National Hockey League National Historic Event

The National Hockey League (NHL) was designated as a national historic event in 2017.

Historical importance: established in 1917 as an all-Canadian men’s professional hockey league, it was by the 1930s the dominant hockey league in North America.

Commemorative plaque: 1170 Peel Street, Montréal, Quebec^{Footnote 1}

The National Hockey League

Founded here in November 1917, the NHL holds a special place in Canadians’ hearts. After expanding to the United States in 1924 and gaining exclusive access to the prestigious Stanley Cup in 1927, it became the world’s predominant hockey league, growing in popularity through radio and television broadcasts and captivating generations of fans with the speed and skill of the game. The NHL’s top players have been recognized as national icons and international superstars, while its champion teams have set high standards of excellence, inspiring people of all ages to participate in and enjoy Canada’s national winter sport.

The National Hockey League

The National Hockey League (NHL) was formed in November 1917 as a Canadian men’s professional hockey league, a new venture that would soon change the world of hockey. After expanding to the United States in 1924 and gaining exclusive access to the prestigious Stanley Cup in 1927, it became the world’s predominant hockey league. Through national radio and television broadcasts starting in the mid-1920s and 1950s respectively, the NHL intensified the popularity of Canada’s winter sport as a source of entertainment, notably during annual playoffs, and provided a platform for Canadian athletes to become national icons and international superstars.

For almost a century, the NHL has held a special place in the hearts of Canadians. It emerged out of a Canadian passion for hockey that manifested itself through many community- and university-based, men’s and women’s amateur and professional leagues and teams. During the 1910s, professional hockey was experiencing a boom and the National Hockey League was formed in Montréal at this time by four of the five franchise owners of the National Hockey Association (created in 1910) – the Montréal Canadiens, the Montréal Wanderers, the Ottawa Senators, and the Quebec Bulldogs – and were soon joined by the Toronto Arenas (renamed the St. Patricks, and then the Maple Leafs). Most of these teams had their origins in the senior men’s hockey amateur circuit.

By 1926, all other professional leagues had disbanded and the coveted Stanley Cup became the exclusive trophy for the NHL. The league underwent two major periods of expansion into the United States, first in the 1920s and then in the 1960s. By the end of the Second World War, it had fully established its role as the main governing sports organization for all of North American hockey. Through agreements with the various minor leagues and the leading amateur men’s league (the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association), the NHL established a network of farm teams that would allow it to control the player market and ensure a steady supply of qualified players for its clubs. Furthermore, NHL officials and players were instrumental in the development of the sport through innovations in rules, hockey equipment, and playing styles that made the game both more exciting for fans and safer for players.

The league successfully popularized hockey in North America. It partnered with the media, beginning with newspapers, moving to radio during the mid-1920s, and then television during the 1950s. From the radio and television alliances emerged an enduring Canadian Saturday night ritual, “Hockey Night in Canada.” The league’s champion teams have set high standards of excellence, inspiring people of all ages to participate in and enjoy Canada’s national winter sport.

“Today, in the presence of some of our greatest legends and executives; in Montreal – the home city of some of our greatest memories; in a moment no one could have imagined 100 years ago, the National Hockey League proudly joins the Government of Canada in honoring our magnificent history and celebrating Le Windsor as the place of our birth on Nov. 26, 1917.”

Backgrounder last update: 2017-10-30

Related links

• National historic designations
• National historic persons
• National historic sites designations
• National historic events
• Submit a nomination
• Breaking Racial Barriers in the National Hockey League National Historic Event
• Toronto Maple Leafs National Historic Event
• The Stanley Cup National Historic Event
• This Week in History