The Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadians, and Toronto Maple Leafs make up the National Hockey League's Original Six. It's a bit of a misnomer, in that they weren't the league's first six franchises, but they were the six that managed to remain in the league while others, like the Montreal Wanderers, Toronto Arenas, and the original incarnation of the Ottawa Senators, had to close up shop (via The Hockey Writers). From the early 1940s to the late 1960s, these were the NHL's only franchises. According to Pro Stock Hockey, in 1967, the league doubled with the addition of the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars, and California Seals.

The NHL was growing, but at a snail's pace. The next round of expansion came in 1970, with the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks entering the league, followed in 1972 by the New York Islanders, and the league's first foray into the American south with the Atlanta Flames. There were still a lot of markets out there that seemed like fertile ground for professional hockey, and the WHA's founders — an attorney from California named Gary Davidson and promoter Dennis Murphy, per Hockey Central — hoped to exploit that.

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