drafted_by brandon nolan
The 1979 merger of the NHL and WHA was the culmination of several years of negotiations between the National Hockey League ( NHL ) and the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) that resulted in four WHA franchises , the ___MASK80___ , New England Whalers , ___MASK94___ , and Winnipeg Jets joining the NHL for the 1979  80 season . The agreement ended the seven - year existence of the WHA and re - established the NHL as the lone major league in North American professional ice hockey . The ___MASK91___ are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo , New York . They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ). The team was established in 1970 , along with the ___MASK89___ , when the league expanded to 14 teams . They have played at KeyBank Center since 1996 . Prior to that , the ___MASK91___ played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium from the start of the franchise in 1970 . The Sabres are owned by Terry Pegula and coached by Dan Bylsma . The ___MASK44___ are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit , Michigan . They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) and are one of the Original Six teams of the league . Founded in 1926 , the team was known as the Detroit Cougars from then until 1930 . For the 1930  31 and 1931  32 seasons the team was called the Detroit Falcons , and in 1932 changed their name to the Red Wings . The ___MASK13___ were an American professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford , Connecticut . The club played in the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) from 1972 until 1979 , and in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) from 1979 to 1997 . Originally based in Boston , the team joined the WHA in the league ' s inaugural season , and was known as the New England Whalers throughout its time in the WHA . The Whalers moved to Hartford in 1974 and joined the NHL in the NHL  WHA merger of 1979 . The ___MASK74___ are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles . They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ). The team was founded on June 5 , 1967 , after Jack Kent Cooke was awarded an NHL expansion franchise for Los Angeles on February 9 , 1966 , becoming one of the six teams that began play as part of the 1967 NHL expansion . The Kings called The Forum in Inglewood , California ( a suburb of Los Angeles ), their home for thirty - two years until they moved to the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles to start the 1999  2000 season . Theodore John Nolan ( born April 7 , 1958 ) is a Canadian former professional hockey left winger , former head coach of the ___MASK91___ and Latvia men ' s national ice hockey team . He played 3 seasons in the National Hockey League for the ___MASK44___ and Penguins . He also coached for the ___MASK91___ and New York Islanders , after serving as assistant coach for one season with the Hartford Whalers . On November 13 , 2013 , the ___MASK91___ re - hired Nolan as interim head coach ; he remained in the Sabres ' head coach position until April 12 , 2015 . The ___MASK27___ are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh , North Carolina . They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ). The Hurricanes play their home games at the 18 , 680 - seat PNC Arena . The franchise was formed in 1971 as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ), and joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL  WHA merger , renaming themselves the ___MASK13___ . The team relocated to North Carolina in 1997 and won its first Stanley Cup during the 2005  06 season , beating the Edmonton Oilers , four games to three . The ___MASK60___ are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City . They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ). The team plays its home games at Barclays Center , located in the borough of Brooklyn . The Islanders are one of three NHL franchises in the New York metropolitan area , along with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers , and their primary geographic fan base resides on Long Island . Jack Kent Cooke ( October 25 , 1912  April 6 , 1997 ) was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins ( NFL ), the ___MASK72___ ( NBA ), the Los Angeles Kings ( NHL ), and the Los Angeles Wolves ( United Soccer Association ). He also developed The Forum in Inglewood , California and FedExField near Landover , Maryland . Darren ( Brandon ) Nolan ( born July 18 , 1983 ) is a retired ice hockey centre , who last played for the ___MASK27___ of the National Hockey League . He is the son of former NHL player and NHL coach Ted Nolan . His brother Jordan Nolan plays for the ___MASK74___ . The ___MASK80___ are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton , Alberta . They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ).