NHL

The NHL, or National Hockey League, is home to the highest level of hockey in North America, and is one of the oldest professional sports leagues. This site will give you all the information that you need to know about the NHL.

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NHL - Overview
Hockey didn’t become a professional sport until 1904, when the first hockey league was formed in the state of Michigan in the United States. This first league only lasted until 1907, when another bigger league was formed.

When World War I began, this larger league folded. It wasn’t until after the war, in 1917, that the National Hockey League was formed.

It is said that the NHL game as we know it today was once played with nine players on each side. This was before the Stanley Cup championships began. As the story goes, two men were not able to make it to the game so the opposing team dropped two men from their squad to make it even.

The seven men teams consisted of 3 forwards, 2 defensemen, one goaltender and a rover. The rover had the option to play offensively or fall back to help defend his goal. Today the game is played with the goaltender and 2 defensemen and 1 center with 2 forwards.

The name of hockey is said to come from the word “hoquet”, which in French means “shepherd’s stick”. The word “rink” was used to describe the surface playing area of curling and was adopted for hockey.

The NHL had modest beginnings. Over the years it has seen many changes, from improved equipment to skating in huge crowd-filled arenas. Even the game of hockey has had rules and regulation changes.

One thing is for certain: despite occasional growing pains, the National Hockey League is here to stay.

The Game
Game on! For the next 60 minutes, that is. The game is divided into three periods, each 20 minutes long. At the end of the hour, if the game is tied, there is overtime added. If the score is still tied after the overtime has been added, there is a shootout.

There are six men playing on each side. The exceptions are if a player (or two-the maximum) is in the penalty box. The other exception is during overtime play, when there are 4 players and the goaltender.

The goalkeeper or goalie has the job of making sure the other team doesn’t score. To score a goal in the NHL, a player has to make a puck go past the goaltender and into the net.

There are right and left defensemen. Their duty is to stop opposing players from making plays, passes or shots on the net. When they have the puck, they send it up to the center or wingers to make plays. Or, they can shoot and score a goal themselves.

The center basically leads the offensive attack. An NHL center will try and get his wingers to set up to score a goal or make a play to the net.

NHL officials are referees who supervise the game. They call penalties, determine if goals are allowable, and drop the puck for face-offs during the game. There are also 2 linesmen who watch for offside plays and icing calls.

When a penalty is called, a team has to play short-handed while the penalized player waits out his punishment in the penalty box. The short-handed team then has to kill the penalty by not letting the team with more players score against them.

Teams
When the NHL was formed in 1917, there were 4 teams, which grew to six. Today there are 30 NHL teams. The original teams consisted of the Toronto Arenas, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Wanderers.

The NHL teams are divided into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

The following teams belong in the Eastern Conference: New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The NHL’s western conference teams are: Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, and the San Jose Sharks.

The two conference teams are split into three divisions. The division winners in each conference play each other until the rivals for the Stanley Cup are revealed. The NHL team that has the most points gets the home ice advantage. An NHL team receives 2 points for every game won and 1 point if the game was lost in overtime or was a shootout loss.

Equipment
The NHL has seen some changes over the years in the equipment hockey players wear.

In the early years, players didn’t wear helmets. This accounted for many injuries, including eyesight loss and other career-ending damage. Although it’s not known who the first player in the NHL to wear a helmet was, George Owen, a defenseman for the Boston Bruins, is said to have worn a leather helmet in 1928.

In 1905, Mike Grant, when an NHL referee was told to expect rough play, wore a hard hat! The NHL ruled that all new players had to wear a helmet after June 1, 1979. Players who were already in the NHL had a choice of whether or not to wear one. A St. Louis Blues player, Craig MacTavish was the last player to go without headgear. He played until 1996.

Hockey pucks, as legend would have it, were originally frozen potatoes. Mother’s would place hot baked potatoes inside skates to keep them warm, and then, as the potato froze, it was used as a puck.

Wooden pucks were used for many years. In the 1880’s pucks were made out of the rubber we see in the NHL today.

Hockey sticks were originally hand made from hornbeam or ironwood. As hockey caught on, the Native craftsman who carved them couldn’t keep up. In the 1930’s a company in Nova Scotia, Canada, named the Starr Manufacturing company began making hockey sticks.

NHL goalies didn’t wear masks until the late 1950’s. When Jacques Plante had to get a total of 200 stitches on his face, he would only return to the ice if he could wear a mask that he had designed and worn in practices. The first goaltender pads were actually cricket pads.

NHL Talk
If you are a hockey fan, chances are you’ve heard the broadcaster at an NHL game call out, “He shoots and he scores!” If you are still new to hockey, here’s a glimpse at some of the terms used in the game.

The ice, boards and glass are called the rink. The rink is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide. The rink is divided up with lines and circles. The goal lines are two thin red lines that are located at each end of the rink. These are used to call icings or goals. The goal sits right on this line and when the puck crosses the line and goes into the net the team has scored.

“Going upstairs” is what happens when a goal is questionable. Whether it’s been batted out of the air by a high-stick or if it went over the goal line and a player pulled it back out, there will be an NHL official on a phone while goal judges watch re-plays.

When a player sends the puck the length of the rink and over the goal line before crossing the centerline, it’s called icing. If the puck was going slowly enough that the defending player could have stopped it, icing is waved off.

A hat trick is when a player scores three goals in a single game. Sometimes fans will throw their hats on to the ice to celebrate. The fastest hat trick ever to be scored in the NHL was when Bill Mosienko, of the Chicago Blackhawks whipped in three goals in 21 seconds! That was March 23, 1952.

If you ever hear an NHL commentator talk about a team changing on the fly, it means that the teams are changing players while play continues. 30 years ago, teams would have to wait until a play was over before they could make any player changes.

Checking is a way to try and get the puck from the opponent. NHL players are allowed to poke check (poke the puck away or off the other player’s stick) or hip and body check. Players are not allowed to hold a player or hook them with their stick to slow them down. That will result in a penalty.

If the referee calls a penalty on a player, they must go to the penalty box to serve their time. A minor penalty will mean 2 minutes in the box, while a major is worth 5 minutes. There are also more severe penalties for more serious offenses, including a player being expelled from the game, and fines can be charged.

Some lesser-known hockey terms are chicklets (teeth), chucking the knuckles (fighting with no gloves on) and goon (tough guy.)

NHL Arenas
The first NHL arena was built in 1931. The Maple Leaf Gardens, in Toronto, could hold 15,646 hockey fans. It cost 1.5 million dollars to build.

The NHL arena with the most fan seating is the Molson Center, in Montreal, with a seating capacity of 21,631 fans.

Since 1931, there have been 35 arenas built in major NHL team cities, with the most expensive being the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. At a cost of 300 million dollars, the arena holds 20,000 fans.

The Stanley Cup
There have been many brothers who became famous hockey players in the National Hockey League, including the Espositos, Drydens, Sutters (six brothers in total) and the Sedin twins. It only seems fitting that the Stanley Cup has its beginning’s from a family of seven brothers, who loved to play hockey.

Arthur, one of the Stanley brothers, is credited for starting a hockey association and apparently talking Lord Stanley, the Governor General of Canada, into having a symbol of championship.

The first Stanley Cup was won in 1894. Unfortunately, the Stanley’s had already returned to England by that time, so Lord Stanley and his sons never saw the beginnings of this trophy’s long and exciting NHL history.

The cup was made of silver and measured 71/2 inches in height and 11 ½ inches across. It is said that Lord Stanley paid about 50 dollars for it. The Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, as it was originally called, was given to two gentlemen trustees. The conditions for the cup included that the NHL team who won the cup were not given property of it, even if won more than once, and that the trustees had the authority over any problems or disputes over the trophy.

Earlier times had players scratching their names into the original bowl with a knife or nail tip and the trophy changed shape and size, year after year. The NHL now uses a two-piece trophy design, consisting of a wider base and topped with a removable bowl (a close copy of the original) and collar. It has remained this shape since 1958.

In 1969 the original NHL Stanley Cup was retired. Due to age, it had become easily damaged. It sits in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada.

Today, the Stanley Cup is the NHL’s most prestigious trophy, indeed, it has become widely known the world over as one of the most prominent sporting competitions.

The Trophy Case
Aside from the Stanley Cup Championship, there are many professional sports awards available to NHL players who have excelled at the game, in some way. The voting for these trophies takes place at the end of hockey season.

The Professional Hockey Writer’s Association votes for the Hart, Norris, Selke, Calder and Lady Byng trophy winners. The Vezina Trophy winner is chosen by the NHL’s General Managers. Members of the NHL Broadcaster’s Association vote for the Jack Adams award winner and the League Player’s Association pick the Lester B. Pearson award recipient.

The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded every year to the NHL player that has had the best first year in the league. Best defensive forward? He can look forward to receiving The Frank J. Selke trophy.

The most valuable player award is called the Hart Memorial Trophy and NHL coaches who have contributed the most to a team’s success are recognized with the Jack Adams Award.

The best defenseman of the season can look forward to being selected for the NHL’s James Norris Memorial Trophy. An NHL goaltender is the team’s last defense. The goalie that is considered the best can look forward to receiving the Vezina Trophy.

The National Hockey League loves to reward players who are gentleman, show good sportsmanship and play with high standards. That is rewarded with the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

The most outstanding player in the NHL for a season gets the Lester B. Pearson Award, while the player with the most points scored is awarded the Art Ross Trophy.

There are times when players in the NHL have to overcome serious injuries, surgeries and other challenges. For those players who show exemplary perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is presented. It is offered in honor of Bill Masterton, who died after being injured in a game on January 15, 1968.

The Stanley Cup finals can be some of the most exciting and challenging for NHL players. The Conn Smythe Trophy is granted to the most valuable player during the playoffs.

The top goal scorer of the season is presented with the Maurice Richard Trophy and the NHL player that has made a noteworthy contribution to his community and shows leadership qualities on and off the ice receives the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

Trivia
You might not suspect that on the NHL’s most prestigious trophy you’d find one woman’s name, let alone eight! Still, there are eight women’s names engraved on the Stanley Cup, as women have been co-owners and presidents of teams.

The American team to have won the most Stanley Cups is the Detroit Red Wings. They were the first NHL team to win the Cup in back to back years (1936 and 1937) and have won 10 times. What team has won the Cup the most? That’s the Montreal Canadiens, with 24 championships.

Charlie Gardner is the only captain and goalie of an NHL team to have his name on the Stanley Cup. That was in 1934, with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Willie O’Ree was the first black player in the NHL. Considered one of the fastest skaters in the league, he started playing junior hockey in 1955. He was hit in the eye with a puck during that time and lost vision in one eye. He went on to play 45 games in the NHL for the Boston Bruins.

Manon Rheaume was the first woman to play in the NHL. She was a goalie, and, although she played mostly for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s farm team, she did play a pre-season game against the St. Louis Blues.

Ice resurfacing could take over an hour. A team of 3-4 people would scrape the surface with a tractor. The shavings had to be removed, the ice was hosed down and squeegees run over the surface. Then, there was the wait for the ice to set. Frank J. Zamboni created a machine that could do the job in minutes and only needed one person to operate it. The Utah native died in 1988, but today you rarely hear anyone in the NHL talk about “ice resurfacing machines” - they are known only as Zambonis.


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