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Pendant 25 saisons d’affilée, six équipes seulement feront partie de la LNH : les Blackhawks (orthographié à tort en deux mots, Black Hawks, jusqu'en 1986) de Chicago, les Bruins de Boston, le Canadien de Montréal, les Maple Leafs de Toronto, les Rangers de New York et les Red Wings de Detroit. Pour plusieurs experts, l’ajout, en 1942–1943, d’une ligne rouge au centre de la patinoire marque le début de la modernité dans le hockey professionnel.
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“In September [1942], a few days before his marriage to Lucille Norchet, [Richard] signed his first professional contract with the Montreal Canadiens (known in English Canada as the Habs, for Habitants). At the time he began his initial season in the [National Hockey League], the league had just undergone two important changes. Between 1926 and 1931 it had ten teams. The depression, followed by World War II, forced four to withdraw. These were: in 1931 the Pittsburgh Pirates of Pennsylvania (founded in Philadelphia as the Quakers for the 1930–31 season); in 1935 the Ottawa Senators (founded in St Louis, Mo., as the Eagles for the 1934–35 season); in 1938 the Montreal Maroons; and in 1942 the New York Americans (called the Brooklyn Americans during the 1941–42 season). For 25 consecutive seasons there would be only six teams: the Chicago Blackhawks (incorrectly written as two words, Black Hawks, until 1986), the Boston Bruins, the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers, and the Detroit Red Wings. Many experts think that the addition of a red line at centre ice, in 1942–43, marked the beginning of modern professional hockey. Since 1919–20 there had been two blue lines, and forward passes had been permitted within each zone, but in order to move the puck across the blue line a player had to have possession of it. With the addition of the red line, passing was permitted from behind the net and across the blue line, as far as centre ice.”
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