The National Hockey League's greatest expansion took place in 1967, when the league added six teams to double its size.

Three of the new franchises -- Minnesota, Los Angeles and Oakland -- were giving their areas their first exposure to the National Hockey League, but in St. Louis, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, it was something of a second coming.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were one of the first U.S.-based teams in the NHL, lasting four seasons before moving to Philadelphia where they played as the Quakers. The new team played the first NHL game in the city of Brotherly Love on November 11, 1930, losing 3-0 to the New York Rangers.

Philadelphia managed to win only four games that season, and folded after the campaign ended.

The same fate awaited the city of St. Louis only a few years later when it took over the old Ottawa Senators franchise.

Ottawa was one of the NHL's original franchises, and the winner of three Stanley Cups in the 1920s. But when the new decade began along with the Great Depression, the Senators found themselves struggling to meet the salaries being earned by their star players.

In an effort to cut costs, the Senators started selling off players and then finally moved to St. Louis where they became known as the Eagles.

On November 8, 1934, a crowd of 12,600 fans in St. Louis got their first taste of NHL hockey. The new team folded after only one season, but the seeds for the game were planted in Missouri, and 33 years later, it would grow into a new team known as the Blues.

Here are some of the other memorable events that took place in hockey history during the week of Nov. 8-14.

November 8

Phil Housley(Allsport)   When the Buffalo Sabres selected a high school defenseman named Phil Housley from Minnesota in the first round of the 1982 draft, they figured he had the skills that could help them right away. They were right. Housley made the team that fall, and has been in the NHL ever since. Now with the Calgary Flames, Housley has played for six teams in his career, always adding an important offensive element to his clubs. On this date in 1997, he reached a personal milestone while a member of the Capitals, reaching the 1,000-point mark for his career. He was just the second U.S.-born player to do so and the fifth defenseman.

November 9

Claude Provost (Hockey Online)    Claude Provost used to say he'd lose 10 pounds during whenever his team played the Chicago Blackhawks because his assignment was to shadow Bobby Hull. He was always given the job because he was a great checker, but Provost, who played 15 years with the Montreal Canadiens beginning in 1955, could also contribute some offense. In fact, his 254 goals and 589 points rank him 12th on Montreal's all-time scoring list. Provost's name is on nine Stanley Cups, but it also went into the record books on this date in 1957 when he scored four seconds into the second period of a game against Boston, the fastest goal in history after the start of a period.

November 10

Glenn Hall (Hockey Online)    He was known as the 'butterfly' for developing a style of goaltending that is quite common today, but Glenn Hall would probably be better described as an ironman. In an era when teams relied on one goaltender, Hall proved to be the most reliable of all. Beginning in the 1955 season with Detroit, and then continuing with the Chicago Blackhawks, Hall began a remarkable string of 503 consecutive games played between the pipes. The streak came to an end on this date in 1962, when Hall was forced to sit out a game against Montreal after suffering a pulled muscle in his back three nights earlier in Boston.

November 12

Bep Guidolin (Hockey Online)    It isn't unusual for athletes to make it to the NHL after they finish high school, but no one has ever made it at a younger age than Armand 'Bep' Guidolin. On this date in 1942, Guidolin made his debut for the Boston Bruins, skating on the ice against Toronto when he was only 16 years, 11 months and three days old. Guidolin played a total of nine seasons for Boston, Detroit and Chicago and later went on to serve behind the bench for the Bruins, co-coaching them to the Stanley Cup in 1971-72.

November 13

Steve Yzerman(Allsport)   Steve Yzerman has had a Hall of Fame career and within the next few weeks he will join the elite group of players who have scored 600 goals in their careers. On this date in 1992, he joined another select group of players when he scored for the 400th time in his career helping the Detroit Red Wings skate to an easy 8-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

November 14

Gordie Howe(Allsport)   The names Howe and Hull immediately bring to mind great hockey achievements and this date in history represents milestones for both. On November 14, 1964, Gordie Howe scored his 627th career goal (including playoffs) to surpass Maurice Richard and become the NHL's all-time leading scorer. Exactly 24 years later, Brett Hull of the Dallas Stars had a goal and two assists to reach the 1,000-point plateau, joining his legendary father Bobby as the only father and son to get to that level in a career.