Top 10 Least Popular NHL Teams
In the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) there has been a total of 50 different teams. From the Montreal Wanderers to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Most of the 50 teams are quite well known to hockey fans, with a few exceptions, such as the Pittsburgh Priates and the Kansas City Scouts. Which NHL of all time is, in your opinion, the least popular? Vote below.The Philadelphia Quakers were an American professional ice hockey team that played only one full season in the NHL, 1930 - 31, at the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia. They were the successors of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
I've barely ever heard this team mentioned in my entire life, and I'm a pretty hardcore NHL fan. The fact that they played in only one NHL season just shows how unknown they must be. Therefore, the Quakers take #1 on my list.
The St. Louis Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in the NHL. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, the Eagles played for only one year, the 1934 - 35 NHL season. The main reason I have the Quakers higher than the Eagles is that the Eagles were the successors of the original Ottawa Senators. That would give them a bit more popularity.
But overall, most hockey fans wouldn't know this team.
The Cleveland Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the NHL from 1976 to 1978. They were a relocation of the California Golden Seals franchise that had played in Oakland since 1967. After just two seasons, the team merged with the Minnesota North Stars (now the Dallas Stars).
In the two seasons they played, they performed quite poorly. They are a more recent team, so that would make them more well known.
The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the NHL from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, Colorado, and became the Colorado Rockies (who later relocated to New Jersey, where they have since been known as the Devils).
The two years that they played were some of the worst seasons a team has ever had in the NHL.
The Quebec Bulldogs were a professional ice hockey team that played in the first season of the NHL (1919-20). The team then moved to Hamilton, Ontario, and became the Hamilton Tigers. They have a massive history, dating back to 1878 when they were known as the Quebec Hockey Club.
If you're interested in the beginnings of ice hockey, you would probably know them. But otherwise, probably not.
The Hamilton Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They competed in the NHL from 1920 to 1925. The Tigers were formed by the sale of the Quebec Bulldogs NHL franchise to Hamilton interests.
They did play five seasons in the NHL, so they obviously have a decent amount of popularity, but they weren't that good in those seasons.
The Montreal Wanderers were an amateur, and later professional, men's ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL), the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA), the National Hockey Association (NHA), and briefly the NHL. The Wanderers were four-time Stanley Cup winners.
Prior to the formation of the NHL, the "Redbands" were one of the most successful teams in hockey. The main reason I've got them this low is because of their four Stanley Cups.
No, this is not the MLB team. The Pittsburgh Pirates were an American professional ice hockey team in the NHL, based in Pittsburgh from 1925 - 26 to 1929 - 30. The nickname comes from the baseball team also based in the city. For the 1930 - 31 season, the team moved to Philadelphia, where they were known as the Quakers.
The Pirates are quite well known, actually, at least if you are studying NHL history.
P.S. Their logo is so ugly!
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City, New York, from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the NHL and the second to play in the United States.
Their name was basically a knockoff of the Canadiens, which is cringeworthy. They did play in the NHL for almost two decades, so they are very well known. But they are old, so they still make it on the list.
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the NHL that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They are very well known and shouldn't really be on this list, but all the other teams that I haven't used yet are even more popular.
But who knows, maybe there are some people who haven't heard of them. Anyways, this concludes my list of the top ten least popular NHL teams. I hope you liked it. Have a great day!