The early history of the National Hockey League (NHL) began in 1917 when it was founded by a majority of the franchises in the National Hockey Association (the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs). The NHL's first quarter-century saw the league compete against two rival major leagues, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and Western Canada Hockey League, for players and the Stanley Cup. The NHL first expanded into the United States in 1924 with the founding of the Boston Bruins, and by 1926 consisted of ten teams in Ontario, Quebec, the Great Lakes region, and the Northeastern United States. At the same time, the NHL emerged as the only major league and the sole competitor for the Stanley Cup. Numerous innovations to the rules and equipment were put forward as the NHL sought to improve the flow of the game and make the sport more fan-friendly. Foster Hewitt's radio broadcasts were heard coast-to-coast across Canada starting in 1933. The Great Depression and World War II reduced the league to six teams by 1942, known as the "Original Six".

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1917%E2%80%9342)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1718:

The pirate Blackbeard was killed in battle by a boarding party of British sailors off the coast of North Carolina, ending his reign of terror in the Caribbean. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard

1812:

War of 1812: During a punitive expedition against Native American villages, a contingent of Indiana Rangers were ambushed by Kickapoo, Winnebago, and Shawnee warriors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wild_Cat_Creek

1910:

The crews of the Brazilian warships Minas Geraes, São Paulo, Bahia—all of which had been commissioned only months before—and several smaller warships mutinied in what became known as the Revolt of the Lash. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Lash

1967:

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 242 in the aftermath of the Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_242

2004:

Massive protests started across Ukraine due to allegations that the presidential election between sitting Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko was rigged. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Revolution

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

zygon: 1. (anatomy) In the cerebrum, the short crossbar or stem that connects the two pairs of branches of an H-shaped fissure. 2. (music) An affinity or connection in a piece of music between tones, chords, or phrases, such that one part appears to repeat, to imitate, or to derive from the other, especially when perceived as an organising force in the music. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zygon

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

High achievements demand some other unusual qualification besides an unusual desire for high prizes.   --George Eliot https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Eliot