And then there were 12.
On this day in 1966, the National Hockey League awarded six conditional expansion franchises, with teams heading to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.
50 YRS AGO TODAY: Expansion era began when Owners-Governors awarded 6 conditional franchises. From meeting minutes: pic.twitter.com/p5gPSdQ4sY
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 9, 2016
This round of expansion was the largest undertaken at one time by an established major sports league, and marked the beginning of hockey's growth all across North America.