Editing National Hockey League (section)

===Early years===
The National Hockey League (NHL) was established in 1917 as the successor to the [[National Hockey Association]] (NHA). Founded in 1909, the NHA [[1910 NHA season|began play in 1910]] with seven teams in [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]], and was one of the first major leagues in professional ice hockey. However, by its [[1916–17 NHA season|eighth season]], a series of disputes with [[Toronto Blueshirts]] owner [[Eddie Livingstone]] led team owners of the [[Montreal Canadiens]], the [[Montreal Wanderers]], the [[Ottawa Senators (original)|Ottawa Senators]], and the [[Quebec Bulldogs]] to hold a meeting to discuss the league's future.<ref name="mcfarlane_15_16">{{harvnb|McFarlane|1997|pp=15–16}}</ref> Realizing the NHA constitution left them unable to force Livingstone out, the four teams voted instead to suspend the NHA, and, on November 26, 1917, formed the National Hockey League. [[Frank Calder]] was chosen as the NHL's first president, serving until his death in 1943.<ref>{{Harvnb|Holzman|Nieforth|2002|p=159}}</ref>

The Bulldogs were unable to play in the NHL, and the remaining owners founded the [[Toronto Arenas]] to compete with the Canadiens, Wanderers and Senators.<ref>{{harvnb|McKinley|2006|p=77}}</ref> The first games were played on December 19, 1917.<ref name="Jenish 2">{{cite book|last1=Jenish|first1=D'Arcy|title=The NHL : 100 years of on-ice action and boardroom battles|date=2013|publisher=Doubleday Canada|isbn=978-0385671460|page=16}}</ref> The [[Montreal Arena]] burned down in January 1918, causing the Wanderers to cease operations,<ref>{{cite web|title=Early Leagues and the Birth of the NHL |url=http://capitals.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=his_EarlyLeagues |last=McFarlane |first=Brian |website=National Hockey League |access-date=January 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130110236/http://capitals.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page |archive-date=November 30, 2009 }}</ref> and the NHL continued on as a three-team league until the Bulldogs returned in 1919.<ref name="pincus24">{{Harvnb|Pincus|2006|p=24}}</ref>

[[File:1930 Stanley Cup.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Stanley Cup]] in 1930, several years after it became the ''de facto'' championship trophy for the NHL]]
The NHL replaced the NHA as one of the leagues that competed for the Stanley Cup, an interleague competition at the time. Toronto won the first NHL title, and then defeated the [[Vancouver Millionaires]] of the [[Pacific Coast Hockey Association]] (PCHA) for the [[1918 Stanley Cup Finals|1918 Stanley Cup]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Holzman|Nieforth|2002|p=197}}</ref> The Canadiens won the league title in 1919, but the series in the Stanley Cup Finals against the PCHA's [[Seattle Metropolitans]] was abandoned due to the [[1918 flu pandemic|Spanish Flu]] epidemic.<ref name="pincus23">{{Harvnb|Pincus|2006|p=23}}</ref> In 1924, Montreal won their first Stanley Cup as a member of the NHL.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sandor|2005|p=33}}</ref> The [[Hamilton Tigers]] won the regular season title in [[1924–25 NHL season|1924–25]], but refused to play in the championship series unless they were given a [[Canadian dollar|C$]]200 bonus.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pincus|2006|p=35}}</ref> The league refused and declared the Canadiens the league champion after they defeated the [[Toronto St. Patricks]] (formerly the Arenas) in the two-game, total-goals NHL championship series. Montreal was then defeated by the [[Victoria Cougars]] of the [[Western Canada Hockey League]] (WCHL) in [[1925 Stanley Cup Finals|1925]]. It was the last time a non-NHL team won the trophy,<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1924-25 |title=Victoria Cougars—1924–25 Stanley Cup |access-date=January 17, 2010 |journal=Legends of Hockey |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930080728/http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1924-25 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref> as the Stanley Cup became the ''de facto'' NHL championship in 1926, after the WCHL ceased operation.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sandor|2005|p=35}}</ref>

The NHL embarked on a rapid expansion in the 1920s, adding the [[Montreal Maroons]] and the [[Boston Bruins]] in 1924, the latter being the first American team to join the league.<ref>{{cite web|title=Boston Bruins History|url=https://www.nhl.com/bruins/team/history|website=Boston Bruins|access-date=July 2, 2022|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201205300/https://www.nhl.com/bruins/team/history|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[New York Americans]] began play in 1925 after purchasing the assets of the Hamilton Tigers, and they were joined by the [[Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)|Pittsburgh Pirates]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Holzman|Nieforth|2002|p=262}}</ref> The [[New York Rangers]] were added in 1926,<ref>{{Harvnb|Pincus|2006|p=33}}</ref> and the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]] (later changed to Blackhawks) and [[Detroit Red Wings|Detroit Cougars]] (later known as the Red Wings) were added after the league purchased the assets of the defunct WCHL.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pincus|2006|p=29}}</ref> A group purchased the Toronto St. Patricks in 1927 and renamed them the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Pincus|2006|p=39}}</ref>

In 1926, Native American [[Taffy Abel]] became the first non-white player in the NHL and broke the league's colour barrier by playing for the New York Rangers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kennedy |first1=Ian |title=Taffy Abel's Family Asks NHL to Recognize His Indigeneity As Barrier-Breaking |url=https://thehockeynews.com/news/taffy-abels-family-asks-nhl-to-recognize-his-indigeneity-as-barrier-breaking |website=The Hockey News |access-date=April 5, 2024 |date=October 25, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226085428/https://thehockeynews.com/news/taffy-abels-family-asks-nhl-to-recognize-his-indigeneity-as-barrier-breaking |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1934, the first [[NHL All-Star Game]] was held, to benefit [[Ace Bailey]], whose career ended on a vicious hit by [[Eddie Shore]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Pincus|2006|p=47}}</ref> The second was held in 1937, in support of [[Howie Morenz]]'s family when he died of a coronary embolism after breaking his leg during a game.<ref>{{Harvnb|McKinley|2006|p=120}}</ref>