The NHL’s Original Six comprise six teams.
The Original Six were the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. They made up the NHL from 1942 until the league’s major expansion in 1967, when six new franchises doubled the league’s size.
The phrase does not mean these were literally the NHL’s first six teams. Earlier clubs included the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Maroons, New York Americans, and Brooklyn Americans. The six earned the “Original Six” label because they were the league’s stable group during a 25-year period when no new franchises entered and several other teams folded or suspended operations.
The era is remembered for intense rivalries, a single six-team league structure, and dynasties led especially by Montreal and Toronto. During those seasons, four of the six teams qualified for the playoffs. The Canadiens dominated the period, winning 10 Stanley Cups between 1942 and 1967, while Toronto won the final championship before expansion, in 1967.
The six remain active NHL franchises today, making the term both historical and current.