By: Camryn Meece | Follow me on Twitter / X @MeeceCamryn
Before World War II began, the National Hockey League (NHL) had already gone through several difficult years. The Great Depression had taken a toll on professional hockey, forcing several teams to close as owners struggled financially. The Pittsburgh Pirates relocated to Philadelphia in 1930, becoming the Quakers, but the team only lasted one season. The Ottawa Senators also faced financial difficulties, withdrawing from the league for the 1931–32 season before returning the following year. In 1934, the franchise relocated to St. Louis and became the Eagles, but again, folded at the end of the season.
Despite the challenges of the previous decade, the NHL continued to establish itself as North America’s leading professional hockey league. One example was the opening of Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on November 12, 1931. The new arena seated more than 12,000 fans and regularly drew large crowds. In February 1937, 13,380 spectators attended a game between the Maple Leafs and Montreal Maroons. Radio also helped bring the game to a wider audience. The General Motors Hockey Broadcast began in November 1931, featuring Foster Hewitt calling Maple Leafs games. The broadcasts expanded across Canada over the following years, with estimates placing the Canadian audience for a March 1934 broadcast between 2.5 and 3 million listeners. The game itself was changing, too, with the NHL introducing the penalty shot in 1934 and adopting the icing rule in 1937.
The Montreal Maroons withdrew from the league in 1938, leaving seven teams by the start of the 1938–39 season. The NHL had undergone a massive overhaul, shrinking to a smaller group of established franchises, with teams spread across Canada and the United States. The remaining clubs were the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Americans, New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, and Detroit Red Wings. These seven teams would make up the league as it entered the early years of WWII.
The NHL continued playing as WWII began, with the 1939–40 season getting underway. However, the war created uncertainty for players, teams, and fans as they adjusted to events overseas. With Canada now involved in the conflict, many NHL players faced the possibility of military service.
For the next two seasons, the league continued operating with all seven teams. That changed on December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The United States entered WWII the following day, bringing all NHL teams and players directly into the conflict. As the war continued, its effects on the league became increasingly difficult to avoid.
As more NHL players left to serve in the military, teams struggled to fill their rosters. The loss of veteran players forced teams to rely on younger players and those ineligible for military service. The Brooklyn Americans were hit the hardest, as the team was already dealing with financial difficulties. After the 1941–42 season, only four players from the Americans’ previous roster were available to return. With few options to replace those who had left, the franchise suspended operations, reducing the NHL to six teams for the 1942–43 season. This marked the beginning of what became known as the Original Six era, which we still know today.
The New York Rangers also felt the effects of losing players to military service. After finishing first in the NHL standings during the 1941–42 season, the team lost several key players, including captain Art Coulter and members of its famous Bread Line. The Rangers fell to last place the following season, finishing with just 11 wins. The team even entered training camp without a goaltender, forcing general manager Lester Patrick to find replacements.
Even as NHL players left their teams to serve in the military, servicemen continued to play hockey. Several former NHL players joined military teams while serving during the war. The Coast Guard Cutters were based at Curtis Bay in Baltimore and featured former NHL players Frank Brimsek and Art Coulter. The Cutters competed in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League and won national championships in 1943 and 1944.
Like everyone else, the NHL supported the war effort; teams held benefit games to raise money for wartime causes, and players purchased Victory Bonds to help fund the war. The war also changed the game itself. In November 1942, the NHL eliminated overtime in regular-season games because of wartime train restrictions. Teams relied on trains to travel between cities, and games that went beyond regulation could cause players to miss their scheduled departures. As a result, games tied after 60 minutes ended in a draw. The NHL also worked to keep servicemen connected to the game, with broadcasts reaching overseas and allowing those away from home to follow the league.
By 1945, WWII had ended, and many of the nearly 200 NHL players who served in the military began returning to their teams. Many continued their professional hockey careers, helping restore rosters depleted by the war—such as the 75 Original Six players who left the ice for active duty at the start of the 1942–43 season. However, not everyone returned to the NHL, and some players never made it back to the ice.
The NHL remained a six-team league until 1967, when it doubled in size through expansion. Despite the challenges of WWII, the league continued to move forward, building on its place in the history of one of North America’s oldest professional sports.
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