THE ORIGINAL SIX ERA
Considered by many to be the “Golden Age” of professional hockey, the league was set at six teams for a quarter century starting in 1942, with Chicago, New York, Detroit, Boston – and of course, Montréal and Toronto – making up the NHL. This era, despite an era of stability for the league, the country and the world at large, did not translate on to the ice between these two, with upwards of fourteen meetings per season and multiple playoff showdowns only heightening the rivalry’s tension. Legends were pit against each other on a regular basis – Richard vs. Kennedy, Béliveau vs. Armstrong, Plante vs. Broda, even Blake vs. Imlach from behind the benches. The Original Six era cemented the league as a legitimate pro sport in North America, established the game’s first true superstars (with Hockey Night In Canada moving to television in 1952 helping their exposure), and deeply entrenched the rivalry for the years to follow.