Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is one of four major North American sports. It is played on ice with the players wearing skates and wielding sticks, trying to hit a small, black hard-rubber disk into the opposing team’s net. It is popular among fans and players because of its highly physical nature as well as the skill involved in playing.

When most people hear the word ‘ice hockey’ they immediately think of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is the most prestigious level of professional competiton and consists of 30 teams. As the sport originated in Canada around 1800, the majority of players are Canadian and American. Though because of an increase in talent overseas, many European players have been signed in recent years.

The NHL is divided up into two conferences: Eastern and Western. Each is divided up into three divisions. They look like this:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic – New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers

Northeast – Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs

Southeast – Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals

Western Conference

Central – Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, St Louis Blues

Northwest – Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks

Pacific – Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks

The NHL season is divided into a preseason (September), regular season (October – April), and a postseason (April – June). Like in many sports, the preseason is a chance for the teams to play in exhibition games so the players can get used to any changes in the team while going through preseason training.

Many fans look forward to the regular season as this is when everything starts to matter. Each team plays 82 games – 41 home games and 41 away games – in which they will play all other teams in their division six times, all other teams outside their division four times, and 18 inter-conference games. During these games, they will accumulate points (two for a win, one for a loss in OT or shootout, and zero for a loss in regulation time) that will determine seed positions and thus whether or not the team will make the playoffs.

The playoffs are everyone’s favorite part of the season as it is when teams put it all on the line for a chance at the ultimate sports trophy: the Prince of Whales Trophy and advance to compete in the Finals for the Stanley Cup. The winner of the Western Conference receives the Clarence S Campbell Bowl and advance to face the Eastern Conference Champions for the Stanley Cup.

The Stanley Cup Finals are again a best of seven series. The two teams will face off for a chance to win the coveted Stanley Cup. The winner is declared the Stanley Cup Champions and hold onto the legendary trophy for the following year. There are several traditions surrounding the Cup, perhaps the most famous being that in which the players on the winning team each get to spend 24 hours with the Cup to do as they please.

Once the playoffs finish, the players head into a two-month long off-season. During this time there will be a draft and free agent signings while the players take some time to relax before it all gets started again in September.