102-570: The NHL Network Showcase is a presentation of National Hockey League (NHL) games televised on NHL Network . It premiered on February 6, 2021 during the 2020–21 NHL season . The games primarily air on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, and were the first in-house NHL telecasts to be carried by NHL Network. The telecasts are also broadcast by the NHL's rightsholders in Europe as the European Game of
204-788: A merger agreement in 1979 that saw the WHA cease operations while the NHL absorbed the Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers , the Hartford Whalers , and the Quebec Nordiques . The owners initially rejected this merger agreement by one vote, but a massive boycott of Molson Brewery products by Canadian fans resulted in the Montreal Canadiens, which was owned by Molson, reversing its position, along with
306-631: A new team in Salt Lake City , Utah . Two months after Utah's foundation, the Coyotes ceased their efforts to re-activate within the five-year window granted to do so, bringing the NHL back to 32 franchises. There have been four league-wide work stoppages in NHL history, all occurring after 1992 . The first was an April 1992 strike by the National Hockey League Players' Association , which lasted for ten days but
408-466: A pulled goaltender ). Since 2013, the league has used hybrid icing , where a linesman stops play due to icing if a defending player (other than the goaltender) crosses the imaginary line that connects the two face-off dots in their defensive zone before an attacking player is able to. This was done to counter a trend of player injury in races to the puck. Fighting in the NHL leads to major penalties while IIHF rules, and most amateur rules, call for
510-463: A bruised ankle, Team USA's Kendall Coyne Schofield competed in the Fastest Skater competition in his place, becoming the first woman to officially compete in the NHL's All-Star festivities. The attention led the NHL to include a 3-on-3 women's game before the 2020 All-Star Game . Rheaume returned to perform as a goaltender for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game 's Breakaway Challenge. From
612-490: A later date, after which viewers must subscribe to the Bleacher Report Sports add-on. This season's Heritage Classic instead aired on TBS due to TNT's soccer coverage of U.S. women's national soccer team . TruTV also began airing simulcasted/alternative broadcasts of selected TNT games, TruTV also televised a youth-oriented alternate broadcast, using the NHL's player and puck tracking system to render
714-667: A live animated version of the Colorado Avalanche–Vegas Golden Knights game on April 14, 2024, portrayed by WBD characters featured in the MultiVersus video game. NHL Network continued to also nationally televise selected regular season games, including Saturday and Sunday afternoon games as part of the NHL Network Showcase series. The Washington Capitals ' broadcaster NBC Sports Washington rebranded as Monumental Sports Network before
816-426: A major issue in the NHL, with concussions resulting from a hard hit to the head being the primary concern. Recent studies have shown how the consequences of concussions can last beyond player retirement. This has significant effects on the league, as elite players have suffered from the aftereffects of concussions (such as Sidney Crosby being sidelined for approximately ten and a half months), which adversely affects
918-517: A new arena, upon which they would have been reactivated as an expansion team with all previous team history, records, and uniforms being maintained. However, in June, the auction was cancelled, and Alex Meruelo left the ownership, leading the team to cease operations. The Coyotes became the first team to suspend operations since the Brooklyn Americans in 1942 . The 2023 NHL Entry Draft
1020-572: A new television agreement with the E. W. Scripps Company 's sports division Scripps Sports , under which it carried games on a subchannel of its Phoenix broadcast station and ABC affiliate KNXV-TV , and syndicate them to sister stations in the team's broadcast territory, including KGUN-TV in Tucson, Arizona , and KUPX-TV and KSTU-DT2 in Salt Lake City . The Coyotes aired non-game programs on KNXV and sister The CW affiliate KASW . With Bally Sports Arizona already previously losing airing rights to
1122-615: A player safety lawsuit. From 1952 to 1955, Marguerite Norris served as president of the Detroit Red Wings , being the first female NHL executive and the first woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup. In 1992, Manon Rhéaume became the first woman to play a game in any of the major professional North American sports leagues, as a goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason game against
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#17327935526891224-537: A preseason consisting of six to eight exhibition games . Split squad games, in which parts of a team's regular season roster play separate games on the same day, are occasionally played during the preseason. During the regular season, clubs play each other in a predefined schedule. Since 2021, in the regular season, all teams play 82 games: 41 games each of home and road, playing 26 games in their own geographic division—four against five of their seven other divisional opponents, plus three against two others; 24 games against
1326-578: A primary analyst on the Flyers' television broadcasts. The Chicago Blackhawks hired Darren Pang to be their lead TV color commentator. Pang, who spent 14 years in the same role with the St. Louis Blues and is also a color commentator on TNT, replaces both Colby Cohen , whose contract with the team was not renewed and Patrick Sharp , who left to also join the Flyers front office, along with Keith Jones. The Blues replaced Pang with Jamie Rivers , who had been
1428-481: A restructuring agreement after receiving a $ 115 million investment from Amazon . The restructuring agreement would supersede the prior agreement with the NHL, so rights for the NHL would no longer expire following the 2023–24 season. In February 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced it was winding down its AT&T SportsNet regional sports network business, affecting the Pittsburgh Penguins and
1530-408: A second positive test, and a lifetime suspension for a third positive test. At the end of regulation time, the team with the most goals wins the game. If a game is tied after regulation time, overtime ensues. During the regular season, overtime is a five-minute, three-on-three sudden-death period, in which whoever scores a goal first wins the game. If the game is still tied at the end of overtime,
1632-662: A secondary crew for a game in the 2021–22 season. National Hockey League The National Hockey League ( NHL ); French : Ligue nationale de hockey [liɡ nɑsjɔnal də ɔkɛ] ( LNH ), is a professional ice hockey league in North America consisting of 32 teams – 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup , the oldest professional sports trophy in North America,
1734-688: A special advisor in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She continues to work on select ESPN broadcasts in the U.S. on a smaller role. This was the third season of the league's seven-year U.S. national broadcast rights deals with the ESPN family of networks and TNT Sports . Regular season games were aired exclusively on ESPN on selected Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends; and ABC on selected Saturdays between mid-January and mid-April. ESPN+ and Hulu exclusively streamed games primarily on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends throughout
1836-890: A youth-oriented alternate broadcast, using the NHL's player and puck tracking system to render a live animated version of the March 9, 2024, Pittsburgh Penguins–Boston Bruins game, portrayed by characters from the animated series Big City Greens . WBD's regular season coverage was primarily on TNT , with games on Wednesday nights throughout the season, the Thanksgiving Showdown on November 24, Winter Classic, and selected Sunday games between late February and April. Not all of TNT's regular season games were exclusive broadcasts and were thus subject to blackout in local markets. WBD invoked its over-the-top streaming rights for Max , adding live sports telecasts from WBD channels; these broadcasts were available at no additional charge until
1938-406: 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
2040-399: Is awarded one point. Shootout goals and saves are not tracked in hockey statistics; shootout statistics are tracked separately. There are no shootouts during the playoffs . Instead, multiple sudden-death, 20-minute five-on-five periods are played until one team scores. Two games have reached six overtime periods, but none have gone beyond six. During playoff overtime periods, the only break
2142-620: Is operated by NESN —the regional broadcaster of the Boston Bruins—which is majority-owned by the Penguins' parent company Fenway Sports Group . ESPN/ABC studio analyst Chris Chelios , who served in the role for two seasons, left the network as part of its June 2023 cost-cutting measures. Chelios later made appearances on TNT during the season. In October, studio analyst Barry Melrose resigned after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease . TNT ice-level analyst Keith Jones left
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#17327935526892244-683: Is to clean the loose ice at the first stoppage after the period is halfway finished. 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 ). Teams usually hold a summer showcase for prospects in July and participate in prospect tournaments, full games that do not feature any veterans, in September. Full training camps begin in mid-to-late September, including
2346-824: The 1942–43 season , the NHL was reduced to six teams: the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Black Hawks, the Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, a line-up, often referred to as the " Original Six ", that would remain constant for the next 25 years. In 1947, the league reached an agreement with the Stanley Cup trustees to take full control of the trophy, allowing it to reject challenges from other leagues that wished to play for
2448-917: The 1967–68 season , adding the Los Angeles Kings , the Minnesota North Stars , the Philadelphia Flyers , the Pittsburgh Penguins , the California Seals , and the St. Louis Blues . However, Canadian fans were outraged that all six teams were placed in the United States, so the league responded by adding the Vancouver Canucks in 1970 , along with the Buffalo Sabres , both located on the Canada–United States border . Two years later,
2550-664: The 2000–01 season , when the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets joined the league as expansion teams, until 2017. That expansion capped a period in the 1990s of rapid expansion and relocation, when the NHL added nine teams to grow from 21 to 30 teams, and relocated four teams mostly from smaller, northern cities to larger, more southern metropolitan areas ( Minneapolis to Dallas , Quebec City to Denver , Winnipeg to Phoenix , and Hartford to Raleigh ). The league has not contracted any teams since
2652-456: The 2013 NHL Winter Classic and the 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend . On January 6, a tentative agreement was reached on a 10-year deal. On January 12, the league and the Players' Association signed a memorandum of understanding on the new deal, allowing teams to begin their training camps the next day, with a shortened 48-game season schedule that began on January 19. Player safety has become
2754-746: The 2017–18 season to the 2019–20 season , the NHL consisted of 31 teams—24 based in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL divided the 31 teams into two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference . Each conference was split into two divisions : the Eastern Conference contained 16 teams (eight per division), while the Western Conference had 15 teams (seven in the Central and eight in
2856-829: The Boston Pride of the National Women's Hockey League and the Les Canadiennes of the Canadian Women's Hockey League , as part of the 2016 NHL Winter Classic weekend festivities. In 2019, the NHL invited four women from the US and Canadian Olympic teams to demonstrate the events in All-Star skills competition before the All-Star Game . Due to Nathan MacKinnon choosing not to participate following
2958-731: The Cleveland Barons were merged into the Minnesota North Stars in 1978. The league expanded for the first time in 17 years to 31 teams with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, then to 32 with the addition of the Seattle Kraken in 2021. In April 2024, a new expansion team in Utah was created, after Alex Meruelo sold the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes to Ryan Smith , owner of
3060-749: The Columbus Blue Jackets . Also, in the mid to late 1990s, the Quebec Nordiques, original Winnipeg Jets, and Hartford Whalers relocated to Denver, Phoenix, and Raleigh. In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, and the Winnipeg Jets were revived. On July 21, 2015, the NHL confirmed that it had received applications from prospective ownership groups in Quebec City and Las Vegas for possible expansion teams, and on June 22, 2016, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced
3162-497: The Florida Panthers defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games, winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. This was the final season for the Arizona Coyotes before they suspended operations. It followed the sale of the team's hockey assets to Utah businessman Ryan Smith , who was awarded an expansion team in Salt Lake City to begin play in the 2024–25 season . The Coyotes had until 2029 to construct
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3264-611: The Hockey Day in Canada games on January 20, and All-Star Weekend. Games were be streamed on Sportsnet+ , with national games available on the Standard level, out-of-market games on the Premium tier, and via authenticated streaming on participating teams. Regular season games on CBC were also simulcast on CBC Gem , which replaced CBCSports.ca. Longtime commentator John Garrett retired from Vancouver Canucks broadcasts before
3366-727: The NHL Network Showcase. The network scheduled an inaugural slate of 16 games beginning on February 6, 2021, all of which drawn from the European Game of the Week package. The first game was originally intended to be between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers . As multiple Devils games were postponed due to COVID-19 protocol, it was replaced by a game between the Colorado Avalanche and
3468-774: The Ottawa Senators faced each other on November 16. The Red Wings then played the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 17. The Minnesota Wild took on the Senators on November 18. Finally, the Wild played the Maple Leafs on November 19. The following outdoor games took place: The 2024 All-Star Game took place on February 3, 2024, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto , the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs . For
3570-616: The Phoenix Suns to Gray Television and the Arizona Diamondbacks to the MLB itself earlier in the year, they decided to wind down services for the rest of the month before concluding on October 21, 2023. On December 20, 2023, Diamond Sports and the NHL reached an agreement that resulted in the contracts for teams airing on Diamond expiring after the 2023–24 NHL season. However, on January 17, 2024, Diamond Sports announced
3672-704: The Presidents' Trophy are announced at the end of the regular season. The Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy are presented at the end of the Stanley Cup Finals . The Calder Memorial Trophy , Hart Memorial Trophy , Ted Lindsay Award , James Norris Memorial Trophy , and Vezina Trophy were presented during the annual NHL awards show on June 27 at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas . The other awards were announced during
3774-615: The Quebec Bulldogs to hold a meeting to discuss the league's future. Realizing the NHA constitution left them unable to force Livingstone out, the four teams voted instead to suspend the NHA, and, on November 26, 1917, formed the National Hockey League. Frank Calder was chosen as the NHL's first president, serving until his death in 1943. The Bulldogs were unable to play in the NHL, and the remaining owners founded
3876-406: The St. Louis Blues , stopping seven of nine shots. In 2016, Dawn Braid was hired as the Arizona Coyotes ' skating coach, making her the first female full-time coach in the NHL. 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, the NHL hosted the 2016 Outdoor Women's Classic , an exhibition game between
3978-437: The St. Louis Blues . The package returned for the 2021–22 NHL season , expanding to 25 games throughout the season. As with most NHL games in the 2020–21 season due to COVID-19 protocol, NHL Network Showcase broadcasts are produced from clean feeds produced by the home team's regional rightsholder, with commentary, graphics, and surrounding coverage produced and added from NHL Network's studios in Secaucus, New Jersey . For
4080-421: The Toronto Arenas to compete with the Canadiens, Wanderers and Senators. The first games were played on December 19, 1917. The Montreal Arena burned down in January 1918, causing the Wanderers to cease operations, and the NHL continued on as a three-team league until the Bulldogs returned in 1919. The NHL replaced the NHA as one of the leagues that competed for the Stanley Cup, an interleague competition at
4182-439: The Utah Jazz . Meruelo was granted until 2029 to secure an arena in Arizona in order to re-activate the team, bringing the total number of franchises in the NHL up to 33; however, these efforts were abandoned two months later, leaving the NHL at 32 franchises once again. According to Forbes , in 2023, the top five most valuable teams were four of the " Original Six " teams and the Los Angeles Kings: The remaining members of
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4284-450: The Vegas Golden Knights ' broadcasters, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain , respectively. The Seattle Kraken 's deal with Root Sports Northwest was not affected because Warner Bros. Discovery only held minority control of that network. On May 4, 2023, the Golden Knights signed a multi-year agreement with Scripps Sports to start airing games on Scripps' Las Vegas broadcast station KMCC , and syndicate
4386-399: The "most important championships available to the sport". The NHL is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan . The National Hockey League was organized at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal on November 26, 1917, after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization, the National Hockey Association (NHA), which had been founded in 1909 at Renfrew, Ontario . The NHL immediately took
4488-403: The 2021–22 season, NHL Network began to employ an on-site skeleton crew to augment the host production with its own cameras, but otherwise continued to use a remote production as before. With the introduction of an in-house broadcast, the European Game of the Week broadcast concurrently became a repackaged version of the NHL Network Showcase broadcast, carrying a separate intro and branding to
4590-469: The Chicago Black Hawks' Bobby Hull , who signed a 10-year, $ 2.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets , then the largest in hockey history. The league attempted to block the defections in court, but a counter-suit by the WHA led to a Philadelphia judge ruling the NHL's reserve clause to be illegal, thus eliminating the elder league's monopoly over the players. Seven years of battling for players and markets financially damaged both leagues, leading to
4692-415: The Cup. In 1945, Maurice "Rocket" Richard became the first player to score 50 goals , doing so in a 50-game season . Richard later led the Canadiens to five consecutive titles between 1956 and 1960, a record no team has matched. In 1948, Asian Canadian Larry Kwong became the first Asian player in the NHL by playing for the New York Rangers. In 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first black player in
4794-501: The NHA's place as one of the leagues that contested for the Stanley Cup in an annual interleague competition before a series of league mergers and foldings left the NHL as the only league competing for the Stanley Cup in 1926. At its inception, the NHL had four teams, all in Canada, thus the adjective "National" in the league's name. The league expanded to the United States in 1924, when the Boston Bruins joined, and has since consisted of both American and Canadian teams. From 1942 to 1967,
4896-417: The NHL adopted the existing NHA set of rules. The NHL's rules are the basis for rules governing most professional and major junior ice hockey leagues in North America. The NHL hockey rink is 200 by 85 feet (60.96 m × 25.91 m), approximately the same length but much narrower than IIHF standards. A trapezoidal area appears behind each goal net. The goaltender can play the puck only within
4998-451: The NHL had only six teams, collectively nicknamed the " Original Six ". 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 . Between 1991 and 2000, the NHL further expanded to 30 teams. It added its 31st and 32nd teams in 2017 and 2021, respectively. Salt Lake City was awarded an expansion franchise in 2024 as it acquired
5100-428: The NHL. The Hamilton Tigers won the regular season title in 1924–25 , but refused to play in the championship series unless they were given a C$ 200 bonus. The league refused and declared the Canadiens the league champion after they defeated the Toronto St. Patricks (formerly the Arenas) in the semi-final. Montreal was then defeated by the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) in 1925 . It
5202-474: The National Hockey League. In this context, each team is a member of the league, and each member appoints a Governor (usually the owner of the club), and two alternates to the Board. The current chairman of the Board is Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs . The Board of Governors exists to establish the policies of the league and to uphold its constitution. Some of the responsibilities of the Board of Governors include: The Board of Governors meets twice per year, in
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#17327935526895304-420: The Original Six, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings , respectively ranked sixth at US$ 1.87 billion and hypothetically 12th at US$ 1.3 billion. Compared with 2022, the Maple Leafs surpassed the Rangers as the most valuable NHL team, and Los Angeles overtook both Chicago and Boston, making its way into the top five. Notes: The Board of Governors is the ruling and governing body of
5406-406: The Pacific). The league temporarily realigned for the 2020–21 season but returned to the previous alignment the following year. With the addition of the Seattle Kraken in 2021–22 to the Pacific Division and the Arizona Coyotes' move from the Pacific to the Central, all four divisions now have eight teams each and both conferences have 16 teams. The number of NHL teams held constant at 30 teams from
5508-417: The U.S. telecast with a focus on international players. During the 2021–22 season, NHL Network also produced nine games exclusively for international broadcasts. Stephen Nelson serves as the lead commentator for NHL Network Showcase broadcasts, with Brian Lawton , Dave Reid , Mike Rupp , and Kevin Weekes serving as a rotating team of analysts during the first season. E.J. Hradek and Mike Johnson were
5610-570: The Vancouver Canucks. In a second vote, the plan was approved. Wayne Gretzky played one season in the WHA for the Indianapolis Racers (eight games) and the Edmonton Oilers (72 games) before the Oilers joined the NHL for the 1979–80 season . Gretzky went on to lead the Oilers to win four Stanley Cup championships in 1984 , 1985 , 1987 and 1988 , and set single-season records for goals (92 in 1981–82 ), assists (163 in 1985–86 ) and points (215 in 1985–86), as well as career records for goals (894), assists (1,963) and points (2,857). In 1988, he
5712-573: The Week . In the 2018–19 NHL season , the NHL established the European Game of the Week , under which it would schedule weekend afternoon games intended for primetime broadcasts by the NHL's European media partners. The first of these games was the NHL Global Series game in Gothenburg , Sweden , on October 6, 2018. For the shortened 2020–21 NHL season , NHL Network–which until then, primarily aired NHL games simulcast from regional sports networks and Canadian broadcasters–announced that it would introduce its first original NHL telecasts, known as
5814-414: The addition of a 31st franchise, based in Las Vegas and later named the Vegas Golden Knights , into the NHL for the 2017–18 season . On December 4, 2018, the league announced a 32nd franchise in Seattle , later named the Seattle Kraken , which joined in the 2021–22 season . On April 18, 2024, the Arizona Coyotes suspended operations and sold their hockey assets, including players and other personnel, to
5916-438: The arena was not designed for ice hockey, the league built a temporary rink akin to other NHL outdoor games , though the arena's retractable roof was closed for the games. (*) Indicates interim (*) Indicates interim The regular season began on October 10, 2023, and ended on April 18, 2024. The league held four regular season games on four consecutive days at Avicii Arena in Stockholm , Sweden. The Detroit Red Wings and
6018-427: The assets of the Hamilton Tigers, and they were joined by the Pittsburgh Pirates . The New York Rangers were added in 1926, and the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Cougars (later the Red Wings) were added after the league purchased the assets of the defunct WCHL. A group purchased the Toronto St. Patricks in 1927 and immediately renamed them the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1926, Native American Taffy Abel became
6120-478: The backup color commentator whenever Pang worked for TNT before the announcement. The Los Angeles Kings started using TV/radio simulcasts, keeping radio announcers Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans , and TV analyst Jim Fox . However, they did not renew the TV play-by-play announcer Alex Faust 's contract. The Pittsburgh Penguins ' play-by-play announcers swapped roles, with Josh Getzoff moving from radio to TV, and Steve Mears moving from TV to radio. However,
6222-417: The contract expired, league commissioner Gary Bettman announced a lockout of the players union and closed the league's head office for the 2004–05 season . The league vowed to install what it dubbed "cost certainty" for its teams, but the Players' Association countered that the move was little more than a euphemism for a salary cap , which the union initially said it would not accept. The lockout shut down
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#17327935526896324-401: The eight remaining non-divisional intra-conference opponents—three games against every team in the other division of its conference; and 32 against every team in the other conference twice—home and road. The league's regular season standings are based on a point system. Two points are awarded for a win, one point for losing in overtime or a shootout, and zero points for a loss in regulation. At
6426-417: The ejection of fighting players. Usually, a penalized team cannot replace a player that is penalized on the ice and is thus short-handed for the duration of the penalty, but if the penalties are coincidental, for example when two players fight, both teams remain at full strength. Also, unlike minor penalties, major penalties must be served to their full completion, regardless of number of goals scored during
6528-411: The emergence of the newly founded World Hockey Association (WHA) led the league to add the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Flames to keep the rival league out of those markets. In 1974, the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts were added, bringing the league up to 18 teams. The NHL fought the WHA for players, losing 67 to the new league in its first season of 1972–73 , including
6630-554: The end of the regular season, the team that finishes with the most points in each division is crowned the division champion, and the league's overall leader is awarded the Presidents' Trophy . 2023%E2%80%9324 NHL season The 2023–24 NHL season was the 107th season of operation (106th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season began on October 10, 2023, and ended on April 18, 2024. The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 20. The Stanley Cup Finals began on June 8, and ended on June 24, 2024, with
6732-415: The first non-white player in the NHL and broke the league's colour barrier by playing for the New York Rangers. In 1934, the first NHL All-Star Game was held, to benefit Ace Bailey , whose career ended on a vicious hit by Eddie Shore . 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 Great Depression and
6834-434: The first time, the four-team, three-on-three format used since 2016 was combined with the "fantasy draft" format used from 2011 to 2015 . In each round, teams compete in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage plays at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and
6936-438: The game enters a shootout . Three players for each team in turn take a penalty shot . The team with the most goals during the three-round shootout wins the game. If the game is still tied after the three shootout rounds, the shootout continues but becomes sudden-death. Whichever team ultimately wins the shootout is awarded a goal in the game score and thus awarded two points in the standings. The losing team in overtime or shootout
7038-431: The goal frames by 4 inches (10 cm) on each side and reduced the size of the goalies' leg pads. The league has regularly modified its rules to counter perceived imperfections in the game. The penalty shot was adopted from the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to ensure players were not being blocked from opportunities to score. For the 2005–06 season, the league changed some of the rules regarding being offside. First,
7140-409: The head office moved from Montreal. There have been four league-wide work stoppages in NHL history, all occurring after 1992. The NHL's regular season is typically held from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. 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. Since
7242-432: The hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes , which were deactivated, thus maintaining the total number of teams at 32. The NHL is the fifth-highest grossing professional sport league in the world by revenue , after the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Premier League (PL). The league's headquarters have been in Manhattan since 1989, when
7344-460: The league a share of revenue from each game's advertising sales, rather than the usual lump sum paid up front for game rights. The league's annual revenues were estimated at $ 2.27 billion. On September 16, 2012, the labour pact expired, and the league again locked out the players . The owners proposed reducing the players' share of hockey-related revenues from 57 percent to 47 percent. All games were cancelled up to January 14, 2013, along with
7446-405: The league for 310 days, making it the longest in sports history, as the NHL became the first professional sports league to lose an entire season. A new collective bargaining agreement was eventually ratified in July 2005, including a salary cap. The agreement had a term of six years with an option of extending the collective bargaining agreement for an additional year at the end of the term, allowing
7548-521: The league in regular season points at the completion of games played on April 18, 2024. The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average at the completion of games played on April 18, 2024, while playing at least 1,920 minutes. Voting concluded immediately after the end of the regular season. Statistics-based awards such as the Art Ross Trophy , Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy , William M. Jennings Trophy and
7650-527: The league mandated hybrid no-touch icing for the 2013–14 NHL season . On November 25, 2013, ten former NHL players (Gary Leeman, Rick Vaive, Brad Aitken, Darren Banks, Curt Bennett, Richie Dunn, Warren Holmes, Bob Manno, Blair Stewart, and Morris Titanic) sued the league for negligence in protecting players from concussions. The suit came three months after the National Football League agreed to pay former players US$ 765 million due to
7752-432: The league removed the "offside pass" or "two-line pass" rule, which required a stoppage in play if a pass originating from inside a team's defending zone was completed on the offensive side of the centre line, unless the puck crossed the line before the player. Furthermore, the league reinstated the "tag-up offside" which allows an attacking player a chance to get back onside by returning to the neutral zone. The changes to
7854-417: The league to resume as of the 2005–06 season . On October 5, 2005, the first post-lockout season took to the ice with all 30 teams. The NHL received record attendance in the 2005–06 season, with an average of 16,955 per game. However, its television audience was slower to rebound due to American cable broadcaster ESPN 's decision to drop its NHL coverage. The league's post-lockout agreement with NBC gave
7956-492: The league's founding in 1917, the Montreal Canadiens have won the most combined NHL titles with 25, winning three NHL championship series before the league took full exclusivity of the Stanley Cup in 1926, and 22 Stanley Cups afterwards. The reigning league champions are the Florida Panthers , who defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals . The National Hockey League was established in 1917 as
8058-474: The league's history when he made his debut with the Boston Bruins. By the mid-1960s, the desire for a network television contract in the United States, coupled with concerns that the Western Hockey League was planning to declare itself a major league and challenge for the Stanley Cup, spurred the NHL to undertake its first expansion since the 1920s . The league doubled in size to 12 teams for
8160-563: The league's marketability. In December 2009, Brendan Shanahan was hired to replace Colin Campbell, and was given the role of senior vice-president of player safety. Shanahan began to hand out suspensions on high-profile perpetrators responsible for dangerous hits, such as Raffi Torres receiving 25 games for his hit on Marian Hossa . To aid with removing high-speed collisions on icing, which had led to several potential career-ending injuries, such as to Hurricanes' defenceman Joni Pitkanen ,
8262-786: The months of June and December, with the exact date and place to be fixed by the Commissioner. The chief executive of the league is commissioner Gary Bettman . Some other senior executives include chief legal officer Bill Daly , director of hockey operations Colin Campbell , and senior vice president of player safety George Parros . A committee led by Bettman and chairman Jeremy Jacobs is responsible for vetting new ownership applications, collective bargaining, and league expansion. Other members include Mark Chipman , N. Murray Edwards , Craig Leipold , Ted Leonsis , Geoff Molson , Henry Samueli , Larry Tanenbaum , Jeff Vinik , and David Blitzer . The National Hockey League's rules are one of
8364-428: The network to become president of hockey operations with the Philadelphia Flyers . Before joining the Flyers' front office, Jones also worked as the team's TV color analyst for 23 seasons, while also working as a studio and game analyst with NBC and later TNT. To replace Jones, TNT hired Brian Boucher away from ESPN/ABC, serving the same role as he previously had with the latter network. Boucher also replaced Jones as
8466-431: The offside rule were among several rule changes intended to increase overall scoring, which had been in decline since the expansion years of the mid-nineties and the increased prevalence of the neutral zone trap . Since 2005, when a team is guilty of icing the puck they are not allowed to make a line change or skater substitution of any sort before the following face-off (except to replace an injured player or re-install
8568-475: The onset of World War II took a toll on the league. The Pirates became the Philadelphia Quakers in 1930, then folded a year later. The Senators likewise became the St. Louis Eagles in 1934, also lasting only a year. The Maroons did not survive, as they suspended operations in 1938. The Americans were suspended in 1942 due to a lack of available players, and they were never reactivated. For
8670-399: The other division winner, and both wild cards were de facto #4 seeds. The other series matched the second and third-place teams from the divisions. In the first two rounds, home ice advantage was awarded to the team with the better seed. In the conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals, home ice advantage was awarded to the team with the better regular season record. The following players led
8772-408: The other team is at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top three teams in each division make the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference, for a total of eight teams from each conference. In the first round, the lower seeded wild card in each conference was played against the division winner with the best record while the other wild card was played against
8874-668: The playoffs. The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game during the 2023–24 season, listed with their first team. The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2023–24, listed with their team: This was the tenth season of the league's 12-year Canadian national broadcast rights deal with Sportsnet . This included Sportsnet's sub-licensing agreements to air Saturday Hockey Night in Canada games on CBC Television and French-language broadcasts on TVA Sports . Sportsnet's national schedule also included Monday Night Hockey , Wednesday Night Hockey , this season's four outdoor games,
8976-403: The power play. The league also imposes a conduct policy on its players. Players are banned from gambling and criminal activities have led to the suspension of players. The league and the Players' Association agreed to a stringent anti-doping policy in the 2005 collective bargaining agreement. The policy provides for a twenty-game suspension for a first positive test, a sixty-game suspension for
9078-404: The reorganization. The Los Angeles Kings renewed their contract with Bally Sports West despite Diamond's bankruptcy. The Kings also reached an agreement with KCAL-TV for the rights to six games and select half-hour specials. On October 4, 2023, Diamond announced that it intended to reject its Bally Sports Arizona contract with the Arizona Coyotes . The next day, the Coyotes announced
9180-589: The season. During All-Star Weekend, ESPN had the All-Star skills competition while ABC aired the All-Star Game. Both Stadium Series games were broadcast by ABC. A Presidents' Day doubleheader on February 19 was also scheduled on ESPN this season. Under the "NHL Power Play on ESPN+" branding, the streaming service also streamed ABC games, selected ESPN games, as well out-of-market games. For the second consecutive season, ESPN collaborated with Disney Channel on
9282-432: The season. He continued to provide analysis on select national broadcasts throughout the season. Sportsnet later announced that Dave Tomlinson , formerly a radio analyst for the Seattle Kraken , would take over as the primary TV analyst for Canucks regional broadcasts, with ESPN lead analyst Ray Ferraro working as a substitute for select games. On December 18, analyst Cassie Campbell-Pascall left Sportsnet to become
9384-548: The start of the season. In September 2022, Monumental Sports & Entertainment bought out NBCUniversal 's ownership stake in the channel. The 12 NHL teams who had dealt with the Bally Sports regional sports networks may be affected by its operator Diamond Sports Group 's March 14, 2023, decision to file for bankruptcy. Diamond had initially sought to continue broadcasting regional games while it plans to separate from majority parent Sinclair Broadcast Group as part of
9486-620: The successor to the National Hockey Association (NHA). Founded in 1909, the NHA began play in 1910 with seven teams in Ontario and Quebec , and was one of the first major leagues in professional ice hockey. However, by its eighth season , a series of disputes with Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone led team owners of the Montreal Canadiens , the Montreal Wanderers , the Ottawa Senators , and
9588-501: The team let go Bob Errey , their TV color commentator. To replace him, a rotation of Colby Armstrong , Mike Rupp , and Phil Bourque , who also provides color commentary on radio, is used. The Seattle Kraken hired Al Kinisky as their radio analyst, replacing Dave Tomlinson, who moved to the Vancouver Canucks television booth. Columbus Blue Jackets TV play-by-play announcer Jeff Rimer announced his retirement at
9690-496: The telecasts to other stations across the team's broadcast territory; both KMCC and Salt Lake City 's KUPX-TV were converted from Ion Television stations to independents to accommodate the team's broadcasts, along with Scripps's Montana Television Network , whose second digital subchannels previously carried The CW . On August 30, 2023, the Penguins announced that they would acquire AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, which rebranded on October 2 as SportsNet Pittsburgh . The channel
9792-746: The time. Toronto won the first NHL title, and then defeated the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) for the 1918 Stanley Cup . The Canadiens won the league title in 1919, but the series in the Stanley Cup Finals against the PCHA's Seattle Metropolitans was abandoned due to the Spanish Flu epidemic. In 1924, Montreal won their first Stanley Cup as a member of
9894-458: The trapezoid or in front of the goal line; if the goaltender plays the puck behind the goal line and outside the trapezoidal area, a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game is assessed. The rule is unofficially nicknamed the " Martin Brodeur rule"; Brodeur at the time was one of the best goaltenders at getting behind the net to handle the puck. Since the 2013–14 season, the league trimmed
9996-705: 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 such as the Olympics . The IIHF rules are derived from the Canadian amateur ice hockey rules of the early 20th century, while the NHL rules evolved directly from the first organized indoor ice hockey game in Montreal in 1875, updated by subsequent leagues up to 1917, when
10098-703: Was held on June 28–29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville , Tennessee . Connor Bedard was selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks . The NHL held games in Australia for the first time in league history. The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings played on September 23 and 24 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne , best known as the main venue for the Australian Open . Since
10200-412: Was settled quickly with all affected games rescheduled. 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. The resulting collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was set for renegotiation in 1998, and extended to September 15, 2004. With no new agreement in hand when
10302-588: Was the last time a non-NHL team won the trophy, as the Stanley Cup became the de facto NHL championship in 1926, after the WCHL ceased operation. The National Hockey League 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. The New York Americans began play in 1925 after purchasing
10404-782: Was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in a deal that dramatically improved the league's popularity in the United States. By the turn of the century, nine more teams were added to the NHL: the San Jose Sharks , the Tampa Bay Lightning , the Ottawa Senators , the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , the Florida Panthers , the Nashville Predators , the Atlanta Thrashers , and, in 2000, the Minnesota Wild and
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