View source for 1967 NHL expansion

{{short description|1967 addition of teams to the NHL}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Location map+|USA|width=450|float=right|caption=Map of the [[Original Six]] cities in red and the 1967 expansion cities in blue|places=
{{Location map~|USA|mark=red pog.svg|lat_deg=42.358056|lon_deg=-71.063611|label=[[Boston Bruins|Boston]]|label_size=75|position=top}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=red pog.svg|lat_deg=41.836944|lon_deg=-87.684722|label=[[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago]]|label_size=75|position=left}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=red pog.svg|lat_deg=42.331389|lon_deg=-83.045833|label=[[Detroit Red Wings|Detroit]]|label_size=75|position=top}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=red pog.svg|lat_deg=45.5|lon_deg=-73.566667|label=[[Montreal Canadiens|Montreal]]|label_size=75|position=top}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=red pog.svg|lat_deg=40.7127|lon_deg=-74.0059|label=[[New York Rangers|New York]]|label_size=75|position=top}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=red pog.svg|lat_deg=43.7|lon_deg=-79.4|label=[[Toronto Maple Leafs|Toronto]]|label_size=75|position=top}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=blue pog.svg|lat_deg=37.804444|lon_deg=-122.270833|label=[[California Golden Seals|Oakland]]|label_size=75|position=right}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=blue pog.svg|lat_deg=34.05|lon_deg=-118.25|label=[[Los Angeles Kings|Los Angeles]]|label_size=75|position=right}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=blue pog.svg|lat_deg=44.833611|lon_deg=-93.31|label=[[Minnesota North Stars|Minneapolis–Saint Paul]]|label_size=75|position=top}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=blue pog.svg|lat_deg=39.95|lon_deg=-75.166667|label=[[Philadelphia Flyers|Philadelphia]]|label_size=75|position=right}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=blue pog.svg|lat_deg=40.441667|lon_deg=-80|label=[[Pittsburgh Penguins|Pittsburgh]]|label_size=75|position=bottom}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=blue pog.svg|lat_deg=38.627222|lon_deg=-90.197778|label=[[St. Louis Blues|St.&nbsp;Louis]]|label_size=75|position=bottom}}
}}
The 1967 [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) expansion added six new franchises for the [[1967–68 NHL season|1967–68 season]], doubling the size of the league to 12 teams. It was the largest expansion undertaken at one time by an established major sports league and the first change in the composition of the NHL since [[1941–42 NHL season|1942]], ending the era of the [[Original Six]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-expansion-history/c-281005106|title=From six teams to 31: History of NHL expansion|website=NHL.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827063846/https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-expansion-history/c-281005106|archive-date=2016-08-27}}</ref>

The six new teams were the [[Los Angeles Kings]], [[Minnesota North Stars]], [[California Golden Seals|Oakland Seals]], [[Philadelphia Flyers]], [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], and [[St. Louis Blues]]. This expansion, including placing two new clubs on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]], was the result of the league's fears of a rival league that would challenge the NHL for players and the [[Stanley Cup]]. In addition, the league hoped that the expansion would result in a lucrative TV contract in the United States.

The Seals, later renamed the California Golden Seals and then the [[Cleveland Barons (NHL)|Cleveland Barons]], are the only team from the expansion to cease operations and not reach the Stanley Cup. The Blues, Flyers, Kings, and Penguins continue to operate in their home cities, while the North Stars relocated to Dallas, Texas and became the [[Dallas Stars]]. All active teams have won the Stanley Cup at least once, with the Penguins holding the most Cup titles among the 1967 expansion franchises at five.

== Background ==
{{NHLHistory}}
In the aftermath of the [[shakeout]] caused by the [[Great Depression|Depression]] and [[World War II]], in which the National Hockey League contracted from ten teams to the so-called "[[Original Six]]" clubs ([[Boston Bruins]], [[Montreal Canadiens]], [[Toronto Maple Leafs]], [[New York Rangers]], [[Detroit Red Wings]] and [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]]), the NHL became immensely profitable. Professional sports teams of the era were primarily gate-driven enterprises; however, attendances consistently rose after the end of the war. With arenas that generally held around 15,000 spectators in this era selling out with increasing frequency, the league expanded the schedule from the wartime 50 games to 70 games by the 1950s. Meanwhile, owners aggressively kept costs (especially player salaries) as low as possible and ruthlessly suppressed all attempts by the players to unionize, in particular when they perceived a threat by the organizing efforts of Red Wings star [[Ted Lindsay]].

As the NHL stabilized, it came under the control of a few wealthy tycoons, in particular the powerful Norris family. [[James E. Norris]], the owner of the Red Wings, effectively controlled the league's other three American teams as well. After the elder Norris died in 1952, this control was exercised by his son [[James D. Norris]]. NHL owners staunchly resisted applications to expand beyond six franchises.<ref name="Isaacs">{{cite book | title = Checking Back | author = Isaacs, Neil | publisher=McLeod Limited | year = 1977}}</ref><ref name="Coleman">{{cite book | title = The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III | author = Coleman, Charles L. | publisher=Progressive Publications | year = 1976}}</ref> Groups representing Philadelphia (which had secured rights to the dormant [[Montreal Maroons]] franchise), Los Angeles and the [[American Hockey League|AHL]] [[Cleveland Barons (1937–1973)|Cleveland Barons]] were each in turn given conflicting requirements that seemed to contemporary observers designed to disqualify the bids, and it was widely understood that the existing NHL owners wanted no encroachments upon their profits.<ref name="Coleman" />

The NHL had been an early leader in television broadcasting, both in Canada and the U.S.<ref name="Fischler">{{cite book | title = The Hockey Encyclopedia | url = https://archive.org/details/hockeyencycloped00fisc | url-access = registration |author1=Fischler, Stan |author2=Fischler, Shirley Walton | publisher=Macmillan Publishing Company | year = 1983| isbn = 9780025384002 }}</ref> However, by 1960, its TV contracts had expired, and the league had none until 1963.<ref name="Isaacs" /> The owners saw that the televising of other sports had enhanced the images of those leagues' players, and feared that this would provide leverage at salary time. Already, Montreal, and [[William M. Jennings]] in New York, took power.<ref name="Isaacs" />

== Expansion teams ==

{{Location map+ | USA
| width   = 450
| caption = Map of cities interested in an NHL expansion team
| places  =

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 34.05
| lon_deg = -118.25
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = right
| label = '''[[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 40.44
| lon_deg = -79.98
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = left
| label = '''[[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 44.95
| lon_deg = -93.20
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = top
| label = '''[[Minneapolis-St. Paul]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 39.95
| lon_deg = -75.16
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = right
| label = '''[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 37.81
| lon_deg = -122.37
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = right
| label = '''[[San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco-Oakland]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 39.29
| lon_deg = -76.62
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = bottom
| label = '''[[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 42.89
| lon_deg = -78.88
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = right
| label = '''[[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 49.26
| lon_deg = -123.11
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = right
| label = '''[[Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 41.48
| lon_deg = -81.67
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = left
| label = '''[[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]]'''}}

{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 38.26
| lon_deg = -85.75
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 75
| position = bottom
| label = '''[[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]'''}}

}}
In 1963, Rangers governor William Jennings introduced to his peers the idea of expanding the league to the American West Coast by adding two new teams for the 1964–65 season. His argument was based around concerns that the Western Hockey League intended to operate as a major league in the near future. He also hoped that teams on the west coast would make the league truly national, and improve the chances of returning to television in the United States as the NHL had lost its deal with [[CBS]]. While the governors did not agree to the proposal, the topic of expansion arose every time the owners met thereafter.

The expansion process formally began in March 1965, when NHL President [[Clarence Campbell]] announced that the league proposed to expand its operations through the formation of a second six-team division. San Francisco – Oakland and Vancouver were declared "acceptable cities" with Los Angeles and St. Louis as potential sites. In February 1966, the NHL Board of Governors considered applications from 14 different ownership groups, including five from [[Los Angeles]], two from [[Pittsburgh]], and one each from [[Minneapolis – Saint Paul]], [[Philadelphia]], [[San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco – Oakland]], [[Baltimore]], [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], and [[Vancouver]]. [[Cleveland]] and [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] had also expressed previous interest but were not represented.<ref name="Diamond" />

Six franchises were ultimately added: the [[California Golden Seals|California Seals]] (San Francisco – Oakland), [[Los Angeles Kings]], [[Minnesota North Stars]], [[Philadelphia Flyers]], [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], and [[St. Louis Blues]]. Had one of the teams been unable to start, a franchise would have then been awarded to Baltimore.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://penguins.nhl.com/club/m_news.htm?id=867879|title=Penguins Unveil Logo For 50th Anniversary Season|website=NHL.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212221404/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/m_news.htm?id=867879|archive-date=2016-02-12}}</ref> Four of those teams are still playing in their original cities under their original names. In 1978, the North Stars merged with the [[Cleveland Barons (NHL)|Cleveland Barons]], who were the relocated Seals, and in 1993 the North Stars became the [[Dallas Stars]]. Both the San Francisco-Oakland market and the Minneapolis-St. Paul markets were eventually granted new teams as the [[San Jose Sharks]] and the [[Minnesota Wild]].

=== Opposition ===

Canadian fans, including [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Lester Pearson]], were irate that no Canadian teams were added, particularly since Vancouver had been generally considered a lock for a team.<ref name="Isaacs" /> Internal considerations took a hand in that since as Montreal and Toronto were not interested in sharing [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] television revenues with another Canadian club, and Chicago owner [[Arthur Wirtz]]'s support was reputedly contingent on the creation of a St. Louis team, although that city had not submitted a formal bid, to purchase the decrepit [[St. Louis Arena]], which the Black Hawks ownership then also owned.<ref name="Isaacs" /><ref name="Coleman" /> Buffalo also nearly got a team over nearby Pittsburgh until [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] owner [[Art Rooney]], who served as a minority investor in the Penguins early years, persuaded the Norris brothers, whom he knew through their common interest in [[horse racing]], to vote for Pittsburgh in the expansion process. Vancouver and Buffalo both subsequently received teams for the NHL's next expansion in 1970.

On a more general note, many traditionalists resisted expansion, claiming it would dilute the talent in the league.<ref name="Diamond">{{cite book | title = Total Hockey | editor = Diamond, Dan| publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing | year = 1998}}</ref> Even some proponents of expansion were worried at the idea of immediately doubling the NHL's size and wanted to ease teams in gradually, as Major League Baseball was doing.<ref name="McFarlane">{{cite book | title = 50 Years of Hockey | author = McFarlane, Brian | publisher=Greywood Publishing Ltd | year = 1969}}</ref>

The expansion fee was [[United States dollars|US$]]2 million, and players taken in the very strict expansion draft came at a cost of $50,000 each. Experts tended to see that as high, and most expansion teams were seen as having no hope of competing successfully with the established teams in the near future.<ref name="Isaacs" />

Because of the inherent competitive imbalance, there was some support for the idea of placing the new teams in a completely separate division or conference, with a separate schedule for the first few seasons and then gradually integrating the new teams into the established NHL, much like the then-progressing [[AFL-NFL merger]] was being carried out. Ultimately, the league partly implemented the idea by placing all six of the new teams in the new West Division. Alternative proposals included putting Detroit and Chicago in the West with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia going to the East. In a surprising concession, the league also agreed to implement a strictly divisional playoff bracket, meaning that four expansion teams would make the playoffs, and an expansion team was guaranteed a slot in the [[Stanley Cup Finals]].

=== Changes ===
[[File:LA Kings jersey and Oakland Seals jersey at IHHOF.JPG|thumb|right|The jerseys worn by the Los Angeles Kings (left) and California Seals upon entering the NHL in 1967]]

The new teams offered a big change to the league. After seeing virtually the same red/blue/black uniforms for over 20 years, purple, green, sky blue, and orange were introduced.<ref name="Diamond" /> Teams now regularly travelled between cities by air because of the distances involved; at the time, all of the Original Six cities had daily overnight passenger rail service between one another.

== Aftermath ==
The 1967 expansion marked the end of the [[Original Six]] era and the beginning of [[History of the National Hockey League (1967–1992)|a new era of the NHL]]. The expansion, [[Bobby Orr]]'s record $1 million contract in 1971,<ref>{{cite book|last=Dryden |first=Steve |year=2000 |title=The Top 100 NHL Players of All Time |publisher=Transcontinental Sports Publishers |location=Toronto |isbn=0-7710-4175-6 |page=74}}</ref> and the formation of the [[World Hockey Association]] (WHA) in 1972 forever changed the landscape of the North American professional game.<ref name="Fischler" /><ref name="Diamond" /> It was the WHA that ended up being the NHL's chief rival during the 1970s, while the [[Western Hockey League (1952–1974)|Western Hockey League]] ceased operations in 1974. The NHL's first expansion period ended in 1974 by which time the league had tripled in size to 18 teams, and then [[NHL–WHA merger|merged with the WHA]] by absorbing four of its teams in 1979. As a result, the NHL retained its status as the premier professional ice hockey league in North America; no other league has attempted to compete against the NHL since then.

However, the NHL's other goal of immediately securing a lucrative TV contract in the U.S. similar to MLB and the NFL never fully materialized until decades later. Despite the expansion and the subsequent merger with the WHA, [[History of the National Hockey League on United States television|NHL broadcasting on a national scale in the U.S.]] continued to be spotty between 1967 and 1981. Although [[NHL on NBC|NBC]] and [[NHL on CBS|CBS]] held rights at various times, neither network carried anything close to a full schedule, even carrying only selected games of the Stanley Cup Finals.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/07/archives/nhl-and-nbc-sign-7million-pact.html|title=N.H.L. and N.B.C Sign $7‐Million Pact|last=Eskenazi|first=Gerald|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 7, 1972|accessdate=June 5, 2024}}</ref>

All the 1967 expansion teams were placed in the same division in 1967–68, so their success was largely gauged relative to each other before the [[1974–75 NHL season|1974 realignment]], which radically mixed up all of the league's teams into four divisions and two conferences. Subsequent expansions and realignments separated both the Original Six and the 1967 expansion teams even further, essentially reviving the league's earlier alternative plan to put Detroit and Chicago in the West, and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in the East. After the [[1998–99 NHL season|1998 realignment]], which reorganized the league into six divisions, only the Flyers and the Penguins are in the same division. When the league [[National Hockey League#2013 Conference Realignment|realigned again]] in 2013 to a different four division setup, the Stars and Blues were placed in the same division.

The St. Louis Blues immediately made an impact by appearing in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in the first three years, but were swept in each. Their first Stanley Cup title in {{scfy|2019}} came 49 years after their previous finals appearance. Although they were the first team from the expansion to reach the finals, the Blues were the last of the five active 1967 teams to win the Stanley Cup.

After the [[1969–70 NHL season|1969–70 season]], the league moved Chicago to the West Division and altered the playoff format to force Eastern and Western teams to face each other prior to the final. Until [[1973–74 NHL season|1974]], no expansion team defeated an Original Six team in a playoff series or even reached the Final again. That season, the Philadelphia Flyers, who had steadily built a strong team, defeated Boston to win the Stanley Cup. The Flyers repeated as champions in [[1974–75 NHL season|1975]] by defeating the [[Buffalo Sabres]] in the first modern Stanley Cup Finals to not feature an Original Six club. As of the end of the [[2016–17 NHL season]], which marked the 50th season for the 1967 expansion teams, the Flyers are the most successful of the expansion team in terms of all-time points percentage (.576), second only to the [[Montreal Canadiens]] (.590) in NHL history.<ref name="teamindex">{{cite web | title = Team Index | work = Hockey-Reference | publisher = Sports Reference LLC | url = https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/ | access-date = May 26, 2017 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170528121446/http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/ | archive-date = May 28, 2017 }}</ref> Additionally, the Flyers have the most appearances in the league semi-finals (known as the conference finals since the {{NHL Year|1981}} season) out of all 26 expansion teams with 16 and the most Stanley Cup Finals appearances with a total of eight.<ref name="teamindex"/>

The Pittsburgh Penguins were largely unsuccessful in the beginning, failing to win their division until the [[1990–91 NHL season|1990–91 season]], but accumulated draft picks and built a strong team that won two consecutive Stanley Cups in 1991 and [[1991–92 NHL season|1992]]. In [[2008–09 NHL season|2009]], the Penguins became the first of the 1967 expansion teams to win three Cups. Then in [[2015–16 NHL season|2016]], Pittsburgh tied the [[New York Rangers]] (an Original Six team) and the [[New York Islanders]] (a 1972 expansion team) with four Cups. After successfully defending their title the [[2016-17 NHL season|following year]], the franchise tied the [[Edmonton Oilers]] (at five Cups), with the Oilers joining the league [[NHL–WHA merger|in the 1979 merger with the WHA]].

The Los Angeles Kings did not make a Stanley Cup Finals appearance until [[1992–93 NHL season|1993]] during the [[Wayne Gretzky]] era. The Kings did not return to the Cup Finals again until [[2011–12 NHL season|2012]], when they finally won their first Cup. Los Angeles won the Cup again in [[2013–14 NHL season|2014]].

While four of the 1967 expansion teams still play in their original cities, one has relocated and one ceased operations. The Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area-based franchise was the least successful of the 1967 expansion teams: noncompetitive both on the ice and at the box office, the club eventually moved to [[Cleveland]] to become the [[Cleveland Barons (NHL)|Barons]] in 1976.<ref name="Diamond" /> While the Minnesota North Stars were in a traditional hockey area, the team was struggling financially. In 1978, the two ownership groups merged the franchises into the North Stars with the Barons' owners [[Gordon Gund|Gordon]] and [[George Gund III]] becoming the majority owners of the team. Although, the merged North Stars improved on the ice and made two finals appearances in [[1980–81 NHL season|1981]] and [[1990–91 NHL season|1991]], they continued to have financial difficulties.

In late 1980s, the Gunds attempted to relocate the North Stars to the Bay Area, but were denied by the league. The NHL and the Gunds came to a compromise with the Gunds selling the North Stars and were given an expansion team that became the [[San Jose Sharks]] in 1991. As part of the compromise, the North Stars and Sharks had a [[1991 NHL Dispersal and Expansion Drafts|player dispersal and expansion draft]] in which the North Stars' roster was split between the two teams and then each took part in the expansion draft. The new owners of the North Stars only kept the team in Minnesota for two more seasons and moved to [[Dallas, Texas]], in [[1993–94 NHL season|1993]] to become the [[Dallas Stars]], eventually winning their first Cup in [[1999 Stanley Cup Finals|1999]]. The NHL returned to the [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul|Twin Cities]] market when the [[Minnesota Wild]] began play in [[2000–01 NHL season|2000]].

===50th Anniversary season===
During the [[2016–17 NHL season]], the four "expansion six" teams still in their original cities had festivities commemorating their 50th year in the NHL and each unveiled uniform patches to be worn by those teams.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/nhl/2016/02/12/nhl-expansion-50th-anniversary-celebrations-uniforms-outdoor-games|title=NHL's expansion celebration raises questions|website=si.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904015323/https://www.si.com/nhl/2016/02/12/nhl-expansion-50th-anniversary-celebrations-uniforms-outdoor-games|archive-date=2017-09-04}}</ref> The patches were unveiled on February 9, 2016, on the 50th anniversary of the NHL awarding the franchises, which led the Penguins to unveil a patch with three Stanley Cups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/flyers-blues-kings-penguins-50th-anniversary/c-278569968|title=Second Six unveil 50th anniversary plans|website=NHL.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813154855/https://www.nhl.com/news/flyers-blues-kings-penguins-50th-anniversary/c-278569968|archive-date=2016-08-13}}</ref> With the Penguins winning [[2016 Stanley Cup Finals|that year's Stanley Cup Finals]], their patch was modified to have four Cups.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uni-watch.com/2016/06/08/pens-potential-position-poses-possible-problem-probably/|title=Pens' Potential Position Poses Possible Problem, Probably - Uni Watch|date=8 June 2016|website=uni-watch.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612200916/http://www.uni-watch.com/2016/06/08/pens-potential-position-poses-possible-problem-probably/|archive-date=12 June 2016}}</ref> The season ended with the Penguins clinching their [[2017 Stanley Cup Finals|fifth Cup]].

== Timeline of the 1967 expansion teams ==
Among the six 1967 expansion teams, four still play in their original cities. One has since relocated, while the other relocated and then was merged out of existence.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:left"
|-
! Team
! City/Area
! City/Area's previous NHL franchise
! Years active in original city
! Destiny
|-
| [[California Golden Seals|California Seals]]
| [[Oakland, California]] ([[San Francisco Bay Area]])
| None
| 1967–1976
| Renamed Oakland Seals midway through the 1967–68 season, and then later California Golden Seals during the first week of the 1970–71 season. Later relocated to [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], as the [[Cleveland Barons (NHL)|Cleveland Barons]] in 1976, then merged into the [[Minnesota North Stars]] in 1978.<br>In 1991, the former Barons' owners returned to the Bay Area with half the North Stars' roster as the [[San Jose Sharks]] expansion team.<br>They never won a Stanley Cup.
|-
| [[Los Angeles Kings]]
| [[Los Angeles, California]]
| None
| 1967–present
| Still active in same city. The Kings have two Stanley Cup wins ([[2012 Stanley Cup Finals|2012]] and [[2014 Stanley Cup Finals|2014]]).
|-
| [[Minnesota North Stars]]
| [[Bloomington, Minnesota]] ([[Minneapolis–Saint Paul]])
| None
| 1967–1993
| Merged with the [[Cleveland Barons (NHL)|Cleveland Barons]] in 1978. Later relocated to [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], as the [[Dallas Stars]] in 1993.<br>The NHL returned to the market in Minnesota with the [[Minnesota Wild]] in 2000.<br>As Minnesota North Stars, they did not win any Stanley Cups, however, as the Dallas Stars, they now have one Stanley Cup title win: ([[1999 Stanley Cup Finals|1999]]).
|-
| [[Philadelphia Flyers]]
| [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
| [[Philadelphia Quakers (NHL)|Philadelphia Quakers]], which were the relocated Pittsburgh Pirates, from 1930 to 1931. Franchise suspended after 1931 and canceled in 1936.
| 1967–present
| Still active in same city. The Flyers have two Stanley Cup wins ([[1974 Stanley Cup Finals|1974]] and [[1975 Stanley Cup Finals|1975]]).
|-
| [[Pittsburgh Penguins]]
| [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]
| [[Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)|Pittsburgh Pirates]] from 1925 to 1930 before the team relocated to Philadelphia for the 1930–31 NHL season.
| 1967–present
| Still active in same city. The Penguins have five Stanley Cup wins ([[1991 Stanley Cup Finals|1991]], [[1992 Stanley Cup Finals|1992]], [[2009 Stanley Cup Finals|2009]], [[2016 Stanley Cup Finals|2016]], and [[2017 Stanley Cup Finals|2017]]).
|-
| [[St. Louis Blues]]
| [[St. Louis, Missouri]]
| [[St. Louis Eagles]], a relocation of the [[Ottawa Senators (original)|original Ottawa Senators]], from 1934 to 1935. Franchise canceled after one season.
| 1967–present
| Still active in same city. The Blues have one Stanley Cup win ([[2019 Stanley Cup Finals|2019]]).
|}

== See also ==
*[[1967 NHL Expansion Draft]]
*[[History of the National Hockey League]]
*[[History of the National Hockey League (1967–1992)]]
*[[History of organizational changes in the NHL]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{NHL}}
{{1967–68 NHL season by team}}
{{Los Angeles Kings}}
{{Minnesota North Stars}}
{{Oakland Seals}}
{{Philadelphia Flyers}}
{{Pittsburgh Penguins}}
{{St. Louis Blues}}
{{NHL on CBS}}

[[Category:1967–68 NHL season|Expansion]]
[[Category:California Golden Seals]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Kings]]
[[Category:Minnesota North Stars]]
[[Category:National Hockey League expansion]]
[[Category:History of the Philadelphia Flyers]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Penguins]]
[[Category:St. Louis Blues]]