115-476: Players in the National Hockey League wear equipment which allows their team affiliation to be easily identified, unifying the image of the team. An NHL uniform consists of a hockey jersey , hockey pants , socks , gloves , and a helmet . Historically, the only standardized piece of the equipment has been the sweater (jersey), which has to be of identical design by the same company for all members of
230-793: A merger agreement in 1979 that saw the WHA cease operations while the NHL absorbed the Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers , the Hartford Whalers , and the Quebec Nordiques . The owners initially rejected this merger agreement by one vote, but a massive boycott of Molson Brewery products by Canadian fans resulted in the Montreal Canadiens, which was owned by Molson, reversing its position, along with
345-607: A new team in Salt Lake City , Utah . Two months after Utah's foundation, the Coyotes ceased their efforts to re-activate within the five-year window granted to do so, bringing the NHL back to 32 franchises. There have been four league-wide work stoppages in NHL history, all occurring after 1992 . The first was an April 1992 strike by the National Hockey League Players' Association , which lasted for ten days but
460-466: A pulled goaltender ). Since 2013, the league has used hybrid icing , where a linesman stops play due to icing if a defending player (other than the goaltender) crosses the imaginary line that connects the two face-off dots in their defensive zone before an attacking player is able to. This was done to counter a trend of player injury in races to the puck. Fighting in the NHL leads to major penalties while IIHF rules, and most amateur rules, call for
575-452: A 10-year deal with the NHL. A team's gear also includes colour requirements for other equipment, while not requiring players to use a specific brand or model, so they may select equipment to their preferences. This includes a player's gloves, pants, and helmet. Socks are also part of the design, historically with some pattern of horizontal stripes. CCM, Bauer, Warrior and True have been a frequent supplier of player equipment and skates. There
690-446: A best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team was at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top three teams in each division made the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference, for
805-456: A bruised ankle, Team USA's Kendall Coyne Schofield competed in the Fastest Skater competition in his place, becoming the first woman to officially compete in the NHL's All-Star festivities. The attention led the NHL to include a 3-on-3 women's game before the 2020 All-Star Game . Rheaume returned to perform as a goaltender for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game 's Breakaway Challenge. From
920-598: A coloured third sweater, or a home team wishes to wear a white third sweater, as there must be one team each wearing white and coloured uniforms in a game. This can require a team to carry two sets of uniforms and equipment on the road, whether they are using their third sweaters, or are playing against a team who is. For the 2019–20 season , the Buffalo Sabres wore a white commemorative jersey for 13 home games featuring gold trim to celebrate 50 years of NHL hockey in Buffalo. In
1035-426: A major issue in the NHL, with concussions resulting from a hard hit to the head being the primary concern. Recent studies have shown how the consequences of concussions can last beyond player retirement. This has significant effects on the league, as elite players have suffered from the aftereffects of concussions (such as Sidney Crosby being sidelined for approximately ten and a half months), which adversely affects
1150-480: A new 12-year deal between the team and TSN's parent company Bell Media (which also included French-language regional rights for RDS, and an extension of CFGO 's radio rights), replacing Sportsnet East. The Senators were replaced on Sportsnet East by the Montreal Canadiens under a new three-year deal with Rogers. TVA Sports' national French-language coverage consisted of themed games on selected nights of
1265-587: A new or updated logo. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild used their alternate sweater from the previous three seasons as the basis for their new look, complete with the team adopting the alternate logo from their alternates as their primary logo. Five of the Original Six teams (excluding the Boston Bruins ) as well as the New Jersey Devils kept their previous styles intact when possible, with
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#17328553525501380-592: A player safety lawsuit. From 1952 to 1955, Marguerite Norris served as president of the Detroit Red Wings , being the first female NHL executive and the first woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup. In 1992, Manon Rhéaume became the first woman to play a game in any of the major professional North American sports leagues, as a goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason game against
1495-485: A playoff berth for the first time since the team's relocation from Atlanta in 2011. The San Jose Sharks ' playoff streak ended at ten years. The Ottawa Senators also became the first team in NHL history to make the postseason after trailing for the final playoff spot by 14 points. The playoffs ended with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to win the Stanley Cup. Midway through
1610-537: A preseason consisting of six to eight exhibition games . Split squad games, in which parts of a team's regular season roster play separate games on the same day, are occasionally played during the preseason. During the regular season, clubs play each other in a predefined schedule. Since 2021, in the regular season, all teams play 82 games: 41 games each of home and road, playing 26 games in their own geographic division—four against five of their seven other divisional opponents, plus three against two others; 24 games against
1725-408: A second positive test, and a lifetime suspension for a third positive test. At the end of regulation time, the team with the most goals wins the game. If a game is tied after regulation time, overtime ensues. During the regular season, overtime is a five-minute, three-on-three sudden-death period, in which whoever scores a goal first wins the game. If the game is still tied at the end of overtime,
1840-558: A significant realignment for NHL broadcast rights in Canada, as it marked the first year of Rogers Communications ' 12-year, CA$ 5.2 billion contract for exclusive national television and digital media rights to the league. The networks of Sportsnet (including the Sportsnet regional channels , Sportsnet One , and Sportsnet 360 ) replaced TSN as the English-language cable broadcasters of
1955-528: A team. Other elements merely have a number scheme, allowing individual players to select their own brand and model coloured to match the uniform but not necessarily identical in appearance. Sticks and other equipment worn under the clothes have no requirements in terms of matching a team's colours; teams will sometimes provide players with team-brand undershirts or other under-clothing, but players are not required or limited to wearing them. Goaltenders often have their pads and gloves and masks coloured to match
2070-414: A total of eight teams from each conference. In the first round, the lower seeded wild card in each conference was played against the division winner with the best record while the other wild card was played against the other division winner, and both wild cards were de facto #4 seeds. The other series matched the second and third-place teams from the divisions. In the first two rounds, home ice advantage
2185-503: A white base (or historically, a yellow colour), and one with a darker-coloured base. Between the 1970–71 and 2002–03 seasons, NHL teams wore white (or yellow) uniforms at home and dark uniforms on the road (which is the current convention in some low-level ice hockey leagues). Since the 2003–04 season , NHL teams typically wear the dark colour at home and the white for road games; there are occasional single-game exceptions. The only elements allowed by NHL rules to be interchangeable between
2300-521: Is a sock and pant design by CCM with similar technological improvements and design intentions. National Hockey League The National Hockey League ( NHL ); French : Ligue nationale de hockey [liɡ nɑsjɔnal də ɔkɛ] ( LNH ), is a professional ice hockey league in North America consisting of 32 teams – 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup ,
2415-399: Is awarded one point. Shootout goals and saves are not tracked in hockey statistics; shootout statistics are tracked separately. There are no shootouts during the playoffs . Instead, multiple sudden-death, 20-minute five-on-five periods are played until one team scores. Two games have reached six overtime periods, but none have gone beyond six. During playoff overtime periods, the only break
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#17328553525502530-668: Is to clean the loose ice at the first stoppage after the period is halfway finished. 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 ). Teams usually hold a summer showcase for prospects in July and participate in prospect tournaments, full games that do not feature any veterans, in September. Full training camps begin in mid-to-late September, including
2645-783: The 1942–43 season , the NHL was reduced to six teams: the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Black Hawks, the Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, a line-up, often referred to as the " Original Six ", that would remain constant for the next 25 years. In 1947, the league reached an agreement with the Stanley Cup trustees to take full control of the trophy, allowing it to reject challenges from other leagues that wished to play for
2760-917: The 1967–68 season , adding the Los Angeles Kings , the Minnesota North Stars , the Philadelphia Flyers , the Pittsburgh Penguins , the California Seals , and the St. Louis Blues . However, Canadian fans were outraged that all six teams were placed in the United States, so the league responded by adding the Vancouver Canucks in 1970 , along with the Buffalo Sabres , both located on the Canada–United States border . Two years later,
2875-648: The 2000–01 season , when the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets joined the league as expansion teams, until 2017. That expansion capped a period in the 1990s of rapid expansion and relocation, when the NHL added nine teams to grow from 21 to 30 teams, and relocated four teams mostly from smaller, northern cities to larger, more southern metropolitan areas ( Minneapolis to Dallas , Quebec City to Denver , Winnipeg to Phoenix , and Hartford to Raleigh ). The league has not contracted any teams since
2990-451: The 2013 NHL Winter Classic and the 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend . On January 6, a tentative agreement was reached on a 10-year deal. On January 12, the league and the Players' Association signed a memorandum of understanding on the new deal, allowing teams to begin their training camps the next day, with a shortened 48-game season schedule that began on January 19. Player safety has become
3105-446: The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi , Russia . The Toronto Maple Leafs – Ottawa Senators game originally scheduled for October 22 was postponed due to the 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa . The game was rescheduled for November 9. The New York Rangers – Buffalo Sabres game originally scheduled for November 21 was postponed due to the winter weather-related difficulties in
3220-709: The 2017–18 season to the 2019–20 season , the NHL consisted of 31 teams—24 based in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL divided the 31 teams into two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference . Each conference was split into two divisions : the Eastern Conference contained 16 teams (eight per division), while the Western Conference had 15 teams (seven in the Central and eight in
3335-435: The 2018–19 season , the New Jersey Devils (sweater modeled after the home sweater the team wore from 1982 to 1992) were the only team to wear a white third sweater. The Washington Capitals ( 2011 NHL Winter Classic sweater modeled after the sweater the team wore from 1974 to 1995) were the only NHL team to have a white third sweater from the 2011–12 season to the 2014–15 season , when they were replaced by red sweaters of
3450-526: The 2020–21 season , the NHL began partnering with Adidas to introduce the Reverse Retro program, where all 31 teams developed special uniforms combining traditional or throwback designs with new colour schemes. The introduction of the Reverse Retro jerseys (which were planned to be worn in specific rivalry matchups, a plan hindered by the realignment of divisions due to Covid-19) marks the first time in history that all 31 teams have at least three jerseys. For
3565-457: The 2022–23 season Reverse Retro designs made a return, including the newly added Seattle Kraken . In the 2021–22 season , Adidas introduced the Primegreen jerseys. The new line is intended to be more environmentally-friendly, being manufactured with a minimum of 50 percent of recycled materials. These jerseys will be used in-game and sold commercially. As of 2020, the NHL was the only one of
NHL uniform - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-691: The Anaheim Ducks , Derick Brassard and two other players on the New York Rangers , Sidney Crosby and four other players on the Pittsburgh Penguins , four players on the New Jersey Devils and five players on the Minnesota Wild . The league, teams and players then implemented several sanitary procedures, and the last reported mumps case occurred on January 11. Tie Breakers: 1. Fewer number of games played. 2. Greater Regulation + OT Wins (ROW) 3. Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play. (If teams played an unequal # of head-to-head games,
3795-787: The Boston Pride of the National Women's Hockey League and the Les Canadiennes of the Canadian Women's Hockey League , as part of the 2016 NHL Winter Classic weekend festivities. In 2019, the NHL invited four women from the US and Canadian Olympic teams to demonstrate the events in All-Star skills competition before the All-Star Game . Due to Nathan MacKinnon choosing not to participate following
3910-696: The Cleveland Barons were merged into the Minnesota North Stars in 1978. The league expanded for the first time in 17 years to 31 teams with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, then to 32 with the addition of the Seattle Kraken in 2021. In April 2024, a new expansion team in Utah was created, after Alex Meruelo sold the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes to Ryan Smith , owner of
4025-720: The Columbus Blue Jackets . Also, in the mid to late 1990s, the Quebec Nordiques, original Winnipeg Jets, and Hartford Whalers relocated to Denver, Phoenix, and Raleigh. In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, and the Winnipeg Jets were revived. On July 21, 2015, the NHL confirmed that it had received applications from prospective ownership groups in Quebec City and Las Vegas for possible expansion teams, and on June 22, 2016, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced
4140-595: The Quebec Bulldogs to hold a meeting to discuss the league's future. Realizing the NHA constitution left them unable to force Livingstone out, the four teams voted instead to suspend the NHA, and, on November 26, 1917, formed the National Hockey League. Frank Calder was chosen as the NHL's first president, serving until his death in 1943. The Bulldogs were unable to play in the NHL, and the remaining owners founded
4255-406: The St. Louis Blues , stopping seven of nine shots. In 2016, Dawn Braid was hired as the Arizona Coyotes ' skating coach, making her the first female full-time coach in the NHL. 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, the NHL hosted the 2016 Outdoor Women's Classic , an exhibition game between
4370-682: The Toronto Arenas to compete with the Canadiens, Wanderers and Senators. The first games were played on December 19, 1917. The Montreal Arena burned down in January 1918, causing the Wanderers to cease operations, and the NHL continued on as a three-team league until the Bulldogs returned in 1919. The NHL replaced the NHA as one of the leagues that competed for the Stanley Cup, an interleague competition at
4485-605: The Utah Jazz . Meruelo was granted until 2029 to secure an arena in Arizona in order to re-activate the team, bringing the total number of franchises in the NHL up to 33; however, these efforts were abandoned two months later, leaving the NHL at 32 franchises once again. According to Forbes , in 2023, the top five most valuable teams were four of the " Original Six " teams and the Los Angeles Kings: The remaining members of
4600-469: The Chicago Black Hawks' Bobby Hull , who signed a 10-year, $ 2.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets , then the largest in hockey history. The league attempted to block the defections in court, but a counter-suit by the WHA led to a Philadelphia judge ruling the NHL's reserve clause to be illegal, thus eliminating the elder league's monopoly over the players. Seven years of battling for players and markets financially damaged both leagues, leading to
4715-461: The Cup. In 1945, Maurice "Rocket" Richard became the first player to score 50 goals , doing so in a 50-game season . Richard later led the Canadiens to five consecutive titles between 1956 and 1960, a record no team has matched. In 1948, Asian Canadian Larry Kwong became the first Asian player in the NHL by playing for the New York Rangers. In 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first black player in
NHL uniform - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-624: The Devils going as far as to issue a press release saying that the team had no plans for an event unveiling the Rbk Edge design, because there was nothing new to see. The Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres , who both had just redesigned their sweaters the year before the implementation of the Edge sweaters, also left theirs mostly unchanged. But the Sabres made the logo on the front of their sweater smaller and took away
4945-454: The Edge sweaters during the 2007–08 season, removing the play-dry material in the front and making the sleeves bigger. The modified sweaters, dubbed the Edge 2.0 , made their debut at the 2008 NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2008. On that occasion, the participating Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins both used throwback designs for the jerseys. Other teams followed suit, with some players wearing
5060-501: 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 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 both American and Canadian teams. From 1942 to 1967,
5175-473: The NHL adopted the existing NHA set of rules. The NHL's rules are the basis for rules governing most professional and major junior ice hockey leagues in North America. The NHL hockey rink is 200 by 85 feet (60.96 m × 25.91 m), approximately the same length but much narrower than IIHF standards. A trapezoidal area appears behind each goal net. The goaltender can play the puck only within
5290-451: The NHL had only six teams, collectively nicknamed the " Original Six ". 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 . Between 1991 and 2000, the NHL further expanded to 30 teams. It added its 31st and 32nd teams in 2017 and 2021, respectively. Salt Lake City was awarded an expansion franchise in 2024 as it acquired
5405-495: The NHL using its new TSN3 , TSN4 and TSN5 channels. The three channels broadcast regional Winnipeg Jets , Toronto Maple Leafs , and Ottawa Senators games respectively. Regional rights to the Toronto Maple Leafs were split between TSN4 and Sportsnet Ontario beginning this season, with TSN4 airing 26 of these games (Bell and Rogers own a joint majority stake in the team's parent company Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment ). TSN5 began airing regional Senators games as part of
5520-657: The NHL. The Hamilton Tigers won the regular season title in 1924–25 , but refused to play in the championship series unless they were given a C$ 200 bonus. The league refused and declared the Canadiens the league champion after they defeated the Toronto St. Patricks (formerly the Arenas) in the semi-final. Montreal was then defeated by the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) in 1925 . It
5635-522: The National Hockey League. In this context, each team is a member of the league, and each member appoints a Governor (usually the owner of the club), and two alternates to the Board. The current chairman of the Board is Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs . The Board of Governors exists to establish the policies of the league and to uphold its constitution. Some of the responsibilities of the Board of Governors include: The Board of Governors meets twice per year, in
5750-579: The Original Six, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings , respectively ranked sixth at US$ 1.87 billion and hypothetically 12th at US$ 1.3 billion. Compared with 2022, the Maple Leafs surpassed the Rangers as the most valuable NHL team, and Los Angeles overtook both Chicago and Boston, making its way into the top five. Notes: The Board of Governors is the ruling and governing body of
5865-680: The Pacific). The league temporarily realigned for the 2020–21 season but returned to the previous alignment the following year. With the addition of the Seattle Kraken in 2021–22 to the Pacific Division and the Arizona Coyotes' move from the Pacific to the Central, all four divisions now have eight teams each and both conferences have 16 teams. The number of NHL teams held constant at 30 teams from
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#17328553525505980-489: The Reebok (Rbk Hockey) brand, while cheaper replica sweaters sold to fans retained the CCM branding. Reebok logos were on the side boards in all NHL arenas (for marketing purposes) just above the blue and red lines. The Rbk Edge , or simply Edge , was a newer line of sweaters designed by Reebok . They were announced by Reebok after nearly three years of development. The new sweaters were tighter-fitting, were less water-absorbent, and were more flexible than earlier sweaters. It
6095-399: The Reebok Edge sweater that was unveiled at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game ) and for the 2017–18 season (due to the introduction of the Adidas sweater). A team's desire to wear their third sweater sometimes requires the opposing team to wear their home or road sweater when the opposite would be normally worn, due to the colour of the third sweater. This can occur when a road team wishes to wear
6210-415: The Situation Room to buzz the arena to have play immediately stopped for a video review without waiting for a whistle. The regular season began on October 8, 2014, and ended on April 11, 2015. Both the first Saturday (October 11) and the last day (April 11) of the regular season featured 15 games (all 30 teams). (*) indicates interim. The 2015 NHL Winter Classic , the annual regular season outdoor game
6325-425: The Stanley Cup as one of the "most important championships available to the sport". The NHL is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan . The National Hockey League was organized at the 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 . The NHL immediately took
6440-570: The Vancouver Canucks. In a second vote, the plan was approved. Wayne Gretzky played one season in the WHA for the Indianapolis Racers (eight games) and the Edmonton Oilers (72 games) before the Oilers joined the NHL for the 1979–80 season . Gretzky went on to lead the Oilers to win four Stanley Cup championships in 1984 , 1985 , 1987 and 1988 , and set single-season records for goals (92 in 1981–82 ), assists (163 in 1985–86 ) and points (215 in 1985–86), as well as career records for goals (894), assists (1,963) and points (2,857). In 1988, he
6555-414: The addition of a 31st franchise, based in Las Vegas and later named the Vegas Golden Knights , into the NHL for the 2017–18 season . On December 4, 2018, the league announced a 32nd franchise in Seattle , later named the Seattle Kraken , which joined in the 2021–22 season . On April 18, 2024, the Arizona Coyotes suspended operations and sold their hockey assets, including players and other personnel, to
6670-470: The area. The game was rescheduled for February 20, 2015, displacing a Sabres home game with the Senators that was originally scheduled for the same day. That game was moved to December 15, 2014, as a result of the rescheduling of the Rangers–Sabres game. The 2014–15 NHL season saw an unprecedented outbreak of mumps at the beginning of the season among many players on multiple different teams. Infected players included Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin of
6785-427: The assets of the Hamilton Tigers, and they were joined by the Pittsburgh Pirates . The New York Rangers were added in 1926, and the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Cougars (later the Red Wings) were added after the league purchased the assets of the defunct WCHL. A group purchased the Toronto St. Patricks in 1927 and immediately renamed them the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1926, Native American Taffy Abel became
6900-407: The bases for new primary sweater designs. Third sweaters are typically worn only a few times a season by special permission of the league, based on a list of requested games. They can also be worn during selected playoff games. The third sweater program, as the NHL came to call it, was temporarily suspended on two occasions: for the 2007–08 season (due to logistical problems with the introduction of
7015-484: The change, there were no third "alternate" jerseys for any NHL teams for the 2017–18 season. When the third jersey program resumed the next season, teams were given the option of wearing either one-off "Heritage" uniforms (normally throwback designs of past sweaters), full-time third jerseys, or either a combination (as is the case for the "Heritage" third jerseys worn by the Arizona Coyotes , Calgary Flames , St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets ) or both sets. Beginning in
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#17328553525507130-417: The contract expired, league commissioner Gary Bettman announced a lockout of the players union and closed the league's head office for the 2004–05 season . The league vowed to install what it dubbed "cost certainty" for its teams, but the Players' Association countered that the move was little more than a euphemism for a salary cap , which the union initially said it would not accept. The lockout shut down
7245-401: The eight remaining non-divisional intra-conference opponents—three games against every team in the other division of its conference; and 32 against every team in the other conference twice—home and road. The league's regular season standings are based on a point system. Two points are awarded for a win, one point for losing in overtime or a shootout, and zero points for a loss in regulation. At
7360-417: The ejection of fighting players. Usually, a penalized team cannot replace a player that is penalized on the ice and is thus short-handed for the duration of the penalty, but if the penalties are coincidental, for example when two players fight, both teams remain at full strength. Also, unlike minor penalties, major penalties must be served to their full completion, regardless of number of goals scored during
7475-411: The emergence of the newly founded World Hockey Association (WHA) led the league to add the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Flames to keep the rival league out of those markets. In 1974, the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts were added, bringing the league up to 18 teams. The NHL fought the WHA for players, losing 67 to the new league in its first season of 1972–73 , including
7590-426: The end of the regular season, the team that finishes with the most points in each division is crowned the division champion, and the league's overall leader is awarded the Presidents' Trophy . 2014%E2%80%9315 NHL season The 2014–15 NHL season was the 98th season of operation (97th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Phoenix Coyotes changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes prior to
7705-434: The end of the regular season. The Presidents' Trophy , the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl are not presented at the awards ceremony. The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game during the 2014–15 season, listed with their first team: The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2014–15, listed with their team: The 2014–15 season brought
7820-430: The fight strap, and in recent years have been created by Fanatics . Prior to 2000, different NHL teams had contracts with different manufacturers for their sweaters. Manufacturers included CCM , Koho , Nike , Starter , and Pro Player . From the 2000–01 season , up to the 2005–06 season , all team sweaters were made by The Hockey Company in an NHL-wide deal, and were branded with subsidiary brands. The Koho brand
7935-421: The first four lowest point-gaining teams, and adjusted up for the following ten. The change was made in order to "reflect the current state of competitive balance in the League." In 2016, the Draft Lottery will be used to choose the first three overall picks, not just the first. The 2014 NHL Entry Draft was then held on June 27–28, 2014, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . Aaron Ekblad
8050-415: The first non-white player in the NHL and broke the league's colour barrier by playing for the New York Rangers. In 1934, the first NHL All-Star Game was held, to benefit Ace Bailey , whose career ended on a vicious hit by Eddie Shore . 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 Great Depression and
8165-400: The four major professional American sports leagues whose uniforms are not outfitted by Nike . It was reported on July 28, 2022, by ESPN 's Greg Wyshynski that the Adidas would no longer supply jerseys for the NHL after the conclusion of the 2023–24 season . On March 21, 2023, the NHL introduced Fanatics as the new supplier of sweaters starting in the 2024–25 season, after agreeing to
8280-438: The game enters a shootout . Three players for each team in turn take a penalty shot . The team with the most goals during the three-round shootout wins the game. If the game is still tied after the three shootout rounds, the shootout continues but becomes sudden-death. Whichever team ultimately wins the shootout is awarded a goal in the game score and thus awarded two points in the standings. The losing team in overtime or shootout
8395-461: The games to promote its own programming, but Rogers receives all ad revenue from the telecasts. City also introduced a new primetime game of the week on Sunday nights, known as Rogers Hometown Hockey , which was hosted on-location from various cities by Ron MacLean . Similarly to TSN under the previous contract, Sportsnet also has a flagship, national Wednesday night game. With the loss of national cable rights, TSN expanded its regional coverage of
8510-505: The goal frames by 4 inches (10 cm) on each side and reduced the size of the goalies' leg pads. The league has regularly modified its rules to counter perceived imperfections in the game. The penalty shot was adopted from the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to ensure players were not being blocked from opportunities to score. For the 2005–06 season, the league changed some of the rules regarding being offside. First,
8625-409: The head office moved from Montreal. There have been four league-wide work stoppages in NHL history, all occurring after 1992. 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
8740-678: The hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes , which were deactivated, thus maintaining the total number of teams at 32. The NHL is the fifth-highest grossing professional sport league in the world by revenue , after the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Premier League (PL). The league's headquarters have been in Manhattan since 1989, when
8855-460: The league a share of revenue from each game's advertising sales, rather than the usual lump sum paid up front for game rights. The league's annual revenues were estimated at $ 2.27 billion. On September 16, 2012, the labour pact expired, and the league again locked out the players . The owners proposed reducing the players' share of hockey-related revenues from 57 percent to 47 percent. All games were cancelled up to January 14, 2013, along with
8970-405: The league for 310 days, making it the longest in sports history, as the NHL became the first professional sports league to lose an entire season. A new collective bargaining agreement was eventually ratified in July 2005, including a salary cap. The agreement had a term of six years with an option of extending the collective bargaining agreement for an additional year at the end of the term, allowing
9085-451: The league mandated hybrid no-touch icing for the 2013–14 NHL season . On November 25, 2013, ten former NHL players (Gary Leeman, Rick Vaive, Brad Aitken, Darren Banks, Curt Bennett, Richie Dunn, Warren Holmes, Bob Manno, Blair Stewart, and Morris Titanic) sued the league for negligence in protecting players from concussions. The suit came three months after the National Football League agreed to pay former players US$ 765 million due to
9200-432: The league removed the "offside pass" or "two-line pass" rule, which required a stoppage in play if a pass originating from inside a team's defending zone was completed on the offensive side of the centre line, unless the puck crossed the line before the player. Furthermore, the league reinstated the "tag-up offside" which allows an attacking player a chance to get back onside by returning to the neutral zone. The changes to
9315-417: The league to resume as of the 2005–06 season . On October 5, 2005, the first post-lockout season took to the ice with all 30 teams. The NHL received record attendance in the 2005–06 season, with an average of 16,955 per game. However, its television audience was slower to rebound due to American cable broadcaster ESPN 's decision to drop its NHL coverage. The league's post-lockout agreement with NBC gave
9430-482: 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. The reigning league champions are the Florida Panthers , who defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals . The National Hockey League was established in 1917 as
9545-465: The league's history when he made his debut with the Boston Bruins. By the mid-1960s, the desire for a network television contract in the United States, coupled with concerns that the Western Hockey League was planning to declare itself a major league and challenge for the Stanley Cup, spurred the NHL to undertake its first expansion since the 1920s . The league doubled in size to 12 teams for
9660-558: The league's marketability. In December 2009, Brendan Shanahan was hired to replace Colin Campbell, and was given the role of senior vice-president of player safety. Shanahan began to hand out suspensions on high-profile perpetrators responsible for dangerous hits, such as Raffi Torres receiving 25 games for his hit on Marian Hossa . To aid with removing high-speed collisions on icing, which had led to several potential career-ending injuries, such as to Hurricanes' defenceman Joni Pitkanen ,
9775-483: The league. National French-language rights were sub-licensed by Rogers to Quebecor Media , with TVA Sports replacing RDS as the national French-language television broadcaster of the NHL in Canada. CBC Television , the previous over-the-air television broadcaster of the NHL, continues to participate in coverage to an extent: Rogers reached a deal with CBC to license the Hockey Night in Canada brand and maintain
9890-751: The letters "C" and "A" respectively on the front of their sweaters. Sweaters have a loop of fabric sewn into the inside back, called a "fight strap" or "tie-down", which must be secured to the player's pants during a game, to prevent the sweater from being pulled over the player's head in a fight. In recent years NHL teams generally give players 3-4 sets of white and dark jerseys annually, with special sets being introduced for alternate/heritage designs or special games. In recent years, teams have sold both "pro" model sweaters, ostensibly identical to those worn by players, and "replica" quality sweaters which are cheaper versions that typically use cheaper production methods and lower-quality materials. Replica versions typically lack
10005-780: The months of June and December, with the exact date and place to be fixed by the Commissioner. The chief executive of the league is commissioner Gary Bettman . Some other senior executives include chief legal officer Bill Daly , director of hockey operations Colin Campbell , and senior vice president of player safety George Parros . A committee led by Bettman and chairman Jeremy Jacobs is responsible for vetting new ownership applications, collective bargaining, and league expansion. Other members include Mark Chipman , N. Murray Edwards , Craig Leipold , Ted Leonsis , Geoff Molson , Henry Samueli , Larry Tanenbaum , Jeff Vinik , and David Blitzer . The National Hockey League's rules are one of
10120-489: The network's traditional Saturday night games, along with postseason coverage and exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final. HNIC began to air across CBC, City , the Sportsnet networks, and FX Canada (typically an all-U.S. game). As part of the arrangement, CBC did not pay a rights fee to either Rogers or the NHL, but all the telecasts are brokered and produced by Sportsnet. CBC is allotted advertising time during
10235-431: The offside rule were among several rule changes intended to increase overall scoring, which had been in decline since the expansion years of the mid-nineties and the increased prevalence of the neutral zone trap . Since 2005, when a team is guilty of icing the puck they are not allowed to make a line change or skater substitution of any sort before the following face-off (except to replace an injured player or re-install
10350-437: The oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the 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 top-ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, with players from 17 countries as of the 2023–24 season . The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also views
10465-466: The onset of World War II took a toll on the league. The Pirates became the Philadelphia Quakers in 1930, then folded a year later. The Senators likewise became the St. Louis Eagles in 1934, also lasting only a year. The Maroons did not survive, as they suspended operations in 1938. The Americans were suspended in 1942 due to a lack of available players, and they were never reactivated. For
10580-503: The original Edge design for a few years afterward. In September 2015, the NHL and Adidas announced plans for Adidas to begin manufacturing official NHL jerseys starting in the 2017–18 season . All jerseys are owned by the NHL. On June 20, 2017, the NHL unveiled new ADIZERO sweaters for each of the 31 teams, including the first uniform for the league's newest team, the Vegas Golden Knights . The new sweaters are advertised as being lighter, cooler, and stronger than previous jerseys. Due to
10695-403: The power play. The league also imposes a conduct policy on its players. Players are banned from gambling and criminal activities have led to the suspension of players. The league and the Players' Association agreed to a stringent anti-doping policy in the 2005 collective bargaining agreement. The policy provides for a twenty-game suspension for a first positive test, a sixty-game suspension for
10810-456: The result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded.) 4. Greater Goal differential The following players led the league in regular season points at the conclusion of games played on April 11, 2015. The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of games played on April 11, 2015, while playing at least 1800 minutes. In each round, teams competed in
10925-427: The same design. The Philadelphia Flyers used a special white third sweater for their 50th anniversary in the 2016–17 season . As hockey originates as an outdoor winter sport where players wore sweaters, this terminology has been retained to describe what is probably the most recognized element of a team's equipment (which is the only element, which is mass marketed to the public). Most NHL sweaters (jerseys) display
11040-447: The season, the league signed an agreement with GoPro to use the company's wearable cameras to record content for the league's television broadcasts and other video productions. They were first used by players in the All-Star Game . The NHL Board of Governors approved changes to the draft lottery format on June 24, 2014, starting with the 2015 Draft. Beginning in 2015, the odds of winning the first overall pick will be adjusted down for
11155-555: The season. The Los Angeles Kings became the first team to miss the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup the previous season since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006–07 . The Boston Bruins also became the third defending Presidents' Trophy winner to miss the playoffs (and the first since the Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs in 2007–08 after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2007). The Winnipeg Jets clinched
11270-555: The silver outline on their white away sweater, and the Ducks added orange piping to their sweater's neckline. Along with the traditional differences between the replica and authentic versions of NHL sweaters, the replica (billed as "premier") versions of the Edge sweater sold to the public have a "jock tag" on the left side of the front near the waist with the Reebok vector, NHL logo, and sweater size. Citing player complaints, Reebok later modified
11385-653: The successor to the National Hockey Association (NHA). Founded in 1909, the NHA began play in 1910 with seven teams in Ontario and Quebec , and was one of the first major leagues in professional ice hockey. However, by its eighth season , a series of disputes with Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone led team owners of the Montreal Canadiens , the Montreal Wanderers , the Ottawa Senators , and
11500-408: The team's colour scheme, but there is no requirement for this equipment to match, and goaltenders who transfer to a new team often play in their old equipment until new colours can be obtained. Alternatively, players who transfer teams have sometimes had their gloves painted temporarily to match the required colours, and are given new helmets. Each team is required to have two sweater designs: One with
11615-432: The team's primary logo in the center of the chest, while some also display secondary logos on the shoulders. Each player in a team's lineup for a game must have a different number displayed on the back of their sweater, as well as the player's surname above their number on the back of their sweater. While not required, teams typically place their numbers on each upper arm as well. Team captains and alternate captains wear
11730-631: The time. Toronto won the first NHL title, and then defeated the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) for the 1918 Stanley Cup . The Canadiens won the league title in 1919, but the series in the Stanley Cup Finals against the PCHA's Seattle Metropolitans was abandoned due to the Spanish Flu epidemic. In 1924, Montreal won their first Stanley Cup as a member of
11845-453: The trapezoid or in front of the goal line; if the goaltender plays the puck behind the goal line and outside the trapezoidal area, a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game is assessed. The rule is unofficially nicknamed the " Martin Brodeur rule"; Brodeur at the time was one of the best goaltenders at getting behind the net to handle the puck. Since the 2013–14 season, the league trimmed
11960-513: The two sets of equipment are the pants and gloves. Starting in 1995 (excluding a few prior isolated instances), some teams began to design a third sweater , or alternate sweater, which allowed them to experiment with new designs or throwback to a vintage design. Though they are termed third sweaters, they can actually entail an entirely separate look from the primary equipment, often including alternate socks, and sometimes alternate helmets and other equipment. Some third sweaters have eventually become
12075-676: The two standard sets of professional ice hockey rules in the world, the other being the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), as used in tournaments such as the Olympics . The IIHF rules are derived from the Canadian amateur ice hockey rules of the early 20th century, while the NHL rules evolved directly from the first organized indoor ice hockey game in Montreal in 1875, updated by subsequent leagues up to 1917, when
12190-452: The week; its flagship telecasts, La super soirée LNH , primarily aired the Montreal Canadiens' Saturday night games, along with the All-Star Game , Winter Classic , and Stanley Cup playoffs. RDS continued its long-standing relationship with the Montreal Canadiens for French-language television coverage under a new, 12-year regional contract. As such, French-language broadcasts of the Canadiens on RDS are now blacked out for viewers outside of
12305-588: Was an exhibition ice hockey game played on January 25, 2015. The game was held in Columbus, Ohio , at Nationwide Arena , home of the Columbus Blue Jackets . This was Columbus's first time hosting the NHL All-Star Game. This was originally scheduled to take place on January 27, 2013, in Columbus, Ohio. It was canceled as a result of the ongoing 2012–13 NHL lockout . There was no all-star game last season due to
12420-482: Was awarded to the team with the better seed. In the conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals, home ice advantage was awarded to the team with the better regular season record. Awards were presented at the NHL Awards ceremony, to be held following the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. Finalists for voted awards are announced during the playoffs and winners are presented at the award ceremony. Voting will conclude immediately after
12535-603: Was held on January 1 at Nationals Park , Washington, D.C. The game, the seventh Winter Classic, featured the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals . Only one regular season outdoor game in the NHL Stadium Series was scheduled this season: The San Jose Sharks hosted the Los Angeles Kings on February 21 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California . The 60th National Hockey League All-Star Game
12650-516: Was intended to make players more maneuverable on the ice. The Edge sweaters were unveiled at the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game and began to be worn, league-wide, from the 2007–08 season . Almost every team in the league made at least minor changes to their equipment design in conjunction with implementing the new sweater style. The San Jose Sharks , Tampa Bay Lightning , Ottawa Senators , Vancouver Canucks , Dallas Stars , and Washington Capitals redesigned their equipment altogether with
12765-594: Was on dark sweaters and third sweaters, while the CCM brand was on the white sweaters. The Hockey Company began the practice of putting the manufacturer's logo on the back of the sweater, below the neck, rather than on the back of the waist hem, as had previously been the practice. Jofa , another subsidiary, made the sweaters for referees and linesmen until the 2005–06 season, when they were re-branded CCM which they remain as of 2008–09. Following Reebok 's purchase of The Hockey Company, all official NHL team sweaters were switched to
12880-634: Was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers . The following rule changes were voted upon by the NHL Board of Governors in June, and were approved by the Players' Association in September 2014. At the league's General Managers Meeting in November, it was decided to immediately end the dry-scrape prior to overtime, as it was felt that the average time of five minutes was too long and it seemed to have no significant difference. The GMs also voted to allow officials in
12995-412: Was settled quickly with all affected games rescheduled. 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. The resulting collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was set for renegotiation in 1998, and extended to September 15, 2004. With no new agreement in hand when
13110-514: Was the last time a non-NHL team won the trophy, as the Stanley Cup became the de facto NHL championship in 1926, after the WCHL ceased operation. The National Hockey League 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. The New York Americans began play in 1925 after purchasing
13225-741: Was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in a deal that dramatically improved the league's popularity in the United States. By the turn of the century, nine more teams were added to the NHL: the San Jose Sharks , the Tampa Bay Lightning , the Ottawa Senators , the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , the Florida Panthers , the Nashville Predators , the Atlanta Thrashers , and, in 2000, the Minnesota Wild and
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