National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams – 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered to be the top-ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, with players from 17 countries as of the 2023–24 season. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also views the Stanley Cup as one of the "most important championships available to the sport". The NHL is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
national-hockey-league

Some of the key events about National Hockey League

  • 1917
    Established as one of the first professional ice hockey leagues in the world
  • 1919
    The Stanley Cup Finals were cancelled due to the Spanish flu pandemic
  • 1924
    Expanded into the United States with the addition of the Boston Bruins
  • 1942
    Introduced the "Original Six" era, a period of stability with six teams
  • 1967
    Doubled in size from six to twelve teams in a major expansion
  • 1967
    The NHL faced criticism for expanding too rapidly, doubling from six to twelve teams
  • 1972
    Introduced the concept of an All-Star Game featuring the league's best players
  • 1972
    A players' strike occurred before the season, the first in NHL history
  • 1979
    Merged with the World Hockey Association, absorbing four of its teams
  • 1991
    Became the first North American professional sports league to play regular-season games in Europe
  • 1992
    The league experienced its first work stoppage, lasting 10 days
  • 1994
    A 104-day lockout shortened the season to 48 games
  • 1998
    Allowed NHL players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time
  • 2003
    Introduced the Heritage Classic, the first regular-season outdoor game in league history
  • 2004
    A labor dispute led to the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season
  • 2011
    Three former NHL players died, raising concerns about player safety and mental health
  • 2012
    Another lockout resulted in a shortened 48-game season
  • 2016
    The NHL faced criticism for not allowing players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics
  • 2017
    Expanded to 31 teams with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights
  • 2020
    The regular season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.

National Hockey League Latest news