from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,

Today, as in 1967, fans wonder where the quality players will come from to stock so many teams — at least until the Vegas Golden Knights win their first Stanley Cup.

“The NHL is definitely not a watered-down product,” said Hall of Fame exec Cliff Fletcher, who started the Atlanta Flames from scratch and turned them into Cup champions in Calgary. “And that’s because the first expansion had a tremendous impact. You had six more U.S. teams, more player opportunity, more chances for coaching development.

“All you have to do is look at (Toronto’s potential Calder Trophy winner) Auston Matthews, who took to hockey after watching the Arizona Coyotes, or Shayne Gostisbehere, who learned the game in Florida. The talent is increasing.”

Fletcher started with the Blues, expansion’s initial success story, which led the Western Division for three straight years. They failed to win a Cup final game, but built a strong program, had Scotty Bowman behind the bench and passionate fans in the stands.

“Expansion was good for hockey, though there was no parity between the East and West at the start,” Blues goalie Glenn Hall said. “It made jobs available and created interest through North America. We’d have had trouble calling ourselves a major sport without it. We represented our division very well. We wanted to prove to the Original Six owners that they weren’t the smartest animals in the jungle.”

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