Which NHL team is the oldest active franchise?

The Montreal Canadiens are the oldest active NHL franchise. Founded on December 4, 1909, they predate the National Hockey League itself and have operated continuously as a professional hockey club.

The Canadiens were created as a team intended to represent Montreal's French-speaking community. They began play in the National Hockey Association, the league that preceded the NHL, and helped establish the NHL in 1917 alongside four other former NHA clubs.

Montreal is also one of the Original Six franchises, the six teams that made up the NHL from 1942 until expansion in 1967. The other Original Six clubs are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs, but all were founded after the Canadiens.

The distinction is sometimes phrased as “oldest continuously operating professional hockey team,” which is broader than simply oldest NHL club. The Canadiens hold both honors in the usual historical sense.