West Division (NHL)

The West Division of the National Hockey League existed from 1967, when the NHL was made up of a single division, until 1974 when the league realigned its format into two conferences of two divisions each.

In 1967 the NHL doubled in size, going from six teams to twelve. The Original Six, as the pre-1967 teams were known, were grouped into the East Division, while the expansion teams were placed into the new West Division. This was done in order to keep teams of similar strength in the same division, regardless of geographic distance.

When the NHL expanded again in 1970, the two new teams, the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres, were placed into the stronger East Division. To create a more balanced alignment, the Chicago Black Hawks were transferred into the West Division. The NHL expanded again in 1972; each division was given one of the expansion clubs, with the New York Islanders joining the East Division.

By 1974, another two teams entered the league, and the league underwent a major overhaul. The East and West Divisions were renamed the Prince of Wales and Clarence Campbell Conferences, respectively, composed of nine teams each. The conferences were further divided into two divisions: the Norris and Adams Divisions for the Wales Conference; the Patrick and Smythe Divisions for the Campbell Conference. Because the Conferences were not composed based on geography, the league opted to name the conferences and divisions after historical figures associated with the NHL.

Composition of the West Division

 * Philadelphia Flyers (1967–74)
 * Los Angeles Kings (1967–74)
 * St. Louis Blues (1967–74)
 * Minnesota North Stars (1967–74)
 * Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–74)
 * California Seals (1967), Oakland Seals (1967–70), California Golden Seals (1970–74)
 * Chicago Black Hawks (1970–74)
 * Atlanta Flames (1972–74)

Final Standings, 1968–74
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold

Stanley Cup champions produced

 * 1973–74 - Philadelphia Flyers