None of the five players — Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, Dillon Dubé of the Calgary Flames, Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers and former NHLer Alex Formenton — appeared on the video link in the procedural hearing.

The National Hockey League was formed. The original teams were the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Arenas. Two games, two Montreal teams: On this, the first day of NHL play in history, the Montreal Wanderers played the Toronto Arenas on Wanderers' home ice.

On December 4, 2018, the league announced a 32nd franchise in Seattle, later named the Seattle Kraken, which joined in the 2021–22 season. On April 18, 2024, the Arizona Coyotes suspended operations and sold their hockey assets, including players and other personnel, to a new team in Salt Lake City, Utah.