NHL FRANCHISE HISTORY

The youngest NHL franchise. Relocated from Arizona in 2024, originally branded as the Utah Hockey Club. The "Mammoth" identity was adopted in 2025-26. The franchise is the direct successor of the original Winnipeg Jets (1972-1996).

Relocated from Hartford, Connecticut in 1997. The Whalers identity lives on in Hartford's branding; the franchise brought its full history (including WHA years) to North Carolina.

Relocated from Quebec City in 1995. Won the Stanley Cup the very next season (1996). The franchise retains all Quebec Nordiques history.

Relocated from Bloomington, Minnesota in 1993. The franchise brought 26 years of North Stars history with it, including two Presidents' Trophies.

Not the relocated Jets from 1996 — the current Winnipeg Jets are the former Atlanta Thrashers, who moved to Manitoba in 2011.

Relocated from Atlanta in 1980. The Flames brought their full history — and the 1989 Stanley Cup — to Calgary.

Two relocations in eight years: Kansas City to Colorado (1976) to New Jersey (1982). The franchise traces its history all the way back to 1974.

Formerly the New York Americans (1925-1941), the Brooklyn Americans were the third NHL team in New York City. Folded after the 1941-42 season due to wartime travel restrictions and financial pressure.

Founded as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993 by The Walt Disney Company, the franchise dropped the "Mighty" prefix in 2006 and has been the Anaheim Ducks ever since. Stanley Cup champions in 2007.

The California Golden Seals began as an NHL expansion team in 1967, moved to Oakland, then Cleveland, and were eventually absorbed into the Minnesota North Stars in 1978 — a chain that eventually became the Dallas Stars.

The Cleveland Barons were the relocated California Golden Seals (1976-1978). When the Barons folded, their players and franchise rights were absorbed by the Minnesota North Stars. This is the same chain as the Golden Seals — we keep a separate entry here for direct lookups by the Cleveland slug.

The Detroit Cougars (1926-1930) were the renamed Detroit Falcons predecessor. The franchise was sold in 1930 and renamed the Detroit Falcons. Both eras share the same franchise history; they are the same team, renamed twice before the final Detroit Red Wings identity in 1933.

The Detroit Falcons (1930-1932) were the renamed Detroit Cougars, and the final iteration of the franchise before it became the Detroit Red Wings in 1933. Owner James E. Norris renamed the team the Red Wings in 1933, ending the Falcons era.

The Hamilton Tigers were an NHL team from 1920 to 1925. The club folded after the 1924-25 season following the death of its founder and a player strike over unpaid wages.

The Montreal Maroons were an NHL team from 1924 to 1938, and Stanley Cup champions in 1926 and 1935. They folded due to financial difficulty after the 1937-38 season, with the Great Depression eroding the fan base that supported the rival Montreal Canadiens.

The Montreal Wanderers were one of the NHL’s founding teams in 1917. The Westmount Arena, their home rink, burned down on January 2, 1918 after a heating system failure. The team won a game later that night as "homeless" Wanderers and then folded, never to return.

The New York Americans played in the NHL from 1925 to 1941, when they were renamed the Brooklyn Americans. See the Brooklyn Americans entry for the franchise’s final 1941-42 season.

The original Ottawa Senators franchise played in the NHL from 1917 to 1954 and was one of the league’s founding teams. They won four Stanley Cups (1920, 1921, 1923, 1927) before folding. The modern Ottawa Senators are a separate 1992 expansion team that has no franchise-lineage connection to the original.

The Philadelphia Quakers (1930-1931) were the relocated Pittsburgh Pirates. After one season in Philadelphia, the team folded due to the Great Depression and low attendance.

The Philadelphia Quakers (1930-1931) were the relocated Pittsburgh Pirates. After one season in Philadelphia, the team folded due to the Great Depression and low attendance.

The Quebec Bulldogs were an NHL team from 1919 to 1920, formerly the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association. The team suspended operations after the 1919-20 season, with its franchise rights eventually transferred to Hamilton (as the Hamilton Tigers).

The St. Louis Eagles were the relocated Ottawa Senators (original), who moved to St. Louis for the 1934-35 season. They folded mid-season due to financial trouble, becoming the first NHL team to fold mid-season since the Montreal Wanderers in 1918.

The Toronto Arenas were one of the NHL’s founding teams in 1917, and won the first Stanley Cup awarded to an NHL team in 1918. The team was renamed the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919.

Founded as the Toronto Arenas in 1917, renamed the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919, and renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927 by new owner Conn Smythe. Stanley Cup champions in 1918, 1922, 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1962, 1963, 1967.

The Winnipeg Jets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) — not to be confused with the original NHL Winnipeg Jets (1972-1996, which became the Coyotes/Mammoth). The WHL Jets played in the rival professional league from 1952 to 1979, winning three WHL titles. When the WHL folded, the franchise and its players were transferred to the NHL; this is a separate franchise lineage from the Coyotes/Mammoth chain.