The 1977 edition of the Montreal Canadiens, the second of four straight Stanley Cup champions, was named by ESPN as the second greatest sports team of all time. The longest streak of winning the Stanley Cup in consecutive years is five, held by the Montreal Canadiens from 1955–56 to 1959–60. The team that has the most points in the regular season is awarded the Presidents’ Trophy. In the Stanley Cup Final, the team with the most points during the regular season has home-ice advantage. Two points are awarded for a win (one point for losing in overtime or a shootout), and zero points for a loss in regulation.
Who is the Maple Leafs’ ideal defensive partner for Darren Raddysh? Click here to get Yardbarker’s Quiz of the Day emailed to you! As things stand today, let’s prognosticate as to the Rangers opening-night lineup. One day ahead of the full release of the NHL schedule — the opening night slate of games and all 32 home openers are now known. Can you name every player selected in the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft?
The number of American players increased over time (and by the 1987–88 season), https://baycolonydogshow.com for example, 15% of NHL players were from the United States. From the league’s inception until the 1960s, almost all players in the NHL were Canadian. Players cannot enter until three years have passed since their last professional game, currently tied with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the shortest such time period of any major sport. In addition to the regular season awards, the Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the most valuable player during the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
Three-time Stanley Cup champion Steve Yzerman stepping down as GM marks needed leadership change for Red Wings Merchandise sales were up 22 percent, and the number of unique visitors on the NHL.com website was up 17 percent during the playoffs after rising 29 percent in the regular season. The NHL had been the sport holding the most affluent fan base of the top four, but it slid behind the MLB and leveled off with the NFL in recent years. Overall, hockey has the smallest total fan base of the four leagues and receives the smallest annual revenue; the league earns the least from the television rights sale and has the lowest sponsorship.
Each NHL franchise’s most overlooked player
ESPN’s deal includes 25 regular season games on ABC or ESPN, and 75 exclusive games streamed on ESPN+ and Hulu. The NHL primarily was then only available on cable television after 1981 (airing on the USA Network), SportsChannel America, and ESPN at various times. The current national television and digital rightsholder is Rogers Communications, which initially signed a 12-year deal that began in the 2014–15 season, then signed a 12-year renewal to extend its agreement to 2037–38.

Three-time Stanley Cup champion Steve Yzerman stepping down as GM marks needed leadership change for Red Wings
Can the Capitals realistically chase another Stanley Cup while Alex Ovechkin chases 1,000 career goals? The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs saw the largest audience in the sport’s history “after a regular season that saw record-breaking business success, propelled largely by the NHL’s strategy of engaging fans through big events and robust digital offerings”. The debut of the Winter Classic (an outdoor regular season NHL game held on New Year’s Day in 2008), was a significant success for the league. The annual Ice Hockey World Championships is held every May, at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The NHL consists of 32 teams—25 based in the United States and 7 in Canada. Rheaume returned to perform as a goaltender for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game’s Breakaway Challenge. The attention led the NHL to include a 3-on-3 women’s game before the 2020 All-Star Game.
The announcement regarding Steve Yzerman in Detroit has a strange timing
The longest shutdown in sports history lasted 310 days due to the lockout, resulting in the NHL being the first professional league to forfeit an entire season. Upon the contract’s expiration without a new agreement (Gary Bettman), the league’s commissioner, initiated a lockout of the players’ union and closed the league’s main office for the 2004–05 season. A lockout at the beginning of the 1994–95 season led to a reduction of the schedule to 48 games from 84, with teams competing only in intra-conference matches during the shortened season. Willie O’Ree made his debut with the Boston Bruins in 1958 — marking the beginning of his historic journey as the first black player in the league. Between 1956 and 1960 (Richard guided the Canadiens to five straight championships), a feat that remains unmatched by any team.
In the 2026-27 season, five NHL teams require favorable injury circumstances

NHL teams engaged in various international club exhibitions and competitions alongside Russian clubs and numerous European-based teams. From the conclusion of the Super Series in 1991 until 2008 (NHL teams did not compete against any Soviet or Russian-based team), with the exception of the New York Rangers who played Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the 2008 Victoria Cup. The inaugural international club competition took place in 1976, featuring eight NHL teams competing against HC CSKA Moscow and Krylya Sovetov Moscow from the Soviet Championship League. In 2021, ESPN+ integrated the league’s out-of-market streaming package under its contract for viewers located in the United States.
List of teams
Martin Biron, an analyst for TSN Hockey, discusses the implications of the move and whether it may affect captain Dylan Larkin, who has a pending trade request. On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings announced that Steve Yzerman would transition from his position as general manager to a senior advisor role under governor and CEO Chris Ilitch. The Detroit Red Wings revealed on Wednesday that Steve Yzerman will be stepping down from his position as general manager to assume the role of senior advisor to governor and CEO Chris Ilitch. Analyst Martin Biron from TSN Hockey presents his initial power rankings for the Pacific and evaluates whether the Oilers possess sufficient goaltending to be regarded as contenders.