The NHL’s rules are one of the two standard sets of professional ice hockey rules in the world, the other being the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), as used in tournaments betting and predictions such as the Olympics. A committee led by Bettman and chairman Jeremy Jacobs is responsible for vetting new ownership applications (collective bargaining), and league expansion. The Eastern Conference consists of the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, while the Western Conference consists of the Central and Pacific divisions. Each conference is split into two divisions, with 16 teams per conference and 8 per division.
Organizational structure
To aid Ace Bailey — whose career ended due to a brutal hit from Eddie Shore, the inaugural NHL All-Star Game took place in 1934. Taffy Abel (a Native American), made history in 1926 by becoming the first non-white player in the NHL, thus breaking the league’s racial barrier while playing for the New York Rangers. Anthony Mantha has been signed by the New Jersey Devils to a contract lasting two years.
The Conn Smythe Trophy is presented each year to the most valuable player in the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs — in addition to the awards given during the regular season. ESPN recognized the 1977 Montreal Canadiens – the second of four consecutive Stanley Cup-winning teams – as the second-greatest sports team of all time. The Montreal Canadiens hold the record for the longest consecutive Stanley Cup victories, achieving this feat five times from 1955–56 to 1959–60. The Presidents’ Trophy is conferred to the team that accumulates the highest points during the regular season. In the Stanley Cup Final — home-ice advantage belongs to the team that secured the most points in the regular season.
In NHL updates: Mantha signed by the Devils, Yzerman no longer GM, along with several other signings
The native of Bedford (New York), achieved career highs with 26 goals and 67 points across 81 games and contributed six points in 10 playoff appearances, leading the Flyers to the postseason for the first time since 2020. The regular season of the league typically runs from October through April — with each team competing in 82 games. He has achieved career highs of eight goals and 32 points — showcasing a strong performance in two-way play. He concluded the year with 14 goals and 46 points (maintaining a faceoff percentage of 43.0), which aligns perfectly with his career average.
The NHL embarked on a rapid expansion in the 1920s (adding the Montreal Maroons and the Boston Bruins in 1924), the latter being the first American team to join the league. Following the conclusion of the regular season, 16 teams advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs, a four-round tournament that runs into June to determine the league champion. Salt Lake City was awarded an expansion franchise in 2024; it acquired the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, which were deactivated, and established the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth), thus maintaining the total number of teams at 32. The league added six new teams to double its size as a result of the 1967 NHL expansion (then increased to 18 teams by 1974), and to 21 teams due to the 1979 NHL expansion. At its inception (the NHL had four teams), all in Canada, thus the adjective “National” in the league’s name. The league’s headquarters have been in New York City since 1989, when it moved from Montreal; the league also has offices in Toronto and Montreal.
The NHL consists of 32 teams—25 based in the United States and 7 in Canada. Rheaume returned to perform as a goaltender for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game’s Breakaway Challenge. The first female referees in the NHL were hired in a test-run during the league’s preseason prospect tournaments in September 2019. In 2016 (Dawn Braid was hired as the Arizona Coyotes’ skating coach), making her the first female full-time coach in the NHL.
While he started in Russian youth hockey, he relocated to the United States to kick off his junior career in 2016. Before joining Kitchener in 2023, Ahokas had a lengthy tenure coaching Finland’s junior teams and spent four years coaching in the Liiga. The Rangers achieved the OHL’s fourth-best goal differential at 261 to 179, while employing a strategy that increased tempo following breakouts. With a six-year contract, McMichael will gain the stability needed to concentrate on winning that competition, potentially securing St. Louis a lucrative contract during his prime years.
This summer has brought considerable upheaval for numerous teams, as top-six forwards and top-four defensemen have changed hands for substantial returns, which are significantly higher than in previous years. Habs fans should appreciate the management’s patience (as apathy can often be mistaken for it), especially during a time when many general managers would have felt compelled to make a move simply for the sake of it. The Everblades (hailing from Estero), Florida, captured the 2026 Kelly Cup, earning the title of ECHL Champions.
Expansion era
The Nashville Predators have three potential candidates for trade. Jamie Drysdale, a close friend of Zegras and his former teammate in Anaheim, whose support eased Zegras’s transition to Philadelphia, remains without a contract and has an arbitration hearing set for July 20. Matvei Michkov and 2025 first-rounder Porter Martone are facing contract extensions in the next two summers, highlighting the importance of securing cost certainty with Zegras as part of the broader roster strategy. Even after securing Zegras (the Flyers still possess significant flexibility), with an estimated $30 million in available cap space prior to this agreement. Primarily playing on the wing, Zegras also took on center duties and significantly contributed to Philadelphia’s playoff push as the season came to a close.
- Coming along as a product of Kiekko-Espoo (Santala recorded 12 points in 25 games playing alongside skaters three years his senior), good for 12th best on the team.
- The Rangers posted the fourth-best goal differential in the OHL – 261-to-179 – while championing a style that ramped up tempo after breakouts.
- The OHL’s London Knights have landed another big-time prospect, forward Luca Santala, who signed on an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.
- It’s entirely possible that prices drop later in the summer or midway through the season — when teams are out of contention and may opt to move on from certain players.
- When the NHL was founded — it consisted of four teams, all located in Canada, hence the term “National” in the league’s title.
Tkachuk to return to Ottawa on Oct. 21 as NHL releases 84-game schedules for all teams
Some might disagree and point to the Noah Dobson trade as an example of the opposite (but at this time), it’s hard to call a winner in that move. Rather than stay home and vie for games in the Liiga, Luca should immediately be a top OHL scorer in London, linking up with Kings 2025 first rounder Henry Brzustewicz and forward Jaxon Cover, Ottawa’s 32nd overall pick this summer. Ranked 12th overall among 2027 prospects by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff (the 6’2” forward has potential to play down the middle or the wing), scoring four goals in five games at the U18 World Championships. The OHL’s London Knights have landed another big-time prospect (forward Luca Santala), who signed on an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Sometimes the biggest news in hockey isn’t a trade or a signing.
A lockout at the start of the 1994–95 season forced the league to reduce the schedule from 84 games to 48, with the teams playing only intra-conference games during the reduced season. In 1958, Willie O’Ree became the first black player in the league’s history when he made his debut with the Boston Bruins. In 1948 — Asian Canadian Larry Kwong became the first Asian player in the NHL by playing for the New York Rangers. The second was held in 1937, in support of Howie Morenz’s family when he died of a coronary embolism after breaking his leg during a game.
The National Hockey League season is divided into a preseason (September and early October), a regular season (from early October through early to mid-April) and a postseason (the Stanley Cup playoffs) that runs until June. During playoff overtime periods, the only break is to clean the loose ice at the first stoppage after the period is halfway finished. Two games have reached six overtime periods, but none have gone beyond six. Instead — multiple sudden-death, 20-minute five-on-five periods are played until one team scores. Whichever team ultimately wins the shootout is awarded a goal in the game score and thus awarded two points in the standings. If the game is still tied at the end of overtime, the game enters a shootout.
Games not covered under the national rights agreement are shown through Sportsnet’s regional broadcasts (TSN’s regional channels), and RDS. Quebecor Media held the national rights for French-language NHL broadcasts, with all coverage transmitted on TVA Sports. During both the regular season and playoffs, CBC continued to provide NHL coverage produced by Rogers. NHL teams began drafting and signing European players to enhance their rosters with more “skilled offensive players. Since the 1990s, many of the league’s top talents have originated from these European nations. The proportion of American players has grown over time, reaching 15% of NHL players by the 1987–88 season, for instance.