U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for December 19

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 19: NHL

Profile America — Monday, December 19th.  One of the fastest games in all of sports got off to a slow start on this date in 1917, as the National Hockey League played its first games. That season, there were five teams in the new league two in Montreal — the Canadiens and the Wanderers — the Ottawa Senators, the Quebec Bulldogs, and the Toronto Arenas.  Only one team had artificial ice.  The next year, the NHL was down to only three teams.  The first American team admitted to the league was the Boston Bruins in the 1923-24 season.  Now, there are 30 teams in the U.S. and Canada.  Last year, 21 million fans attended NHL games, and another 1.7 million came to the playoffs.  Millions more watch annually on television.  Profile America is in its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: 440 International Calendar of Events, Those Were the Days
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1245

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau