INTRODUCTION FROM THIN ICE TO SOLID n December 19 1917 exactly one minute into the first National Hockey League NHL game defenseman Dave Ritchie scored a goal for the Montreal Wanderers This was the first statistic or stat recorded in league history Since then a wildly popular league has emerged Its history is filled with fascinating and fun to read statistics Fans use these stats to analyze and compare the performances of players and teams Stats can help fans get information that may not be easy to see in a fast paced game To better understand hockey's important stats it's helpful to know about the sport's history Changes to rules equipment and rosters have all had an impact on hockey stats MONTREAL WANDERERS AROUND 1914 BIOLO var48 tu
OH CANADA Hockey's roots are in Canada The first organized hockey game was played March 3 1875 in Montreal Quebec There were nine players per side and most were college students Soon teams and leagues began to form and in 1909 the National Hockey Association NHA was founded It had seven teams in Ontario and Quebec Eight years later the NHA became the NHL Teams joined the league Others folded In 1942 the NHL had only six teams the Boston Bruins Chicago Blackhawks Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings These teams later known as the Original Six represented the league for the next 25 seasons But when a Las Vegas team is added in 2017 2018 the league will consist of 31 teams Not surprisingly teams that have existed the longest have an advantage in all time team statistics such as wins and Stanley Cup titles TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VS DETROIT RED WINGS IN 1942
