National Hockey League

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America with 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the top professional ice hockey league in the world. The Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional sports trophy, is awarded each year to the league's playoff champion. The NHL's headquarters are in New York City, with additional offices in Toronto and Montreal.

The NHL was created on November 26, 1917, in Montreal after the National Hockey Association stopped operating. It began with four Canadian teams and later expanded to include teams in the United States. From 1942 to 1967, the league had only six teams, known as the "Original Six." The NHL grew over time, adding teams through expansions and reaching 32 teams today. The league's regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The top 16 teams then compete in the Stanley Cup playoffs to determine the champion. The Montreal Canadiens have won the most NHL titles, with 25 wins. The Florida Panthers are the current champions, having won in 2025.

History

Main article: History of the National Hockey League

Early years

The National Hockey League (NHL) started in 1917, replacing an older league called the National Hockey Association. This new league had teams from places like Ontario and Quebec. The first games were played in December 1917. Over the years, more teams joined, and the league grew.

The NHL competed for a special trophy called the Stanley Cup. Teams played for this trophy for many years. In the 1920s, the NHL added more teams, including the first American team, the Boston Bruins.

Original Six era

Main article: Original Six

During tough times like the Great Depression and World War II, some teams left the NHL. By 1942, only six teams remained: the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. These six teams stayed together for many years.

In 1945, a player named Maurice "Rocket" Richard scored 50 goals in a season, a big achievement at the time.

Expansion era

By the 1960s, the NHL decided to grow bigger. The league added many new teams, including the Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers. Later, more teams joined from places like Vancouver and Washington.

Famous players like Wayne Gretzky joined the NHL and set many records. The league continued to add teams over the years, reaching 32 teams today.

Labour issues

There have been times when players and the NHL disagreed about rules and money. These disagreements sometimes led to games being canceled. In 2005, a new agreement was made that helped the league continue.

Player safety issues

Keeping players safe has become very important in the NHL. Players can get hurt, especially from hits to the head. The league has worked to make rules to protect players better.

Women in the NHL

Women have also made important steps in the NHL. In the 1990s, a woman named Manon Rhéaume became the first woman to play in a professional game. Since then, more women have taken on roles as coaches and even referees in the NHL.

Teams

See also: National Hockey League all-time results, List of defunct and relocated National Hockey League teams, and Potential National Hockey League expansion

The NHL has 32 teams, with 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. These teams are split evenly between the Eastern and Western conferences. Each conference has two divisions, with 16 teams in each conference and 8 in each division. The Eastern Conference includes the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, while the Western Conference includes the Central and Pacific divisions.

The NHL had 30 teams from the 2000–01 season until 2017. Two new teams joined in that time: the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 2017, the league grew to 31 teams with the Vegas Golden Knights, and then to 32 teams in 2021 with the Seattle Kraken.

Notes:

1. An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the individual team articles for more information.
2. The Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes), Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche), and original Winnipeg Jets (relocated as Arizona Coyotes) all joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL–WHA merger.

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of the National Hockey League

Organizational structure

The Board of Governors is the main group that makes decisions for the NHL. Each team in the league has a Governor, usually the team's owner, who helps make important choices for the league. The Board meets twice a year to talk about changes to rules, the league schedule, and other important matters.

The league is led by a commissioner, who is the top leader. There are also other important leaders who help manage different parts of the league, such as hockey operations and player safety. These leaders work together to make sure the league runs smoothly.

Rules

The NHL has its own set of rules for playing ice hockey, which are different from the rules used in international tournaments like the Olympics. These rules come from early ice hockey games and have been changed over time to make the game better and safer.

The NHL uses a specific size for the ice rink and has special rules for goalies to prevent them from handling the puck in certain areas. The league has made many rule changes to improve the game, like changing offside rules to help teams score more goals. If a player fights another player, they get a major penalty and must sit out for a set time. Players are not allowed to gamble, and there are strict rules against using performance-enhancing substances.

If a game is tied after regular time, there is an overtime period where teams play with fewer players. If it's still tied, a shootout decides the winner. In the playoffs, teams keep playing extra periods until someone scores.

Season structure

Main article: Season structure of the NHL

See also: List of NHL seasons

The National Hockey League season has three parts: the preseason, the regular season, and the postseason. The preseason happens in September and early October, with teams playing exhibition games to get ready. The regular season starts in early October and goes until mid-April. During this time, teams play a set number of games against other teams. Each team plays 82 games in the regular season.

The postseason is called the Stanley Cup playoffs. It starts in April and goes until June. Teams compete in a series of games, and the winner moves on to the next round. The last team left is the Stanley Cup champion.

Entry draft

Main article: NHL entry draft

The NHL holds an annual entry draft in June. This draft lets teams pick new players from junior, college, or European leagues. The order in which teams pick is set by how they finished in the previous season, playoff results, and a special lottery. Teams that did not make the playoffs have a chance to pick early in the draft, with the team that finished last having the best chance to get the first pick. After the lottery, the rest of the order is based on how teams finished in the regular season and their playoff performance.

Trophies and awards

Main article: List of National Hockey League awards

The biggest award for teams in the NHL is the Stanley Cup. This special prize is given to the team that wins the playoffs at the end of the season. Another important award is the Presidents' Trophy, given to the team with the most points during the regular season.

The Montreal Canadiens have won the most championships in NHL history. They have won the Stanley Cup many times since the league began in 1917. Other successful teams include the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. The Stanley Cup is different from other trophies because the same cup is used every year. The names of the winning teams and players are added to the cup each year.

There are also many awards for individual players. Some of these are based on statistics, like the Art Ross Trophy for the player with the most points. Others are voted on by writers or team managers, such as the Hart Memorial Trophy for the most valuable player. The Conn Smythe Trophy is given to the best player in the playoffs, and the Jack Adams Award goes to the top coach.

Players and coaches who have amazing careers can be voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Usually, players have to wait three years after retiring before they can be considered, but sometimes this rule is broken for very special players.

Origin of players

Further information: List of NHL statistical leaders by country

When the NHL began, most players were from Canada. By the early 1970s, over 95% of players were Canadian. Over time, more American players joined, and by the late 1980s, about 15% of players were from the United States.

After political changes in 1989, players from countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Russia could come to the NHL. Players from Sweden, Finland, and other European countries also joined in larger numbers. Since the 1990s, many top NHL players have come from Europe.

Today, NHL teams have players from many countries. As of the 2024–25 season, players from 18 countries are in the NHL, with most still coming from Canada and the United States, and many others from Sweden, Russia, and Finland.

Corporate sponsors

The NHL has many official partners that help support the league. In the United States, Discover Card is the official credit card, and Dunkin' Donuts is the sponsor for coffee and doughnuts. In Canada, Visa is the official credit card, and Tim Hortons is the official coffee and doughnuts chain.

Starting with the 2020–21 NHL season, the NHL began allowing ads on players' helmets during games. From the 2022–23 season, the league also added advertising to the front of team jerseys. In May 2021, the NHL also partnered with the sports-betting company Betway to become the official sports betting partner in North America.

Media coverage

See also: List of current National Hockey League broadcasters

Canada

In Canada, watching hockey games has been a long-standing tradition, starting with the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada since 1952, and even earlier on radio in the 1920s.

Today, Rogers Communications holds the rights to show NHL games across Canada. Their deal, worth C$5.2 billion over 12 years, started in the 2014–15 season. Rogers shows most games on its Sportsnet channels, with special Saturday night games on Hockey Night in Canada. Quebecor Media shows games in French on its TVA Sports channel.

United States

In the United States, showing NHL games on TV has been more challenging compared to other sports. Before 1995, many TV networks showed NHL games, but often only a few during the season and playoffs. After 1995, coverage split between cable and broadcast TV. From 1995 to 1999, Fox and ESPN showed games, followed by ABC and ESPN until 2004. Then, NBC and OLN (later Versus, then NBCSN) took over until 2021.

Starting with the 2021–22 season, ESPN and TNT (formerly Turner) Sports have new agreements. ESPN shows games on ABC or ESPN, and streams many games on ESPN+ and Hulu. TNT shows games and shares playoff coverage with TBS, with the Stanley Cup Final alternating between ABC and TNT.

NHL Network

Main articles: NHL Network (American TV channel) and NHL Network (Canadian TV channel)

The NHL Network is a TV channel focused on hockey. It shows a popular show called NHL Tonight and also airs live games, often sharing broadcasts from local teams.

Out-of-market packages

NHL Centre Ice in Canada and NHL Center Ice in the United States are services that let fans watch games from other teams through their cable or satellite providers.

The NHL also offers NHL GameCenter Live, allowing fans to stream games online. This service was renamed NHL.tv in 2016. In Canada, Rogers Communications distributes it as NHL Live, and in the United States, it is part of ESPN+.

International

NHL games are shown around the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and Brazil.

NHL.tv lets international fans watch games online, but some games might not be available if they are being shown on TV in the viewer’s country. In some places, fans need to use ESPN’s platforms like ESPNPlayer, ESPN Play, the ESPN App, or Disney+, while others use Viaplay.

International competitions

Club participation

Further information: List of international games played by NHL teams

NHL teams have sometimes played in international club competitions. Most of these were organized by the NHL or the NHL Players' Association. The first international club competition was held in 1976, with eight NHL teams playing against teams from the Soviet Championship League. Between 1976 and 1991, the NHL and the Soviet Championship League held several exhibition games known as the Super Series. No NHL club played a Russian-based club from 1991 to 2008, until the New York Rangers faced Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the 2008 Victoria Cup.

NHL clubs have also played in international exhibitions and competitions with various European clubs. The first exhibition game between an NHL team and a European team (other than from the former Soviet Union) was in December 1977, when the New York Rangers played against Poldi Kladno of the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League. In the 2000s, the NHL organized four NHL Challenge series between NHL and European clubs. The NHL continued to organize exhibition games between NHL and European teams before the NHL season started; these were known as the NHL Premiere from 2007 to 2011 and as the NHL Global Series since 2017. The last exhibition game between an NHL and European club took place during the 2024 NHL Global Series.

NHL clubs have also taken part in IIHF-organized club tournaments. The most recent IIHF-organized event with an NHL club was the 2009 Victoria Cup, between the Swiss National League A's ZSC Lions and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Permittance of NHL players in international competitions

Further information: List of international ice hockey competitions featuring NHL players

The NHL has allowed its players to take part in international competitions among national teams. The annual Ice Hockey World Championships is held every May, at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs. Because of this timing, NHL players usually only join their country's team in the World Championships if their NHL team has been eliminated from Stanley Cup contention.

From 1998 to 2014, during Olympic years, the NHL paused its all-star game and extended the all-star break to let NHL players join the Olympic ice hockey tournament. In 2018, the NHL did not pause for the Olympics, so their players did not join that year’s tournament. In 2022, the NHL also did not pause for the Olympics, choosing not to let players join due to a shorter NHL season and concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The NHL, the NHLPA, and the IIHF have agreed to let NHL players join the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics. The NHL and the NHLPA also organize the World Cup of Hockey. Unlike the Ice Hockey World Championships and the Olympic tournament, the World Cup of Hockey is played using NHL rules instead of IIHF rules.

In 2007, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) created the “Triple Gold Club,” a group of players and coaches who have won an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, and the Stanley Cup. The term became popular after the 2002 Winter Olympics, which added the first Canadian members.

Popularity

See also: NHL attendance

The NHL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, along with Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. It is especially popular in Canada, where it is the most liked of these leagues. While hockey has fewer fans than the other three leagues, it has many loyal supporters.

In the past, NHL fans were known for having higher education levels than fans of the other leagues. The NHL also began holding special outdoor games, like the Winter Classic on New Year's Day, which became very popular. These events helped the NHL grow its audience, leading to more television coverage and better ways to connect with fans online.