National Hockey League (NHL)
The NHL evolved from a cold-weather regional league into a cross-border engine of skill, speed, and player development, shaping how the sport is played and imagined everywhere the ice runs deep.
NHL Basics
- The premier professional hockey league with teams across the U.S. and Canada.
- Talent comes from Canada, the U.S., Europe, and Russia, blending distinct playing styles.
- Dictates rules, development trends, and global innovations in high-level ice hockey.
How Ice Hockey Works
Hockey is played on ice with two teams trying to shoot a puck into the other team’s net. Players skate at high speed, pass quickly, and rotate on and off the ice in short shifts. The game moves fast, and goals come from creating space, winning loose pucks, and taking smart shots.
League Rules & Structure
The NHL has 32 teams split into two conferences, each playing an 82-game regular season. Games are three periods and teams can score only by sending the puck fully across the goal line. Penalties send players to the penalty box, giving the other team a power play. After the season, teams enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs to determine the league champion.
A Quick History of the NHL
WORLD HOCKEY INDEX
Accra (Ghana) | Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) | Amsterdam (Netherlands) | Athens (Greece) | Bangkok (Thailand) | Barcelona (Spain) | Beijing (China) | Berlin (Germany) | Bogota (Colombia) | Buenos Aires (Argentina) | Cairo (Egypt) | Casablanca (Morocco) | Copenhagen (Denmark) | Doha (Qatar) | Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | Dublin (Ireland) | Delhi (India) | Edinburgh / Glasgow (Scotland) | Havana (Cuba) | Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon (Vietnam) | Istanbul (Turkey) | Jakarta (Indonesia) | Johannesburg (South Africa) | Karachi (Pakistan) | Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) | Lagos (Nigeria) | Lima (Peru) | London (England) | Lyon (France) | Madrid (Spain) | Manchester (England) | Manila (Philippines) | Melbourne (Australia) | Mexico City (Mexico) | Milan (Italy) | Moscow (Russia) | Mumbai (India) | Munich (Germany) | Nairobi (Kenya) | Paris (France) | Rome (Italy) | Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) | Santiago (Chile) | Sao Paolo (Brazil) | Seoul (South Korea) | Shanghai (China) | Stockholm (Sweden) | Sydney (Australia) | Taipei (Taiwan) | Tel Aviv (Israel) | Tokyo (Japan) | Vienna (Austria) | Warsaw (Poland) | Zurich (Switzerland)
Angola | Benin | Botswana | Burkina Faso | Burundi | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | Comoros | Congo | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Djibouti | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Ethiopia | Gabon | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Ivory Coast | Kenya | Lesotho | Liberia | Madagascar | Malawi | Mali | Mauritania | Mauritius | Mozambique | Namibia | Niger | Nigeria | Rwanda | Sao Tome and Principe | Senegal | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | South Africa | South Sudan | Sudan | Swaziland (Eswatini) | Tanzania | Togo | Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe
Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Canada | Chile | Colombia | Ecuador | Guyana | Mexico | Paraguay | Peru | Suriname | United States of America | Uruguay | Venezuela
Bangladesh | Bhutan | Brunei | Cambodia | China | India | Indonesia | Japan | Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Malaysia | Maldives | Mongolia | Myanmar | Nepal | North Korea | Philippines | Singapore | South Korea | Sri Lanka | Taiwan | Tajikistan | Thailand | Turkmenistan | Uzbekistan | Vietnam
Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Nicaragua | Panama | Puerto Rico | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago
Albania | Andorra | Armenia | Austria | Belarus | Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | England | Estonia | Finland | France | Georgia | Germany | Greece | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Kosovo | Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malta | Moldova | Monaco | Montenegro | Netherlands | North Macedonia | Northern Ireland | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Russia | San Marino | Scotland | Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Ukraine | United Kingdom | Vatican City | Wales
Afghanistan | Algeria | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Egypt | Iran | Iraq | Israel | Jordan | Kuwait | Lebanon | Libya | Morocco | Oman | Pakistan | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Somalia | Syria | Tunisia | Turkey | United Arab Emirates | Yemen
Australia | East Timor | Fiji | Kiribati | Marshall Islands | Micronesia | Nauru | Palau | Papua New Guinea | Samoa | Solomon Islands | Tonga | Tuvalu | Vanuatu
NORTH AMERICA
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia (DC) | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Alberta | British Columbia | Manitoba | New Brunswick | Newfoundland and Labrador | Nova Scotia | Ontario | Prince Edward Island | Quebec | Saskatchewan | Northwest Territories | Nunavut | Yukon
Atlanta | Austin / San Antonio | Baltimore / Washington DC | Bay Area (Oakland / San Francisco / San Jose) | Boston | Buffalo | Calgary | Charlotte | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cleveland / Columbus | Dallas | Denver | Detroit | Edmonton | Houston | Indianapolis | Jacksonville | Kansas City | Las Vegas | Los Angeles / San Diego | Memphis | Miami | Milwaukee | Minneapolis | Montreal | Nashville | New Orleans | New York City | Oklahoma City | Orlando | Ottawa | Philadelphia | Phoenix | Pittsburgh | Portland | Raleigh | Sacramento | Salt Lake City | Seattle | St. Louis | Tampa Bay | Toronto | Vancouver | Winnipeg