Original 6

Feisty: I can’t believe that 3 of the Original 6 NHL teams didn’t make the playoffs this year.

Dave: What do you mean, ‘Original 6’?

Feisty: You know, the 6 teams that started in the NHL; The Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Red Wings, Bruins, Rangers, and Blackhawks.

Dave: There’s nothing original about those teams. The first NHL season began in 1917 with 4 Teams – The Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Arenas, the Ottawa Senators, and the Montreal Wanderers. Why not call them the Original 4?

Feisty: Well, unlike some of the teams you mention, all of the ‘Original 6’ teams are still playing today, so it’s like the ‘Original-6-teams-that-are-still-playing.’

Dave: The Canadians are still playing today, the Senators are back, and the Toronto Arenas became the Maple leafs. So why not call these teams the Original 3?

Feisty: What happened to the Montreal Wanderers?

Dave: Their Arena burnt down.

Feisty: Sorry to hear. Not much of league with only 3 teams. 6 is a more substantial number.

Dave: In 1931 the NHL was up to 10 teams, then downsized to 6 because of World War II. Why not refer to those teams as the ‘Original 10’?

Feisty: Those 6 teams in 1942 stood for 25 years before the league expanded in ’67. Most of us don’t remember much of what happened before that. Not much video around from 1917.

Dave: So we should ignore history and turn our backs on our Canadian Heritage? The phrase ‘Original 6’ was coined by American hockey broadcasters who couldn’t admit that anything good could originate in Canada without any American Teams. The Original 4 NHL teams were all Canadian.

(Dave takes a big gulp, and continues …)

Dave: It’s like saying Bertuzzi was an ‘Original’ Canuck when he came here in 97’, 27 years after the Canucks franchise originated.

Feisty: I’ve got an ‘Original’ Bertuzzi Canuck Jersey for sale…

Dave: Good luck with that. Another Beer?

Feisty: Sure!