text: The club was founded in 1926 as one of the league 's first American franchises , joining in the same year as the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings ( then known as the Detroit Cougars ) .
simplified: The team was started in 1926 as one of the league 's first American teams , joining in the same year as the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings ( then known as the Detroit Cougars ) .