Editing National Hockey League (section)

===Original Six era===
{{main|Original Six}}
The [[Great Depression]] and the onset of [[World War II]] took a toll on the league. The Pirates became the [[Philadelphia Quakers (NHL)|Philadelphia Quakers]] in 1930, then folded a year later. The Senators likewise became the [[St. Louis Eagles]] in 1934, also lasting only a year.<ref>{{Harvnb|McFarlane|1997|p=33}}</ref> The Maroons did not survive, as they suspended operations in 1938.<ref>{{Harvnb|McFarlane|1997|p=37}}</ref> The Americans were suspended in 1942 due to a lack of available players, and they were never reactivated.<ref>{{Harvnb|McFarlane|1997|p=43}}</ref>

[[File:There's no action like hockey action by Louis Jaques.jpg|thumb|left|A game between the [[Montreal Canadiens]] and the [[New York Rangers]] in 1962|alt=Five men playing hockey in a crowded arena.]]
For the [[1942–43 NHL season|1942–43 season]], the NHL was reduced to six teams: the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Black Hawks, the Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, a line-up, often referred to as the "[[Original Six]]", that would remain constant for the next 25 years. In 1947, the league reached an agreement with the Stanley Cup trustees to take full control of the trophy, allowing it to reject challenges from other leagues that wished to play for the Cup.<ref>{{cite book |last=Diamond |first=Dan |author2=Zweig, Eric |author3=Duplacey, James |title=The Ultimate Prize: The Stanley Cup |year=2003 |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |isbn=0-7407-3830-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ultimateprizesta0000diam/page/40 40] |url=https://archive.org/details/ultimateprizesta0000diam/page/40 }}</ref>

In 1945, [[Maurice Richard|Maurice "Rocket" Richard]] became the first player to score [[List of NHL players with 50 goal seasons|50 goals]], doing so in a [[50 goals in 50 games|50-game season]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p196108&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName#photo |title=The Legends—Rocket Richard |access-date=January 18, 2010 |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307224757/http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p196108&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName#photo |archive-date=March 7, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Richard later led the Canadiens to five consecutive titles between 1956 and 1960, a record no team has matched.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pincus|2006|p=100}}</ref>

In 1948, Asian Canadian [[Larry Kwong]] became the first Asian player in the NHL by playing for the New York Rangers.<ref name="ward">{{cite web |last1=Ward |first1=Rachel |title=1st NHL player of colour, Larry Kwong, dies at 94 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/larry-kwong-calgary-nhl-1.4582793 |work=[[CBC News]] |access-date=June 5, 2020 |date=March 19, 2018 |archive-date=June 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604022152/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/larry-kwong-calgary-nhl-1.4582793 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=David |title=A Hockey Pioneer's Moment |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/sports/hockey/larry-kwongs-shift-for-rangers-in-1947-48-broke-a-barrier.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220205229/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/sports/hockey/larry-kwongs-shift-for-rangers-in-1947-48-broke-a-barrier.html |archive-date=February 20, 2013 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=The New York Times |access-date=June 5, 2020 |date=February 19, 2013}}</ref> In 1958, [[Willie O'Ree]] became the first black player in the league's history when he made his debut with the Boston Bruins.<ref>{{cite web |title=Willie Eldon O'Ree |website=legendsofhockey.net |access-date=June 5, 2020 |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13894 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118092936/http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13894 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 18, 2008}}</ref>