All the Right Moves? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cleveland Barons

The California Seals joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1967. The name was short-lived as they became the Oakland Seals in December of that same year. Another name change in 1970 made them the California Golden Seals.

After years of financial struggles, the team made the transition to Cleveland in 1976, where they took on the name of the city's former AHL franchise.

Answer: Colorado Rockies

The Kansas City Scouts began their NHL existence in 1974 alongside the Washington Capitals, yet while the Scouts had a more successful product than their expansion counterparts, they could not manage their financial house. In their two years in Kansas City, the Scouts averaged just over 8,000 spectators a game... in an arena that seated 17,000!

Buried in debt, the franchise owners sold to a group that moved the team to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche (in 1976).

Answer: Minnesota North Stars

Not long after moving from Oakland (just two years later in 1978), the Cleveland Barons effected a move to Minneapolis and a merge with the Minnesota North Stars. The Barons had continued to struggle after their relocation, and the North Stars (in the NHL since 1967) were not faring much better.

Granted, this particular relocation is a tad different than the others in this quiz, as one team essentially absorbed the other, but the Barons *did* still move their franchise to a new city in the process.

Answer: Calgary Flames

The Atlanta Flames joined the NHL in 1972, but despite their best efforts, were never successful enough at the gate to sustain operations. They peaked in their second year, averaging over 14,000 spectators per game, but as they struggled on the ice, the attendance dropped. With just over 10,000 fans coming per game (on average) from 1977 until they moved in 1980, it was an inevitability.

Calgary welcomed their new franchise with open arms, and within a decade, had won the Stanley Cup (1989).

Answer: New Jersey Devils

The Colorado Rockies began their franchise existence as the Kansas City Scouts in 1974, coming to Denver in 1976. In the mile-high city, they survived until 1982, only making the playoffs once in that time (with a losing record in a weak division), and getting swept by the Philadelphia Flyers.

A new owner and a new vision moved the team to Newark and became the New Jersey Devils. It would be another six years before they made the playoffs again, but eventually the Devils would go on to win the Stanley Cup three times between 1994 and 2003.

Answer: Dallas Stars

The Minnesota North Stars came into being as an expansion franchise in 1967, then absorbed the failing Cleveland Barons in 1978 while also in the midst of financial struggles themselves. The merge seemed to have done the trick for a while, even making it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1991 (losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins).

But not less than two years later, the team's record of low attendance and the failure to procure a new arena led to a move to Dallas in 1993. Just a few years later, the Dallas Stars would win their first Stanley Cup (1999).

Answer: Colorado Avalanche

The Québec Nordiques were a WHA franchise that transitioned to the NHL when the WHA folded in 1979. In the early 1990s, rising player salaries and a weak Canadian dollar led to instability in many Canadian markets, and the Nordiques were the first to succumb to the financial pressures in 1995. Even with a strong on-ice product (finishing top of the Eastern Conference) that year, it could not prevent the move to Colorado.

Management chose not to rejuvenate the old Colorado Rockies name, and the Colorado Avalanche were born. That very next year, the Avalanche won their first Stanley Cup.

Answer: Phoenix Coyotes

The same financial pressures that caused the Québec Nordiques to move south also brought about the end of the Winnipeg Jets. They, too, were a WHA franchise that moved into the NHL in 1979, but they lasted a year longer than their French counterparts.

In spite of a huge grassroots attempt to keep the team in Winnipeg, the franchise made the move to Glendale, AZ and became the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2014, the team changed their name to become the Arizona Coyotes.

Answer: Carolina Hurricanes

Yet another former WHA franchise that found difficulties in the mid-1990s. The Hartford Whalers became an NHL franchise in 1979, and made the move to Raleigh to become the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997. Poor attendance and a lack of corporate support were the primary reasons behind the move, according to owner Peter Karmanos, who purchased the team in 1994.

The Carolina Hurricanes finally found success with their first Stanley Cup win in 2006.

Answer: Winnipeg Jets

After losing the Atlanta Flames 1980, the city had to wait 19 years before getting another chance at an NHL franchise. The Atlanta Thrashers joined as an expansion team in 1999, but never really found success, only making the playoffs once in their 12 years in Georgia.

In 2011, the franchise moved to Winnipeg, becoming the new incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets, giving Manitobans a second chance for NHL success.