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Expansion SixThe Expansion Six were the six teams added to the National Hockey League for the 1967-68 NHL season. This marked the first change in the composition of the league since 1942, when the New York Americans folded. The six teams added were the: The Expansion was brought on by fears of a competing league taking hold on the west coast, and by the want for a new TV contract in the US, much like the ones Major League Baseball and the National Football League received. All the cities, except for the Pennsylvania ones, were outside the Northeastern grid of the Original Six, and locations were chosen specifically to broaden the appeal of the league. Many were upset over the expansion. Canadian fans were irate that no Canadian teams were added, even though Vancouver put forward a bid (Baltimore was also a favourite that did not receive a slot). Many traditionalists did not like the idea of expansion, saying it would dilute the talent in the league. Even proponents of expansion worried at the idea of immediately adding 6 teams, instead of easing teams in gradually (like baseball). Most experts agreed that the new owners paid a heavy price to join the league: expansion fees were high (around $2 million US, a very hefty sum then), players in the very strict expansion draft were a hefty $50,000, and most teams had no hope of competing in the near future. One advantage of the expansion, however, was that the teams were all lumped into the newly-formed West Division, and after the playoffs, one of the Expansion teams got to play in the Stanley Cup finals. The new teams offered a big change to the league. After seeing virtually the same red/blue/black uniforms for over 20 years, purple, green, Sky blue, and orange were introduced. Players on the expansion teams were obviously outclassed by the older teams, and some games were not pretty. The Blues, featuring former legends Doug Harvey, Jacques Plante, and future coaching legend Scotty Bowman, were definitely the class of the group, and were the first Expansion Six team to make it to the finals. They would repeat as the West division's representative twice, being swept all three times they made it. The Flyers would be the first team from the expansion group to win the Cup in 1974. The expansion of 1967 was the end of an era, and the begining of a new one. The 6 owners of the NHL, who ruled the game with an iron fist, now had new company, with "radical" ideas for league growth. The expansion, Bobby Orr's record contract, and the World Hockey Association forever changed the landscape of the North American professional game.
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