The Original Six refers to the six foundation clubs in the National Hockey League. The teams are the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, who can trace their playing roots back to 1917, and the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers, who came on board in the early 1920's. These six teams essentially were the NHL from 1926 until 1967, when the first expansion took place and six more franchises were added.

In this day and age of new teams with trendy nicknames and focus-group coordinated colours - hello San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators et al - the Original Six represent something pure and traditional about a game that was developed on the ponds of the Great White North.

Unfortunately, the success rate of these original clubs in recent times has been woeful. Only Detroit, which has won four Stanley Cups in the past thirteen years, can be considered a hockey power. New York last won the Cup in 1994, Montreal in 1993. It's been an eternity since Boston (1972), Toronto (1967) or Chicago (1961) has carried Lord Stanley's trophy.

That could all change this year. As the NHL playoffs move into the Conference Semi-Finals, with eight teams remaining, there looms the possibility of a Stanley Cup Final between two Original Six clubs. That hasn't happened since 1979, when the Canadiens beat the Rangers.

Sure it's a longshot, since Montreal's upset of Washington in the East means it must now face the powerful defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. And Boston's elimination of Buffalo puts them up against the tough Philadelphia Flyers. The West has more likely candidates in Chicago which will be slightly favoured over Vancouver, and wily Detroit, up against San Jose.

There's actually a sense of history about this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. Of the eight teams remaining - besides the four Original Six teams, two (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) are from the 1967 expansion, and one (Vancouver) came into the league in 1971.

Only San Jose, which began play as an expansion team in 1991, can be considered a Johnny-come-lately. Ironically, the Sharks are somewhat of a sentimental favourite too, because they've been so good over the past four regular seasons, but have choked big-time in the playoffs.

The NHL is a quirky mixture of teams, with traditional, hardcore hockey cities like Toronto, Detroit and Montreal mixed together with those from Commissioner Gary Bettman's "Sun Belt" migration plan: Nashville, Anaheim, Miami, Tampa Bay, Phoenix and Atlanta. Come playoff time, if your club is knocked out early, the tendency is to support a team from a hockey city or a team that hasn't won in awhile. Or perhaps, a Canadian team.

One of the reasons Canadians were so wrapped up in their Olympic ice hockey gold medal was because no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since 1993. Plenty have come close in recent years, with Ottawa (2007), Edmonton (2006) and Calgary (2004) all losing in the Finals.

So the dream of the Original Six lives on for now. Check back in a month's time. We'll probably have San Jose against Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Finals and hockey traditionalists will have to wait yet another year.