Content deleted Content added
Undid revision 1229865830 by MrbignatedogYT (talk) |
mNo edit summary |
||
Line 59:
| website = {{URL|https://www.nhl.com|NHL.com}}
}}
The '''National Hockey League''' ('''NHL'''; {{lang-fr|Ligue nationale de hockey}} {{IPA|fr|liɡ nɑsjɔnal də ɔkɛ|}}, ''LNH'') is a men's professional [[ice hockey]] [[sports league|league]] in [[North America]] comprising 32 teams<ref group="nb" name="Teams">In April 2024, the NHL announced that the [[Arizona Coyotes]] franchise would be deactivated with all players and hockey-related assets sold to an expansion franchise based in [[Salt Lake City]]. The current owner of the Arizona franchise, Alex Meruelo, has until 2029 to secure a suitable NHL arena in Arizona in order to reactivate the team. Thus as of 2024, of the NHL's 33 franchises, only 32 are part of the playing schedule.</ref>{{snd}}25 in the United States (plus an inactive franchise in Arizona) and 7<!--Per MOS:NUM, comparable quantities should all be in the same format, so the numeral 7 is correct here. Please do not change it to "seven".--> in Canada. The [[Stanley Cup]], the oldest professional sports trophy in North America,<ref>{{cite news|last=Roarke|first=Shawn P.|title=Stanley Cup has incredible history|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/stanley-cup-has-incredible-125-years-of-history/c-287633638|website=NHL.com|date=March 12, 2017|access-date=June 12, 2020|archive-date=May 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526114504/https://www.nhl.com/news/stanley-cup-has-incredible-125-years-of-history/c-287633638|url-status=live}}</ref> is awarded annually to the [[Stanley Cup playoffs|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 premier and top ranked professional ice hockey league in the world,<ref name="premier">{{cite encyclopedia |title=National Hockey League |first=James |last=Marsh |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-hockey-league/ |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |year=2006 |access-date=June 11, 2006 |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020011613/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-hockey-league/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with players from 17 countries {{As of|alt=as of the {{NHL Year|2023|app=season}}|2023|10}}.<ref name="2324playernationalities">{{cite web |title=Active NHL Players Totals by Nationality ‑ 2023‑2024 Stats |website=QuantHockey.com |url=https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nationality-totals/active-nhl-players-2022-23-stats.html |access-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-date=April 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418081144/https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nationality-totals/active-nhl-players-2022-23-stats.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[International Ice Hockey Federation]] (IIHF) also views the Stanley Cup as one of the "most important championships available to the sport".<ref>{{cite web|title=Triple Gold Goalies... not|url=http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=850|website=International Ice Hockey Federation|author=Podnieks, Andrew|date=March 25, 2008|access-date=June 17, 2017|archive-date=August 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825225356/http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=850|url-status=live}}</ref> The NHL is headquartered in [[Midtown Manhattan]].
The National Hockey League was organized at the [[Windsor Hotel (Montreal)|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]].<ref>''The National Hockey League Official Record Book & Guide 2009'' 77th Edition, p. 9. New York: National Hockey League (2008)</ref> 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 foldings left the NHL as the only league left competing for the Stanley Cup in 1926.
Line 65:
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, 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 [[1979 NHL expansion|21 teams in 1979]]. Between 1991 and 2000, the NHL further expanded to 30 teams. It added its 31st and 32nd teams in 2017 and 2021, respectively. Utah was awarded a 33rd franchise in 2024 as it acquired the hockey assets of the Arizona franchise, which became inactive, thus maintaining the total number of teams at 32.<ref group="nb" name="Teams"/>
The NHL is the fifth-highest grossing [[professional sport]] league in the world by [[List of professional sports leagues by revenue|revenue]], after the [[National Football League]] (NFL), [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA), and the
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 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.<ref group="nb" name="MTL"/> The reigning league champions are the [[Vegas Golden Knights]], who defeated the [[Florida Panthers]] in the [[2023 Stanley Cup Finals]].
| |||