The North American Hockey League was a minor professional hockey league that operated for four seasons, from 1973 to 1977. It was primarily based in the Northeastern part of the United States. The NAHL was a direct descendant of the Eastern Hockey League, which had operated from 1933 to 1973.
On May 1, 1973, the Eastern Hockey League voted to dissolve and split into two separate leagues, one in the north (NAHL) and one in the south (SHL).There had been dissatisfaction between the northern and southern teams - the two divisions rarely played each other because of the expense of travel, and the SHL teams felt that they were being held back by the smaller buildings in the north. Four of the southern EHL teams announced that they would leave the league, instigating the dissolution of the league.
The NAHL had seven founding teams, four of which had previously operated in the EHL - the Johnstown Jets, Cape Cod Cubs, Syracuse Blazers, and Mohawk Valley Comets. They were... [Click for more] joined by three new teams - the Long Island Cougars, Binghamton Dusters, and Maine Nordiques.