One of the two main professional ice hockey rule sets globally is the NHL’s regulations — with the other set being those of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which are applied in events like the Olympics. Responsible for vetting new ownership applications (collective bargaining), and league expansion is a committee chaired by Bettman and Jeremy Jacobs. Comprised of the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions is the Eastern Conference, whereas the Western Conference includes the Central and Pacific divisions. Each conference features two divisions, consisting of 16 teams in total per conference and 8 teams in each division.

Structure of the organization

A memorandum of understanding regarding the new deal was signed by the league and the Players’ Association on January 12 (enabling teams to start their training camps the following day), leading to a shortened 48-game season that kicked off on January 19. The first player to achieve 50 goals in a 50-game season was Maurice “Rocket” Richard in 1945. To assist Ace Bailey — who suffered an end to his career due to a brutal hit from Eddie Shore, the inaugural NHL All-Star Game took place in 1934. Taffy Abel, a Native American, broke the NHL’s color barrier in 1926 by becoming the league’s first non-white player with the New York Rangers. A two-year contract has been signed with Anthony Mantha by the New Jersey Devils.

Annually, in addition to regular season accolades, the Conn Smythe Trophy is presented to the most valuable player during the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs. ESPN designated the 1977 Montreal Canadiens, who were the second of four consecutive Stanley Cup champions, as the second greatest sports team ever. The Montreal Canadiens hold the record for the longest consecutive Stanley Cup victories (which is five), spanning from 1955–56 to 1959–60. Awarded the Presidents’ Trophy is the team that accumulates the most points during the regular season. The team with the highest regular season point total enjoys home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final.

NHL Updates: Mantha signed by the Devils, Yzerman no longer serves as GM, along with several other signings

The native of Bedford (New York), achieved career highs with 26 goals and 67 points in 81 games, and contributed six points in 10 playoff games as the Flyers made the postseason for the first time since 2020. Generally (the regular season of the league runs from October to April), featuring 82 games for each team. Coming off a strong two-way season, he achieved personal bests of eight goals and 32 points. He ended the season with 14 goals and 46 points while maintaining a faceoff percentage of 43.0, which aligns precisely 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 betting and predictions 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.

He grew up in Russian youth hockey but moved to the United States to begin his junior career in 2016. Ahokas had a long career as the coach of Finland’s junior clubs – and a four-year stint coaching in the Liiga – before moving over to Kitchener in 2023. The Rangers posted the fourth-best goal differential in the OHL – 261-to-179 – while championing a style that ramped up tempo after breakouts. A six-year deal will offer McMichael the security he needs to focus on winning that competition – and could land St. Louis with a high-value contract through his prime years.

This summer has been a wild one thus far for many teams, as top-six forwards and top-four defensemen have been moved for massive hauls that are inflated returns compared to years past. Make no mistake — though, that indifference is patience, and Habs fans should be happy to see it from management at a time when most GMs would have made a move just to make one. The Everblades, based in Estero, Florida, brought home the 2026 Kelly Cup as ECHL Champions.

Expansion era

Three potential trade candidates for the Nashville Predators. Jamie Drysdale (Zegras’ close friend and former Anaheim teammate), whose presence eased his transition to Philadelphia, remains unsigned and carries his own arbitration hearing scheduled for July 20. Extensions for Matvei Michkov and 2025 first-rounder Porter Martone loom over the next two summers, making cost certainty on Zegras a meaningful piece of the longer roster puzzle. Even after locking up Zegras (the Flyers retain ample flexibility), with roughly $30MM in projected space before this deal. Zegras played primarily on the wing (with some looks at center), and helped drive Philadelphia’s push into the playoffs down the stretch.

• 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 demonstrated the fourth-best goal differential in the OHL at 261-to-179 — adopting a style that increased tempo post-breakout.
• The OHL’s London Knights have landed another big-time prospect, forward Luca Santala, who signed on an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.
• There is a good chance that prices will decline later in the summer or halfway through the season when teams find themselves out of contention and may decide to trade certain players.
• At its inception (the NHL had four teams), all in Canada, thus the adjective “National” in the league’s name.

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 included in the national rights agreement are aired by regional feeds from Sportsnet, TSN, and RDS. Quebecor Media held the national French-language broadcasting rights for the NHL, with all coverage featured on its specialized channel TVA Sports. Rogers-produced NHL coverage was retained by CBC during both the regular season and playoffs. An initiative to recruit more “skilled offensive players” involved NHL teams drafting and signing European players. Since the 1990s, a significant number of the league’s leading players have emerged from these European nations. By the 1987–88 season (for instance), the percentage of American players in the NHL rose to 15%.