CHL Logo Maps

The original plan was to put all 60 Canadian Hockey League teams in the same map, but that was just too overwhelming to look at. Instead, I've given all three leagues their own logo maps.

OHL Logo Map

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Despite its name, the Ontario Hockey League does branch out into the United States, Pennsylvania and Michigan, to be exact. And aside from Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and Ottawa, it's a rather tight-knit league. The two closest teams, in Brampton and Mississauga, are literally down the road from one another.

Basically, this map tells me that if you live in or around Toronto, there is absolutely no shortage of hockey games to attend. Probably why the NHL is reluctant to let Jim Balsillie put a franchise in Hamilton.

QMJHL Logo Map

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The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is the smallest and most compact of the Canadian leagues. Seven of the 18 teams play outside Quebec's provincial borders, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. There's even an American team in Maine.

The Huskies and Foreurs are the most removed from the rest of the league. The Voltigeurs and Tigres are the closest neighbors. And the Olympiques play just across the river from the OHL's Ottawa 67s.

WHL Logo Map

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We finish up with the Western Hockey League, the most spread out league in the CHL. The Prince George Cougars and Brandon Wheat Kings appear to be the most remote clubs. Lucky for them, the groupings throughout the rest of the league must certainly help with travel costs. The closest teams are probably the Pats and Warriors.

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One more thing. If you really want to see all 60 teams in one single map, I recommend saving all three to My Maps and viewing them together that way. It's actually quite a sight.

ECHL Logo Map

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As expected, here's the ECHL logo map. We thought the Heat had it rough in the AHL, but they've got nothing on the Alaska Aces. It's great seeing a pro hockey team in Alaska, but the money they must spend on travel!

As for the rest of the league, there's a clear divide between east and west. A 1,600-mile divide, actually. The Great Plains are completely devoid of ECHL action. But the map will fill in a little bit next season when a new franchise begins play outside of Chicago.

And because there are only 19 teams, there aren't too many clumps — the closest teams are in Reading and Trenton. It's also surprising to see Canada is only represented by a single team. Shame. But the ECHL is home to my closest team, geographically, the Florida Everblades.

AHL Logo Map

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Yesterday's NHL map was such a hit I figured you guys would enjoy the AHL today. It's crazy to look at this one. I can't believe the concentration of teams in New England. Plus, New York has five teams while Illinois and Texas each have three. What about the west?!

The Abbotsford Heat and Manitoba Moose might as well play in Europe with as far as they have to travel during the season. I'm honestly floored. I never realized how lopsided the AHL map was until this morning.

What are you thoughts on the AHL's spread of locations?

NHL Logo Map

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Just threw this together this morning. A little something to pass the time, I suppose, while news is light. It's a cool way to get an overall geographical look at the NHL. If you guys like it, no reason we can't do other leagues.

By the way, I recommend zooming in for a good look around the northeast. Lots of teams clumped together up there. Also, Terrain view reduces the clutter of roads and things.

Some observations: 

• Never considered how remote the Stars and Avalanche are.
• Do the Devils walk to Madison Square Garden when they play the Rangers?
• Southernmost team: Florida Panthers
• Northernmost team: Edmonton Oilers
• Westernmost team: Vancouver Canucks
• Easternmost team: Boston Bruins

Share any observations of your own in the comments. Or feel free to tell me this map was a waste of time. Just remember that aside from this, not much else to report lately.

Update on Thursday · Jul 22 · 2010 | 10:57 PM PDT by Chris

NHL Heritage Map 1967

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More maps!

That's what I keep hearing from you guys. So here's what the NHL looked like after the first expansion in 1967. It's part of our NHL Heritage Map series, which will also include maps from 1974, 1979, 1993 and 1997 — all key transformational years for the league.

And of course I'll get to all the minor leagues as well. ECHL is up next. Then maybe CHL? — and by that I mean Canadian Hockey League. All 60 teams in one map. Whatever you guys choose.

Update on Tuesday · Jul 27 · 2010 | 8:32 AM PDT by Chris

NHL Heritage Map 1974

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Here is the second in a series of five NHL Heritage maps. This is what the league looked like in 1974-75 season.

I chose '74 because it was the culminating year of a handful of expansions. After the first big expansion of 1967, Buffalo and Vancouver were added to the map in 1970 along with Long Island and Atlanta in '72. Then Kansas City and Washington joined the NHL in 1974 — bringing us to a total 18 teams.

Up next is 1979 when the WHA folded and a few teams found their way into the NHL.

Update on Tuesday · Aug 3 · 2010 | 11:24 AM PDT by Chris

NHL Heritage Map 1979

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Today we travel back to 1979 for the newest NHL Heritage Map. Take a good look at the logos of the NHL in the 1979-80 season.

I selected 1979 because it was year that saw the NHL expand by taking on teams from the failed WHA. The Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and New England (now called Hartford) Whalers managed to survive the storm and increased the size of the NHL to 21 teams.

So what else changed in the five years between the '74 and '79 maps? Not much. The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver in 1976 and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1978, the Vancouver Canucks got a new logo, something they would make a habit out of over the years, and the California Seals franchise, known as the Cleveland Barons beginning in 1976, ceased to exist.

For the next Heritage Map, we'll jump ahead 14 years to 1993.