National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America, currently comprising 31 teams; 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and 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 National Hockey League was organized on November 26, 1917, at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization, the National Hockey Association (NHA), which had been founded in 1909 in Renfrew, Ontario. The NHL immediately took 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 failures left the NHL as the only league left 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 American and Canadian teams. From 1942 to 1967, the league had only six teams, collectively (if not contemporaneously) nicknamed the "Original Six." The NHL added six new teams to double its size at the 1967 NHL expansion. The league then increased to 18 teams by 1974 and 21 teams in 1979. Between 1991 and 2000, the NHL further expanded to 30 teams. It added its 31st team in 2017 and has approved the addition of a 32nd team in 2021.
Teams
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Founded | First League Season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||
| Atlantic | Boston Bruins | Boston, Massachusetts | TD Garden | November 1, 1924 | 1924-25 | ||||
| Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo, New York | KeyBank Center | December 2, 1969 | 1970-71 | |||||
| Detroit Red Wings | Detroit, Michigan | Little Caesars Arena | 1926 | ||||||
| Florida Panthers | Sunrise, Florida | Amerant Bank Arena | 1993 | ||||||
| Montreal Canadiens | Montreal, Quebec | Bell Centre | 1909 | 1917 | |||||
| Ottawa Senators | Ottawa, Ontario | Canadian Tire Centre | 1992 | ||||||
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Tampa, Florida | Amalie Arena | December 6, 1990 | 1992-93 | |||||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Scotiabank Arena | 1917 | ||||||
| Metropolitan | Carolina Hurricanes | Raleigh, North Carolina | PNC Arena | 1972 | 1979* | ||||
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Columbus, Ohio | Nationwide Arena | June 25, 1997 | 2000-01 | |||||
| New Jersey Devils | Newark, New Jersey | Prudential Center | June 8, 1972 | 1974-75 | |||||
| New York Islanders | Uniondale, New York | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | December 28, 1971 | 1972-73 | |||||
| New York Rangers | New York City, New York | Madison Square Garden | 1926 | ||||||
| Philadelphia Flyers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Wells Fargo Center | 1967-68 | ||||||
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | PPG Paints Arena | 1967-68 | ||||||
| Washington Capitals | Washington, D.C. | Capital One Arena | 1974 | ||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||
| Central | Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago, Illinois | United Center | 1926 | |||||
| Colorado Avalanche | Denver, Colorado | Ball Arena | November 1, 1971 | 1979* | |||||
| Dallas Stars | Dallas, Texas | American Airlines Center | 1967-68* | ||||||
| Minnesota Wild | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Xcel Energy Center | June 25, 1997 | 2000-01 | |||||
| Nashville Predators | Nashville, Tennessee | Bridgestone Arena | June 25, 1997 | 1998-99 | |||||
| St. Louis Blues | St. Louis, Missouri | Enterprise Center | April 5, 1966 | 1967-68 | |||||
| Utah Hockey Club | Salt Lake City, UT | Delta Center | April 18, 2024 | 2024-25 | |||||
| Winnipeg Jets | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Bell MTS Place | June 25, 1997 | 1999-2000 | |||||
| Pacific | Anaheim Ducks | Anaheim, California | Honda Center | 1993 | |||||
| Calgary Flames | Calgary, Alberta | Scotiabank Saddledome | December 28, 1971 | 1972-73 | |||||
| Edmonton Oilers | Edmonton, Alberta | Rogers Place | November 1, 1971 | 1979 | |||||
| Los Angeles Kings | Los Angeles, California | Crypto.com Arena | 1967-68 | ||||||
| San Jose Sharks | San Jose, California | SAP Center at San Jose | 1991 | ||||||
| Seattle Kraken | Seattle, Washington | Climate Pledge Arena | December 4, 2018 | 2021-22 | |||||
| Vancouver Canucks | Vancouver, British Columbia | Rogers Arena | December 2, 1969 | 1970-71 | |||||
| Vegas Golden Knights | Paradise, Nevada | T-Mobile Arena | June 22, 2016 | 2017-18 | |||||
See also
- List of National Hockey League seasons
- List of NHL All-Star Games
- NHL league publications
- Goal Magazine
 Leagues Portal
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