The NHL Belt · era belt
The belt since the Original Six era began
From 1942–43 the NHL was the six-team league fans remember; this belt starts with that season's opener. Montréal Canadiens won that game against Boston Bruins, 3–2 on October 31, 1942.
2,990Reigns since 1942–43
2,990Title changes
34Franchises that held it
Golden KnightsHolder today
Start the NHL belt with Montréal Canadiens’ win on October 31, 1942 and it takes a different path for 4 reigns: on November 19, 1942 the new line and the original line land in the same hands, and from that day on they never differ again. Every reign since is the same reign on both belts, so this page is the era's record book rather than a second history.
Where the two lines differed
| # | Holder | From | To | Def. | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montréal Canadiens | Oct 31, 1942 | Nov 7, 1942 | 0 | first game |
| 2 | New York Rangers | Nov 7, 1942 | Nov 8, 1942 | 0 | beat Canadiens 4–3 |
| 3 | Montréal Canadiens | Nov 8, 1942 | Nov 14, 1942 | 1 | beat Rangers 10–4 |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings | Nov 14, 1942 | Nov 19, 1942 | 1 | beat Canadiens 5–2 |
The era's record book
Most days held since 1942–43
| 1 | Montréal Canadiens | 4,043 |
| 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3,031 |
| 3 | Detroit Red Wings | 2,487 |
| 4 | Chicago Blackhawks | 2,013 |
| 5 | Boston Bruins | 2,004 |
| 6 | New York Rangers | 1,755 |
| 7 | Edmonton Oilers | 1,502 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1,123 |
| 9 | New York Islanders | 1,054 |
| 10 | Colorado Avalanche | 944 |
Most reigns since 1942–43
Most defenses since 1942–43
Longest reigns of the era
| # | Reign | Defenses | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia FlyersNov 4, 1979 – Jan 7, 1980 | 26 | 64 |
| 2 | Montréal CanadiensDec 23, 1977 – Feb 25, 1978 | 25 | 64 |
| 3 | Edmonton OilersMay 15, 1984 – Nov 11, 1984 | 17 | 180 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh PenguinsMay 17, 1992 – Oct 29, 1992 | 17 | 165 |
| 5 | Boston BruinsApr 14, 1970 – Oct 29, 1970 | 15 | 198 |
| 6 | Montréal CanadiensJan 13, 1945 – Mar 3, 1945 | 15 | 49 |
| 7 | Boston BruinsJan 2, 1969 – Feb 6, 1969 | 15 | 35 |
| 8 | Detroit Red WingsFeb 27, 1955 – Apr 7, 1955 | 14 | 39 |
| 9 | Montréal CanadiensOct 25, 1959 – Dec 2, 1959 | 14 | 38 |
| 10 | Chicago Black HawksJan 14, 1967 – Feb 18, 1967 | 14 | 35 |