts in only 44 games . As a result , the league allowed the use of the forward pass in all zones beginning in 1929 . Previously , forward passing was allowed only in the defensive and neutral zones . The change saw offence rise to 6 . 9 goals per game over the first third of the season as players began to park themselves on their opponent ' s goal crease . The league responded by introducing the offside rule early in the 1929 – 30 season , barring offensive players from entering their opponent ' s zone before the puck . Despite this , Cooney Weiland , Dit Clapper and Howie Morenz all broke the 40 - goal mark , the first players to do so since Joe Malone scored 44 in the NHL ' s first season . Boston Bruins governor , Charles Adams had long disliked the defensive tactic of shooting the puck the length of the ice ( " icing " ) to relieve pressure . After the New York Americans iced the puck 61 times in a 3 – 2 win in Boston during the 1936 – 37 season , Adams promised that he would see to it that the Bruins played a similar style in New York . True to his word , the Bruins iced the puck 87 times in a 0 – 0 tie at Madison Square Garden . The NHL introduced the icing rule the following season , calling for a faceoff in the offending team ' s defensive zone after each infraction . Benedict became the first goaltender to wear facial protection during a game , as he donned a leather mask to protect a broken nose on January 20 , 1930 . The mask obscured Benedict ' s vision , and he abandoned it shortly after . Later that season , Benedict was again hit by a puck , effectively ending his NHL career . It was not the first attempt at changing how goaltenders played their position . When the NHL was formed , the league abandoned the rule forbidding goaltenders from leaving their feet to make a save . While the NHA imposed a $ 2 fine every time a goalie left his feet , Calder dismissed the idea for the NHL . He was quoted as saying : " as far as I ' m concerned , they can stand on their head if they choose to " . The phrase became , and remains today , a popular way to describe a goaltender who plays a great game . Art Ross was an early innovator of the game . He designed rounded goal nets that became the league standard , replacing the old square - backed nets . He also successfully argued for using synthetic rubber pucks rather than real rubber . Some of Ross ' inventions did not catch on , however . Ross invented a puck with rounded edges that was rejected after goaltenders complained about their erratic behaviour on the ice . He also created a two - piece hockey stick that had a metal shaft and replaceable wooden blades . The idea did not catch on at the time , but was a forerunner to modern composite sticks used today . Timeline . " Notes "