History UsefulNotes / NationalHockeyLeague

The '''[[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity New York]] Islanders''': New York's ''[[HufflepuffHouse other]]'' team. They have usually been bullied out of the media by the big-time Rangers, and have their radio coverage on the CollegeRadio station of Hofstra University (but with professional broadcasters) due to lack of listener interest or room on the dial because of the Rangers, Knicks, Nets and Devils all staking their claim on the big New York sports stations. They did have a string of four straight championships in the early 1980s. Since then, history and a hatred for the Rangers [[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/sports/hockey/john-tavares-islanders-leafs.html and John Tavares]] [[note]]A former Islanders captain who, despite publicly expressing interest in staying, left for the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent.[[/note]] and two surprisingly good runs to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021 are really [[VestigialEmpire all they have going for them]]. Spent more than two decades without winning a playoff series (1993, when they upset Pittsburgh in the division finals, to 2016, when they faced the equally unlucky Panthers in the first round). Has a reputation for [[IncompetenceInc managerial ineptitude]]: trading away future stars, overpaying on contracts, etc. (outstanding ones being injury-prone goaltender Rick [=DiPietro=] to a 15-year contract, which got bought out halfway through;[[note]]He wasn't even with the Islanders, but their minor league team Bridgeport Sound Tigers.[[/note]] and Alexei Yashin, whose buying out in 2007 would be spread out until 2015 ... when he retired in Russia in 2012!), not to mention their 1997 franchise sale to a con artist who convinced the NHL he had the money to afford an NHL franchise, only to be found out that he couldn't. Nassau Coliseum, their home from their creation through the 2014–15 season, [[WretchedHive was by far the crappiest arena in the league]], and was at the time the second oldest in the league, after Madison Square Garden, the Rangers' home (which is periodically renovated so as to stay modern); they attempted to build a new arena for years, only to be stopped by Nassau County's massive webs of red tape. They ended up moving to the Barclays Center in {{Brooklyn|Rage}} in 2015, which became the smallest arena in the league and is infamous for not being hockey-friendly,[[note]]Barclays was optimized for basketball, given that it was built by the NBA's Brooklyn Nets; thus, the jumbotron is not aligned with center ice and plenty of seats have obstructed views. Ironically, the Nets had originally planned Barclays to be able to accommodate an NHL team properly, but the Islanders chose to continue to focus their efforts on Nassau County instead, and by the time the Isles finally gave up, Barclays had been completed in its current configuration.[[/note]] eventually forcing the team to share games between the Barclays and a revamped Coliseum while their next stadium, UBS Arena (located right next to the Belmont Park [[UsefulNotes/HorseRacing horse track]] in Elmont), was being built. Before the team moved back full-time to the Coliseum in 2020–21, its nickname was arguably an ArtifactTitle.[[note]]Brooklyn is physically ''on'' Long Island, as is Queens, but to a NYC resident, "Long Island" means Nassau and Suffolk Counties.[[/note]] The new arena, the league's newest, opened in late November 2021, with the Isles playing their first 13 games on the road.[[note]]The Seattle Kraken's Climate Pledge Arena opened about six weeks earlier; while the interior was brand-new, the exterior is the league's oldest, dating to 1962.[[/note]]

The '''[[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity New York]] Rangers''': The name comes from the fact that [[EgocentricTeamNaming the first owner was a guy named]] [[IncrediblyLamePun Tex]].[[note]]George Lewis "Tex" Rickard; in other words, "Tex's Rangers".[[/note]] Most recent year of glory was 1994, when the Curse of 1940 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzq2AhbXSeY was broken]] (the longest Cup drought in history at 53 seasons until Toronto inherited the dubious honor in 2022). The Rangers have a fierce rivalry with the Devils, which made Messier's Game 6 hat trick and Matteau's double OT goal in Game 7 of the 1994 Conference Finals that much sweeter. Has a recent history of overpaying for players, though management seems to be trying to change that. The Rangers have, in the last 40 years, tended to buy what superstars they had [[note]] Exceptions include Henrik Lundqvist, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter, 2 of whom are goalies.[[/note]], which contributed to a self-sustaining state of [[note]] sometimes high-end, but mostly somewhere in the middle of the pack [[/note]] mediocrity, never being quite good enough ('94 being an aversion) to win the Cup but never quite bad enough to draft high enough to pick up potential franchise players. Post-lockout, have been one of the powerhouse teams of the NHL, making deep playoff runs in all but a few years despite a lack of a true superstar, with the possible exception of [[StupidSexyFlanders Goalie Henrik Lundqvist]] and, at the start of the run, Jaromír Jágr. Announced a rebuild in close to the 2018 trade deadline and took a page from the New York Yankees book of rebuilding, making smart trades that resulted in them having 5 first round picks in the 2018 and 2019 drafts, one of which they sent back to the original owner for that team's best defenseman.[[note]]Although that defenseman, Jacob Trouba, has become a HateSink for virtually the entire league's fanbase since arriving in Manhattan; Rangers fans hate him for perceived underperformance (not helping him is that Neal Pionk, a throw-in defenseman sent to Winnipeg with the draft pick, has been as good or better both offensively and defensively than Trouba has been with the Rangers), while everyone else hates him for his habit of laying hard, sometimes illegal, hits on players[[/note]] The high picks (#2 in 2019, #1 in 2020) and the large amount of money to spend, which, as usual, they spent on the most expensive free agent on the market, appears to have sparked a resurgence by 2021-22, with a playoff berth and two comebacks to return to the conference finals. The team no longer plays [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaYm0wQtztU "Let's Go Band"]] at home games because every time it's played, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epUWCHxrdSQmany diehards will chant "Potvin sucks!"]][[note]]This chant long outlived the career of Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin of the rival Islanders, to whom it was directed, though it became relevant again when the unrelated goalie Felix Potvin had a brief stint with the Isles.[[/note]]

The '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Miami}} Florida]] Panthers''' started fast for an expansion team: they came very close to making the playoffs in their first season and made it to the Finals in their third [[note]] where they got swept by a freshly relocated Colorado Avalanche team[[/note]]. After that, there hasn't been much for them; their berth in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs was their first in over a decade. Not to mention that 2012 was their first year in winning a divisional championship. Their most notable contribution came during their Cinderella Finals run in 1996, when fans would litter the arena with plastic rats, causing extensive delays in games (due to one of their players killing a rat with his stick in the locker room ... yeah, fans are weird). And 1996 was the only time the Panthers advanced in the playoffs until 2022, in-between crashing in Round 1 in 6 sparse appearances. Named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panther an endangered cougar]]. Their arena also has a multiple personality disorder, having gone through six different names in fifteen years.[[note]]They're not the only ones -- the Bruins, Flyers, Lightning, and Sabres have had similar issues with ''their'' current arenas.[[/note]] They ''really'' don't like Tampa Bay, a fact made worse by the fact that Lightning fans tend to look at the Panthers as an annoying little brother rather than an actual rival. This mindset was initially reinforced in the early [=2020s=] - even as the Panthers finally became consistent playoff contenders, including the President's Trophy in the 2021-22 season, they found themselves overshadowed by the Lightning's run of Finals appearances and Stanley Cups, including losses to Tampa in the First Round of 2021 and the Second Round of 2022.[[note]]as if to emphasize that point, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky put up a strong .919 save percentage only to be upstaged by Andrei Vasilevskiy's insane ''.981'' in a sweep by the Lightning. It also marked the third matchup between the two goalies, with Bobrovsky having triumphed in the infamous 2019 Tampa-Columbus series before getting pulled repeated in 2021 due to poor performance.[[/note]] 2023 finally flipped the script - while the regular season was a struggle that ended with them barely securing the second Wild Card, they used that spot to make another Cinderella Finals run, where they would lose to the Vegas Golden Knights in 5 games. They would finally get past their hated rivals in Tampa Bay for the first time in the first round of the 2024 beating the hated aging Lightning in 5 games.

The '''Tampa Bay Lightning''': AKA the Bolts. Currently the Southernmost team to win the Cup, having won in 2004, 2020, and 2021, although all three had some form of controversy attached.[[note]]the "phantom goal" that would have cost Tampa the Cup in '04 is arguably the most controversial call other than Brett Hull's "foot in the crease" in 1999; the 2020 Cup is sometimes questioned due to the unusual circumstances caused by the pandemic (same scenario would've befallen their Finals opponents the Dallas Stars had they won the Cup, making it a lose-lose situation regardless of the victor); the 2021 Cup caused a firestorm amongst fans and even other players due to accusations of LoopholeAbuse to circumvent the salary cap, at least in spirit, and bring an overpowered roster into the playoffs (ironically enough, their 2015 Finals opponents the Chicago Blackhawks pulled the exact same tactic during their 3 Cup runs, and Tampa Bay was one of the teams that attempted to get the rule changed)... Think twice about bringing up these allegations to the Bolts faithful![[/note]] They were the first attempt to market hockey in a former Confederate state since the Atlanta Flames (who moved to Calgary), and helped start a wave of expansion teams and team relocations during TheNineties when they showed a steady fanbase. They set single-game attendance records for a few years due to playing in a then-vacated domed baseball stadium (now Tropicana Field and home to the Rays), which was larger than any hockey arena but also made it hard to keep the ice solid. They quickly turned heads in their first year by having the first female goalie in NHL history in Manon Rhéaume![[note]]She appeared at training camp and in the pre-season, never appearing in a regular season game, though she was very solid regardless during her short stint which lead to her becoming a household name.[[/note]] They were first led by star players such as Vincent Lecavalier (drafted in 1998 during the Bolts' DarkAges [[note]]where they were used as a part of a money laundering scheme by their first owner Okubo, who was in league with the Yakuza which nearly bankrupt the team due to paying most of their players in the form of loans, the issue got so bad to the point that the League had to get involved to save the team from outright folding[[/note]]), Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards early in the 2000s, later helping lead the Bolts to their first Stanley Cup in 2004. However the NHL lockout happened shortly after which wiped out the entire 04-05 Season preventing the Bolts from properly defending their crown (leading to a brief AudienceAlienatingEra that saw them getting bounced early in the playoffs or in some cases nearly missing the playoffs,[[note]] which lead to the trade of Brad Richards, and wasting the career of Vinny's and Marty's best years[[/note]]). After drafting Steven Stamkos in 2008 with the #1 pick and Victor Hedman #2 the following year (and the eventual drafting of goalie Andre Vasilevesky and perennial scorers Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point), they started to have stretches of good play in the past decade becoming one of the strongest teams of TheNewTens, first including a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011 (during Vincent's twilight years) where due to a lack of a permanent goaltender they lost to the eventual Cup winner Bruins in 7 games ([[note]]it's heavily theorized that had the Bolts won the series, they'd likely would've beaten the powerhouse Vancouver Canucks in the Final that year due to having a stronger offense and defense than Vancouver, despite the lack of a permanent goalie[[/note]]), then later advancing to their second Stanley Cup final in 2015 (eventually losing to the Blackhawks in 6 [[note]]tarnished due to the Kyle Beach scandal (see below)[[/note]]). They then started having a small period of EveryYearTheyFizzleOut where they made 2 Conference Finals appearances ([[note]]first losing to the Crosby-led Penguins in 7 games in 2016 and then losing to the Washington Capitals in 2018 in which both teams would go on to win the Cup, much to the displeasure of the Tampa fanbase[[/note]]). But the failure ultimately peaked in 2018-19 where they won the President's Trophy that year while tying the 1995-96 Red Wings for the then-most dominant regular season in NHL history (62 wins!)... [[EpicFail only to end up becoming the first ever President's Trophy winners in NHL history to be swept in the first round after losing their series to the Columbus Blue Jackets, led by their former coach John Tortorella who had coached them their first Stanley Cup victory back in 2004 no less]], leading many media pundits to question the Bolts' ability to win in the long run. However, they came back with a vengeance in the following year, winning their second cup after the playoffs were delayed till August due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and then their third cup the following year. They then made history in 2022 by making their '''third straight Cup final appearance in a row!''' (Becoming the first team to do so in the current Salary Cap Era since ''Gretzky's legendary 80s Oilers''). However their quest for the first three-peat since the legendary 80's Islanders squad ended in heartbreak as they lost to the far more highly powered offense of the Avalanche in 6 games [[note]]though to be fair, the Bolts were coming off from extremely short Summer off-seasons in-between their 3 straight runs along with key injuries to superstar Brayden Point which severely affected the Lightning's performance during their third run[[/note]]. Set a new standard for stadium RuleOfCool in 2011 when renovations to the St. Pete Times Forum (now Amalie Arena) included the installation of Tesla coils in the rafters that [[ShockAndAwe shoot real lightning]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEm_9IIRitc during the pregame intro and after goals]]. Oh, and despite those aforementioned ''Florida'' Panthers (who play in a suburb of UsefulNotes/{{Miami}}), the Bolts predate them by one year. They outright hate Boston with a passion (arguably moreso than the Montreal Canadians who are the B's longtime rivals), moreso than any American club. They hate them so much so that their fans will often chant "Fuck Boston!" in Amalie Arena even if they aren't playing the Bruins (leading to many cheers from the Bruins' rivals who also hate Boston, sans Toronto) [[note]]this unknown hatred may have formed due in part to the notorious dirty plays and hits from the Bruins during the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals that cost the Bolts a chance to likely win the 2011 Stanley Cup and cut fan favorite Vincent Lecavalier's career short that led to him signing with the Philadelphia Flyers, especially from Chara and Marchand and the NFL Buccaneers signing of Creator/TomBrady away from the Patriots that wrecked Boston's dynasty[[/note]]. In contrast their in-state rivalry with Florida hasn't been much of a thing and barely gets acknowledged, though it has been heating up in recent years (with it now being full blown hatred between the two clubs and their fanbases), with the Bolts and Panthers meeting in the playoffs over the last two years, with Tampa Bay winning both times and met again in the 2023-24 playoffs, where hated Florida finally got the better of the aging Lightning squad in 5 games [[note]] ensuring that the Panthers will likely remain the Lightning's little brothers as long as they remain cupless[[/note]]. They also dislike both of the New York teams (moreso the Isles than the Rangers), they also hate the Toronto Maple Leafs, [[note]]whom they have split their first round series at 1 apiece following the Bolts' loss in the first round[[/note]] which has begun to heat up in recent years (both of their respective first round matchups featured lots of fighting between the two clubs and dirty plays), and have a mild dislike of the Montreal Canadiens[[note]]due to Tampa's recent defeat of them in the Finals and the accusations of their recent Cup wins, though they both have a shared hatred of Boston and Toronto[[/note]] and have begun to develop (as of their recent Cup loss) a potential new rivalry with the Colorado Avalanche (though much like the Cup loss with the Blackhawks in 2015, it has yet to properly develop), the 2022-2023 season was a massive regression due to the Cup years and injuries finally taking their toll on the team and they bowed out to the hated Maple Leafs in 6 games, which got far worse the following year when their hated in-state rivals Florida finally crushed them in 5 games.

[[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]]'s currently unnamed NHL team is technically the newest team in the league, but the truth of the matter is that they are the result of the Arizona Coyotes' relocation. After years of instability with finding an arena in the Phoenix area, a deal was made between [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Utah Jazz]] owner Ryan Smith and Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, where the Coyotes' roster and front office were given to the new Utah team, while the Yotes would be deactivated until they get a new arena up and running within the following five years. For any fans of the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague, this was essentially a hockey version of what happened between the original Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens back in 1995. At the current moment, the team [[NoNameGiven doesn't have a name]], with rumored reports saying that might have a temporary name for the 2024-25 season, a la the Washington Football Team.[[note]]SEG has trademarked 8 potential names with the intention of allowing fans to choose the name in a bracket vote, with "Yeti" being a popular frontrunner.[[/note]] However, it has been confirmed that it will have its regional moniker named after the entire state of Utah (much like the Jazz) instead of Salt Lake City. The NHL has told Smith that the Delta Center, home to the Jazz, will need hockey-specific upgrades; the Utah government plans to chip in close to $1 billion towards upgrades to the Delta Center as part of SLC's bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

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** ''Most Recent Winner: Connor Bedard, C, Regina Pats (Western Hockey League)''

With the addition of Vegas and Seattle as well as the hype surrounding those two teams, expansion has been a hot topic in the NHL. Despite being the second of the four major North American leagues to expand to 32 clubs, there have been rumors that the NHL is looking to expand ''further'', with insiders pointing to UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} and UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, the two largest U.S. media markets without an NHL franchise, as the likely frontrunners--before Phoenix became a likely expansion (or more technically, reactivation) target following the quasi-relocation of the UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} Coyotes to [[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]]. The former NHL markets of Hartford and [[UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}} Quebec City]] have remained perennial favorites among hockey traditionalists, while other possible expansion locations mentioned include [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Cincinnati]], Halifax, Hamilton, UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, Omaha, UsefulNotes/KansasCity, UsefulNotes/{{Portland}}, UsefulNotes/SanDiego and Saskatoon. While some traditionalists balk at the idea of expansion in general (with some going as far as saying that the NHL should ''contract'' its financially struggling franchises), in the Sun Belt specifically, and ''especially'' for a third time in Atlanta or a second time in Phoenix over Hartford or Quebec City, some believe that Toronto and/or Montreal could support a second NHL franchise; however, both the Leafs and Habs will likely block any such attempts.

** ''Most Recent Winners: Hellebuyck''

** ''2024 finalists: Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers; Thatcher Demko, Canucks; Connor Hellebuyck, Jets''

** ''Most Recent Winner: Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning''

** ''2024 finalists: Quinn Hughes, Canucks; Roman Josi, Predators; Cale Makar, Avalanche''

** ''Most Recent Winner: Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs''

** ''Most Recent Winner: [=McDavid=]''

** ''Most Recent Winners: Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins''

** ''Most Recent Winner: [=McDavid=]''

The '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Miami}} Florida]] Panthers''' started fast for an expansion team: they came very close to making the playoffs in their first season and made it to the Finals in their third [[note]] where they got swept by a freshly relocated Colorado Avalanche team[[/note]]. After that, there hasn't been much for them; their berth in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs was their first in over a decade. Not to mention that 2012 was their first year in winning a divisional championship. Their most notable contribution came during their Cinderella Finals run in 1996, when fans would litter the arena with plastic rats, causing extensive delays in games (due to one of their players killing a rat with his stick in the locker room ... yeah, fans are weird). And 1996 was the only time the Panthers advanced in the playoffs until 2022, in-between crashing in Round 1 in 6 sparse appearances. Named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panther an endangered cougar]]. Their arena also has a multiple personality disorder, having gone through six different names in fifteen years.[[note]]They're not the only ones -- the Bruins, Flyers, Lightning, and Sabres have had similar issues with ''their'' current arenas.[[/note]] They ''really'' don't like Tampa Bay, a fact made worse by the fact that Lightning fans tend to look at the Panthers as an annoying little brother rather than an actual rival. This mindset was initially reinforced in the early [=2020s=] - even as the Panthers finally became consistent playoff contenders, including the President's Trophy in the 2021-22 season, they found themselves overshadowed by the Lightning's run of Finals appearances and Stanley Cups, including losses to Tampa in the First Round of 2021 and the Second Round of 2022.[[note]]as if to emphasize that point, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky put up a strong .919 save percentage only to be upstaged by Andrei Vasilevskiy's insane ''.981'' in a sweep by the Lightning. It also marked the third matchup between the two goalies, with Bobrovsky having triumphed in the infamous 2019 Tampa-Columbus series before getting pulled repeated in 2021 due to poor performance.[[/note]] 2023 finally flipped the script - while the regular season was a struggle that ended with them barely securing the second Wild Card, they used that spot to make another Cinderella Finals run, where they would lose to the Vegas Golden Knights in 5 games.

The '''Tampa Bay Lightning''': AKA the Bolts. Currently the Southernmost team to win the Cup, having won in 2004, 2020, and 2021, although all three had some form of controversy attached.[[note]]the "phantom goal" that would have cost Tampa the Cup in '04 is arguably the most controversial call other than Brett Hull's "foot in the crease" in 1999; the 2020 Cup is sometimes questioned due to the unusual circumstances caused by the pandemic (same scenario would've befallen their Finals opponents the Dallas Stars had they won the Cup, making it a lose-lose situation regardless of the victor); the 2021 Cup caused a firestorm amongst fans and even other players due to accusations of LoopholeAbuse to circumvent the salary cap, at least in spirit, and bring an overpowered roster into the playoffs (ironically enough, their 2015 Finals opponents the Chicago Blackhawks pulled the exact same tactic during their 3 Cup runs, and Tampa Bay was one of the teams that attempted to get the rule changed)... Think twice about bringing up these allegations to the Bolts faithful![[/note]] They were the first attempt to market hockey in a former Confederate state since the Atlanta Flames (who moved to Calgary), and helped start a wave of expansion teams and team relocations during TheNineties when they showed a steady fanbase. They set single-game attendance records for a few years due to playing in a then-vacated domed baseball stadium (now Tropicana Field and home to the Rays), which was larger than any hockey arena but also made it hard to keep the ice solid. They quickly turned heads in their first year by having the first female goalie in NHL history in Manon Rhéaume![[note]]She appeared at training camp and in the pre-season, never appearing in a regular season game.[[/note]] They were first led by star players such as Vincent Lecavalier (drafted in 1998 during the Bolts' DarkAges [[note]]where they were used as a part of a money laundering scheme by their first owner Okubo, who was in league with the Yakuza which nearly bankrupt the team due to paying most of their players in the form of loans, the issue got so bad to the point that the League had to get involved to save the team from outright folding[[/note]]), Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards early in the 2000s, later helping lead the Bolts to their first Stanley Cup in 2004. However the NHL lockout happened shortly after which wiped out the entire 04-05 Season preventing the Bolts from properly defending their crown (leading to a brief AudienceAlienatingEra that saw them getting bounced early in the playoffs or in some cases nearly missing the playoffs,[[note]] which lead to the trade of Brad Richards, and wasting the career of Vinny's and Marty's best years[[/note]]). After drafting Steven Stamkos in 2008 with the #1 pick and Victor Hedman #2 the following year (and the eventual drafting of goalie Andre Vasilevesky and perennial scorers Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point), they started to have stretches of good play in the past decade becoming one of the strongest teams of TheNewTens, first including a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011 (during Vincent's twilight years) where due to a lack of a permanent goaltender they lost to the eventual Cup winner Bruins in 7 games ([[note]]it's heavily theorized that had the Bolts won the series, they'd likely would've beaten the powerhouse Vancouver Canucks in the Final that year due to having a stronger offense and defense than Vancouver, despite the lack of a permanent goalie[[/note]]), then later advancing to their second Stanley Cup final in 2015 (eventually losing to the Blackhawks in 6 [[note]]tarnished due to the Kyle Beach scandal (see below)[[/note]]). They then started having a small period of EveryYearTheyFizzleOut where they made 2 Conference Finals appearances ([[note]]first losing to the Crosby-led Penguins in 7 games in 2016 and then losing to the Washington Capitals in 2018 in which both teams would go on to win the Cup, much to the displeasure of the Tampa fanbase[[/note]]). But the failure ultimately peaked in 2018-19 where they won the President's Trophy that year while tying the 1995-96 Red Wings for the then-most dominant regular season in NHL history (62 wins!)... [[EpicFail only to end up becoming the first ever President's Trophy winners in NHL history to be swept in the first round after losing their series to the Columbus Blue Jackets, led by their former coach John Tortorella who had coached them their first Stanley Cup victory back in 2004 no less]], leading many media pundits to question the Bolts' ability to win in the long run. However, they came back with a vengeance in the following year, winning their second cup after the playoffs were delayed till August due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and then their third cup the following year. They then made history in 2022 by making their '''third straight Cup final appearance in a row!''' (Becoming the first team to do so in the current Salary Cap Era since ''Gretzky's legendary 80s Oilers''). However their quest for the first three-peat since the legendary 80's Islanders squad ended in heartbreak as they lost to the far more highly powered offense of the Avalanche in 6 games [[note]]though to be fair, the Bolts were coming off from extremely short Summer off-seasons in-between their 3 straight runs along with key injuries to superstar Brayden Point which severely affected the Lightning's performance during their third run[[/note]]. Set a new standard for stadium RuleOfCool in 2011 when renovations to the St. Pete Times Forum (now Amalie Arena) included the installation of Tesla coils in the rafters that [[ShockAndAwe shoot real lightning]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEm_9IIRitc during the pregame intro and after goals]]. Oh, and despite those aforementioned ''Florida'' Panthers (who play in a suburb of UsefulNotes/{{Miami}}), the Bolts predate them by one year. They outright hate Boston with a passion (arguably moreso than the Montreal Canadians who are the B's longtime rivals), moreso than any American club. They hate them so much so that their fans will often chant "Fuck Boston!" in Amalie Arena even if they aren't playing the Bruins (leading to many cheers from the Bruins' rivals who also hate Boston, sans Toronto) [[note]]this unknown hatred may have formed due in part to the notorious dirty plays and hits from the Bruins during the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals that cut fan favorite Vincent Lecavalier's career short that led to him signing with the Philadelphia Flyers, especially from Chara and Marchand and the NFL Buccaneers signing of Creator/TomBrady away from the Patriots that wrecked Boston's dynasty[[/note]]. In contrast their in-state rivalry with Florida hasn't been much of a thing and barely gets acknowledged, though it has been heating up in recent years (with it now being full blown hatred between the two clubs and their fanbases), with the Bolts and Panthers meeting in the playoffs over the last two years, with Tampa Bay winning both times and are set to meet again in the 2023-24 playoffs [[note]] ensuring that the Panthers will likely remain the Lightning's little brothers[[/note]]. They also dislike both of the New York teams (moreso the Isles than the Rangers), they also hate the Toronto Maple Leafs, [[note]]whom they have split their first round series at 1 apiece following the Bolts' loss in the first round[[/note]] which has begun to heat up in recent years (both of their respective first round matchups featured lots of fighting between the two clubs and dirty plays), and have a mild dislike of the Montreal Canadiens[[note]]due to Tampa's recent defeat of them in the Finals and the accusations of their recent Cup wins, though they both have a shared hatred of Boston and Toronto[[/note]] and have begun to develop (as of their recent Cup loss) a potential new rivalry with the Colorado Avalanche (though much like the Cup loss with the Blackhawks in 2015, it has yet to properly develop), the 2022-2023 season was a massive regression due to the Cup years and injuries finally taking their toll on the team and they bowed out to the hated Maple Leafs in 6 games.

Since the Seattle Kraken's 2021 launch, San Diego is currently the largest U.S. metro area without either an NHL or NBA franchise, and it is also the largest U.S. metro area with only one major pro sports franchise.[[note]] However, when including MLS, this will no longer hold true in 2025, when San Diego FC launches.[[/note]] From 1974–77, San Diego had a WHA team named the Mariners; despite having a decent on-ice showing, the team struggled with attendance and folded after attempts to move the team to South Florida fell through. The city has had several minor league teams at various points, with the current iteration of the Gulls being an AHL team that serves as the farm team for the Anaheim Ducks just up the road. The city's main indoor arena, the San Diego Sports Arena, was built in the mid-1960s and is functionally obsolete by modern NHL and NBA standards. In the early 2020s, the San Diego city council put the Sports Arena site up for redevelopment. The winning proposal, Midway Rising, would see the Sports Arena replaced with a 16,000 seat modern arena along with housing, commerical, and retail space. In June 2023, Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke became the lead investor in the Midway Rising project through his real estate development arm.

Saskatchewan's largest city, Saskatoon, has attempted to bring an NHL franchise to the prairie province. In the early 1980s, former Edmonton Oilers founding owner Bill Hunter attempted to purchase the financially-floundering St. Louis Blues with the intent of relocating them to Saskatoon. Despite having the financial backing of the Saskatchewan government and Molson Brewery, the league's Board of Governors near-unanimously rejected the Blues' proposed relocation, as the league was not willing to lose the St. Louis market and cited issues with Saskatoon's small population and remote location as well as Hunter's prior involvement with the WHA in the 1970s; the Board made a counter-offer to allow Hunter to purchase the Blues under the stipulation that the team remain in St. Louis, but Hunter was not interested. When the NHL opened up expansion in the early 1990s, Hunter made a bid for one of the expansion slots; however, he was forced to withdraw his bid when the provincial government declined to financially support his new bid. In 2009, after the Phoenix Coyotes' bankruptcy, a potential ownership group proposed playing five games of their 2009–10 regular season home schedule in Saskatoon, but the proposal never came to fruition.

San Diego is currently the largest U.S. metro area without either an NHL or NBA franchise. From 1974–77, San Diego had a WHA team named the Mariners; despite having a decent on-ice showing, the team struggled with attendance and folded after attempts to move the team to South Florida fell through. The city has had several minor league teams at various points, with the current iteration of the Gulls being an AHL team that serves as the farm team for the Anaheim Ducks just up the road. The city's main indoor arena, the San Diego Sports Arena, was built in the mid-1960s and is functionally obsolete by modern NHL and NBA standards. In the early 2020s, the San Diego city council put the Sports Arena site up for redevelopment. The winning proposal, Midway Rising, would see the Sports Arena replaced with a 16,000 seat modern arena along with housing, commerical, and retail space. In June 2023, Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke became the lead investor in the Midway Rising project through his real estate development arm.

The '''Anaheim Ducks''': formerly the "Mighty Ducks of Anaheim", this team was founded by Creator/{{Disney}} [[{{Defictionalization}} following the success]] of ''Film/TheMightyDucks'' movies (and subsequently the real team's mascot, Wildwing Flashblade, became the protagonist of ''WesternAnimation/MightyDucksTheAnimatedSeries'', featuring him and other duck aliens fighting evil whilst being NHL players).[[note]]In a strange twist, their first Stanley Cup appearance in 2003, while under Disney ownership, was against the New Jersey Devils who were once called a "Mickey Mouse organization" by Wayne Gretzky in the early 80s due to their ineptitude at that time.[[/note]] Thankfully, they dropped the "Mighty" from their name in 2006, then won the Stanley Cup the very next year [[note]]making it rather more ironic after dropping the "Mighty" part of the name[[/note]], the first Californian team to do so. They also had a streak of [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut constantly losing]] [[http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25569450/ducks-lose-fourth-straight-game-7-at-home-waste-remarkable-turnaround home game sevens]][[note]]They were able to defeat the Edmonton Oilers in 7 games at home in the 2017 Western Conference Semifinal, but many fans ([[BerserkButton especially of Edmonton]]) found the series win to be incredibly dubious due to accusations of missed calls and general poor officiating.[[/note]] for a time, but were able to buck that trend in a Conference Final appearance, only to get swept in the First Round of the next season by their rivals in the Bay before having a monumentally bad season the year after that, in which they nearly broke the record for the most consecutive losses in a single season. They have a fierce geographic [[TheRival rivalry]] with the Los Angeles Kings known to fans as the Freeway Face-Off, both of them have equally-fierce rivalries against their northern neighbors, the San Jose Sharks, and now all three of them have rivalries (to varying degrees) with their eastern neighbor, the Vegas Golden Knights. For quite some time, due to a very physical style of play that often sees them toe the line on what they can get away with, as well as having "goon players"[[note]]players who aren't afraid to give borderline-legal hits or pester the other team even after whistles[[/note]] like Chris Pronger, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry, and Nick Ritchie over the years, Anaheim came to have the reputation of being "the bullies of the league". As expected from a team with such a reputation, Anaheim were known for relying on their defense to defeat opposition, and as such, the goalies that have played for them over the years came to be known as top-class goalies, with names like Guy Hébert, Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Jonas Hiller, Frederik Andersen, and John Gibson consistently being in the mix for the Vezina Trophy, even if no Duck has ever won it.[[note]]The lone exception being Ryan Miller, who won his Vezina while playing for the Buffalo Sabres in their 2009–10 season.[[/note]] Following a playoff sweep in the 2017–18 season, the Ducks began the long rebuild, shedding veterans and seasoning youth prospects to create a more offensive and speedy team in line with today's North-South-style NHL and emerged as one of the league's breakout teams in the 2021–22 season, in no small part due to Trevor Zegras and his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QAIDnaYGpM absolute]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdOq9LBylBI wizardry]]. Also known for infamously bad luck when it comes to the Draft Lottery, in which they have been the second overall pick in a lottery featuring a player who was being touted as a generational talent twice, first in 2005 when Pittsburgh won the Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes (the Ducks drafted Bobby Ryan) and then again in 2023 when the Chicago Blackhawks won the Connor Bedard Sweepstakes (the Ducks drafted Leo Carlsson), but [[BerserkButton don't mention this to any Ducks fans]], as many of them feel they were cheated out of both of them[[note]]To this day, there will be fans who believe the NHL deliberately landed Crosby in Pittsburgh to drum up attendance and keep the team there rather than see them leave, as there were attendance issues in Pittsburgh at the time. As for 2023, some fans believe the NHL rigged that lottery in Chicago's favor due to the Blackhawks being an Original 6 team versus an expansion team, a better media market than Anaheim, and to cover up the 2010 sexual assault scandal that was tarnishing the league at the time[[/note]].

'''Current Head Coach:''' ''vacant''[[/note]]Previously occupied by Dave Hakstol.[[/note]]\\

'''Current Head Coach:''' Dave Hakstol\\

Atlanta has a rather checkered history with the NHL, with the city losing two separate franchises to Canada within a 40-year period. Many hockey fans as well as casual observers outside of Atlanta generally accept the narrative that both the Flames and Thrashers failed due to a lack of fan support; however, most Atlanta hockey fans argue that it was other factors, namely economic issues for the Flames and the dysfunctional ownership of the Thrashers, that caused them to lose their teams. The Flames began play in 1972, partly as a ploy to keep the upstart World Hockey Association out of the then-newly built Omni Coliseum. The Flames were a decent team on the ice, although they had a bad case of EveryYearTheyFizzleOut come the Stanley Cup playoffs; however, like many of their late 60s/early 70s expansion contemporaries, the Flames struggled financially due to the arms race between the NHL and WHA. The decline of the Atlanta real estate market in 1970s also caused owner Tom Cousins to bleed money on the Flames, selling the team to a Calgary-based group led by Nelson Skalbania to avoid bankruptcy in 1980. From 1992–96, in-between NHL franchises, Atlanta had a relatively successful minor league team in the defucnt IHL known as the Atlanta Knights, winning that league's championship in their sophomore season; the Knights moved to Quebec City after their 1995–96 season because the Omni Coliseum had to be demolished due to structual defects and a new arena, now known as State Farm Arena, built in its place as a condition of then Hawks owner Creator/TedTurner being granted the Thrashers in 1997. While the Thrashers had the typical growing pains of an expansion team when they began play in 1999, things went downhill in 2004, after Time Warner divested Turner's sports interests, selling the Thrashers, Hawks, and operating rights to State Farm (née Philips) Arena to a group called Atlanta Spirit. The group was notorious for its internal discord as well as neglecting the Thrashers in favor of the Hawks, as the group never wanted to own the hockey club from the start. After settling a lawsuit with an ex-partner in late 2010, Atlanta Spirit sold the Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment in the 2011 offseason, becoming the current Winnipeg Jets.[[note]]Not long after shipping the Thrashers off to Winnipeg, Atlanta Spirit attempted to sell a majority stake of the Hawks and the then-Philips Arena operations to current Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, but that deal ultimately fell through; Atlanta Spirit would eventually sell the Hawks to a group led by Tony Ressler in 2015.[[/note]] Most hockey traditionalists want to permanently write off Atlanta as a lost cause due to two failed franchises; however, some Atlanta hockey fans believe that the Atlanta market is too large for the NHL to ingore and remain optimistic that the league will eventually give the Peach State a third try should the right opportunity arise. In September 2023, admist earlier expansion rumors, deputy commissioner Bill Daly made remarks that the NHL is open to returning to Atlanta, believing that the challenges the league had faced in Atlanta's two prior attempts could now be overcome. As of March 2024, there are ''two'' competing proposals to bring an NHL franchise back to the metro Atlanta area; both groups plan to build an NHL-sized arena as part of a larger mixed-use development in or near the suburb of Alpharetta, 30 miles north of downtown Atlanta. One proposal is The Gathering at South Forsyth, led by businessman Vernon Krause; The Gathering is planned to be built on an undeveloped tract near the Forsyth County-Fulton County line. The other group is led by former NHL player Anson Carter, and his group plans to redevelop the North Point Mall site. Since 2003, the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL have played in Duluth in Gwinnett County, and since 2022, the team has held a "Thrashers night" annually, being one of their most popular promotions; Carter also owns a minority stake in the Gladiators.

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[[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]]'s currently unnamed NHL team is technically the newest team in the league, but the truth of the matter is that they are the result of the Arizona Coyotes' relocation. After years of instability with finding an arena in the Phoenix area, a deal was made between [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Utah Jazz]] owner Ryan Smith and Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, where the Coyotes' roster and front office were given to the new Utah team, while the Yotes would be deactivated until they get a new arena up and running within the following five years. For any fans of the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague, this was essentially a hockey version of what happened between the original Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens back in 1995. At the current moment, the team [[NoNameGiven doesn't have a name]], with rumored reports saying that might have a temporary name for the 2024-25 season, a la the Washington Football Team. However, it has been confirmed that it will have its regional moniker named after the entire state of Utah (much like the Jazz) instead of Salt Lake City. The NHL has told Smith that the Delta Center, home to the Jazz, will need hockey-specific upgrades. However, with SLC planning a bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics, the Utah government plans to chip in close to $1 billion towards upgrades to the Delta Center.

Atlanta has a rather checkered history with the NHL, with the city losing two separate franchises to Canada within a 40-year period. Many hockey fans as well as casual observers outside of Atlanta generally accept the narrative that both the Flames and Thrashers failed due to a lack of fan support; however, most Atlanta hockey fans argue that it was other factors, namely economic issues for the Flames and the dysfunctional ownership of the Thrashers, that caused them to lose their teams. The Flames began play in 1972, partly as a ploy to keep the upstart World Hockey Association out of the then-newly built Omni Coliseum. The Flames were a decent team on the ice, although they had a bad case of EveryYearTheyFizzleOut come the Stanley Cup playoffs; however, like many of their late 60s/early 70s expansion contemporaries, the Flames struggled financially due to the arms race between the NHL and WHA. The decline of the Atlanta real estate market in 1970s also caused owner Tom Cousins to bleed money on the Flames, selling the team to a Calgary-based group led by Nelson Skalbania to avoid bankruptcy in 1980. From 1992–96, in-between NHL franchises, Atlanta had a relatively successful minor league team in the defucnt IHL known as the Atlanta Knights, winning that league's championship in their sophomore season; the Knights moved to Quebec City after their 1995–96 season because the Omni Coliseum had to be demolished due to structual defects and a new arena, now known as State Farm Arena, built in its place as a condition of then Hawks owner Creator/TedTurner being granted the Thrashers in 1997. While the Thrashers had the typical growing pains of an expansion team when they began play in 1999, things went downhill in 2004, after Time Warner divested Turner's sports interests, selling the Thrashers, Hawks, and operating rights to State Farm (née Philips) Arena to a group called Atlanta Spirit. The group was notorious for its internal discord as well as neglecting the Thrashers in favor of the Hawks, as the group never wanted to own the hockey club from the start. After settling a lawsuit with an ex-partner in late 2010, Atlanta Spirit sold the Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment in the 2011 offseason, becoming the current Winnipeg Jets.[[note]]Not long after shipping the Thrashers off to Winnipeg, Atlanta Spirit attempted to sell a majority stake of the Hawks and the then-Philips Arena operations to current Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, but that deal ultimately fell through; Atlanta Spirit would eventually sell the Hawks to a group led by Tony Ressler in 2015.[[/note]] Most hockey traditionalists want to permanently write off Atlanta as a lost cause due to two failed franchises; however, some Atlanta hockey fans believe that the Atlanta market is too large to ingore and remain optimistic that the NHL will eventually give the Peach State a third try should the right opportunity arise. In September 2023, admist earlier expansion rumors, deputy commissioner Bill Daly made remarks that the NHL is open to returning to Atlanta, believing that the challenges the league had faced in Atlanta's two prior attempts could now be overcome. As of March 2024, there are ''two'' competing proposals to bring an NHL franchise back to the metro Atlanta area; both groups plan to build an NHL-sized arena as part of a larger mixed-use development in or near the suburb of Alpharetta, 30 miles north of downtown Atlanta. One proposal is The Gathering at South Forsyth, led by businessman Vernon Krause; The Gathering is planned to be built on an undeveloped tract near the Forsyth County-Fulton County line. The other group is led by former NHL player Anson Carter, and his group plans to redevelop the North Point Mall site. Since 2003, the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL have played in Duluth in Gwinnett County, and since 2022, the team has held a "Thrashers night" annually, being one of their most popular promotions; Carter also owns a minority stake in the Gladiators.

The NHL has never placed a team in Houston at any point in the league's history. The Houston Aeros operated in the WHA from 1972–78, being one of that league's most financially stable and dominant on-ice teams. When the WHA began merger talks, the Aeros were thought to be a lock for inclusion. However, the NHL was only willing to accept four teams in the merger, and the WHA insisted that all three of its Canadian teams be accepted, leaving only one open slot for an American team. The NHL was hesitant to add another Sun Belt team after the Oakland Seals moved to Cleveland in 1976 (and subsequently folded only two seasons later), and the Los Angeles Kings and Atlanta Flames were struggling financially, which led to the WHA using the New England (Hartford) Whalers as the fourth merger team. Seeing the writing on the walls, the Aeros folded after their 1977–78 season ended. From 1994–2013, Houston had a minor league team named the Aeros, in honor of the former WHA club; the IHL/AHL Aeros left Houston when their affiliate/majority owner, the Minnesota Wild, were unable to renew their arena lease. The NHL ''almost'' came to Houston in 1998, after then Rockets' owner Les Alexander made a bid to move the Edmonton Oilers[[note]]coincidentally, Houston had lost the NFL's Oilers just two years prior, after their owner Bud Adams controversially moved the team to Tennessee[[/note]] down to Houston; however, a local Edmonton group managed to make an eleventh-hour deal to keep the Oilers from moving. Alexander sold the Rockets and the Toyota Center to Tilman Fertitta in 2017. Since then, Fertitta has expressed interest in bringing an NHL team to Houston, with discussions between him and the league intensifying as of February 2024.

Atlanta has a rather checkered history with the NHL, with the city losing two separate franchises to Canada in less than 40 years. Many hockey fans as well as casual observers outside of Atlanta generally accept the narrative that both the Flames and Thrashers failed due to a lack of fan support; however, most Atlanta hockey fans argue that it was other factors, namely economic issues for the Flames and the dysfunctional ownership of the Thrashers, that caused them to lose their teams. The Flames began play in 1972, partly as a ploy to keep the upstart World Hockey Association out of the then-newly built Omni Coliseum. The Flames were a decent team on the ice, although they had a bad case of EveryYearTheyFizzleOut come the Stanley Cup playoffs; however, like many of their late 60s/early 70s expansion contemporaries, the Flames struggled financially due to the arms race between the NHL and WHA. The decline of the Atlanta real estate market in 1970s also caused owner Tom Cousins to bleed money on the Flames, selling the team to a Calgary-based group led by Nelson Skalbania to avoid bankruptcy in 1980. From 1992–96, in-between NHL franchises, Atlanta had a relatively successful minor league team in the defucnt IHL known as the Atlanta Knights, winning that league's championship in their sophomore season; the Knights moved to Quebec City after their 1995–96 season because the Omni Coliseum had to be demolished due to structual defects and a new arena, now known as State Farm Arena, built in its place as a condition of then Hawks owner Creator/TedTurner being granted the Thrashers in 1997. While the Thrashers had the typical growing pains of an expansion team in its early years, things went downhill in 2004, after Time Warner divested Turner's sports interests, selling the Thrashers, Hawks, and operating rights to State Farm Arena to a group called Atlanta Spirit. The group was notorious for its internal discord as well as neglecting the Thrashers in favor of the Hawks, never wanting the hockey club from the start. After settling a lawsuit with an ex-partner in late 2010, Atlanta Spirit sold the Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment in the 2011 offseason, becoming the current Winnipeg Jets. Most hockey traditionalists want to permanently write off Atlanta as a lost cause after two failed franchises; however, some Atlanta hockey fans remain optimistic that the NHL will eventually give the Peach State a third try should the right opportunity arise. In September 2023, deputy commissioner Bill Daly made remarks that the NHL is open to returning to Atlanta, believing that the challenges the league had faced in Atlanta's two prior attempts could now be overcome. As of March 2024, there are ''two'' competing proposals to bring an NHL franchise back to the metro Atlanta area; both groups plan to build an NHL-sized arena as part of a larger mixed-use development in or near the suburb of Alpharetta, 30 miles north of downtown Atlanta. One proposal is The Gathering at South Forsyth, led by businessman Vernon Krause; it is planned to be built on an undeveloped tract near the Forsyth County-Fulton County line. The other group is led by former NHL player Anson Carter, and his group plans to redevelop the North Point Mall site. Since 2003, the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL have played in Duluth in Gwinnett County, and since 2022, the team has held a "Thrashers night" annually, being one of their most popular promotions; Carter also owns a minority stake in the Gladiators.

Kansas City was previously home to the Scouts, who only lasted two seasons in KC before moving to Denver in 1976, becoming the Colorado Rockies, and subsequently to New Jersey in 1983 as the Devils. After the Scouts, Kansas City had an IHL team named the Blades, lasting from 1990 until the IHL folded in 2001. The current minor league franchise in the KC metro area are the Mavericks of the ECHL, playing in suburban Independence, Missouri; the Mavs are owned by Lamar Hunt, Jr., one of the heirs of the NFL's Chiefs. In 2007, a new NHL-sized arena, the T-Mobile (née Sprint) Center, opened in downtown KC; shortly after its opening, T-Mobile Center was used as a bargaining chip by the Pittsburgh Penguins to replace the aging Pittsburgh Civic Arena, ultimately opening what's now known as PPG Paints Arena in 2010. With the Coyotes' arena proposal in Tempe voted down, Kansas City was seen as a potential landing spot before Salt Lake City emerged as that team's future location.

!!!'''Atlanta'''

!!!'''Hamilton'''

!!!'''Hartford'''

!!!'''Houston'''

!!!'''Kansas City'''

!!!'''Milwaukee'''

!!!'''Phoenix'''

!!!'''Quebec City'''

!!!'''San Diego'''

!!!'''Saskatoon'''

[[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]]'s currently unnamed NHL team is technically the newest team in the league, but the truth of the matter is that they are the result of the Arizona Coyotes' relocation. After years of instability with finding an arena in the Phoenix area, a deal was made between [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Utah Jazz]] owner Ryan Smith and Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, where the Coyotes' roster and front office were given to the new Utah team, while the Yotes would be deactivated until they get a new arena up and running within the following five years. For any fans of the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague, this was essentially a hockey version of what happened between the original Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens back in 1995. At the current moment, the team [[NoNameGiven doesn't have a name]], with rumored reports saying that might have a temporary name for the 2024-25 season, a la the Washington Football Team. However, it has been confirmed that it will have its regional moniker named after the entire state of Utah (much like the Jazz) instead of Salt Lake City.

The '''Winnipeg Jets''': formerly the UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} Thrashers. On May 31, 2011, the team was sold and moved to Winnipeg[[note]]The ''[[HistoryRepeats second]]'' time a team moved from Atlanta, the first being the Flames in 1980. While many Atlanta hockey fans were not necessarily against the Coyotes staying in Arizona or even the return of an NHL team to Winnipeg (at least before True North came knocking on the Thrashers' door), most believe that the wrong team moved to Winnipeg in 2011, as the league had nearly two years to resolve the Coyotes' situation post-bankruptcy, yet they allowed the Thrashers to move to Winnipeg with practically no good faith efforts to keep the team in Atlanta beforehand. Since then, the Coyotes had remained under the near-perennial threat of relocation, with the team's hockey assets ultimately being transferred to Utah, while the Coyotes franchise went dormant.[[/note]] for the next season, resurrecting the previous team's name due to overwhelming fan support for it (this has also led to a ''massive'' ContinuitySnarl, as the history of the original Winnipeg Jets is entrenched in the backstory of the presently-inactive Arizona Coyotes,[[note]]Meanwhile, the NFL's Cleveland Browns, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, MLS's San Jose Earthquakes, and the NLL's Philadelphia Wings all either retained (Browns, Earthquakes, and Wings) or retroactively reclaimed (Hornets) the history of their original franchises after their relocations to Baltimore, New Orleans, Houston, and Connecticut, respectively. Additionally, Seattle retains the rights to the history of its former NBA team, the [=SuperSonics=], after that team's move to Oklahoma City; making matters worse, the Coyotes are expected to retain the original history of the Jets upon their deactivation in a similar manner to the Cleveland Browns and Seattle [=SuperSonics=][[/note]] a severely contentious issue among Jets purists). The Jets play in the smallest ''standalone'' market among the Big Four sports leagues and are one of two major pro teams based in a metropolitan area with less than one million residents.[[note]]While the Green Bay metropolitan area is roughly half the population of Winnipeg's, the NFL considers UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}} as part of the Packers' home market, given the team had historically played a portion of its schedule there.[[/note]] Season tickets for Winnipeg's 2011–12 season sold out in ''17 minutes''. The team then remained two years geographically miscast in the now-defunct Southeast Division[[note]]OK, Winnipeg ''is'' in the southeastern part of Manitoba.[[/note]] before the league and the players' union accepted a new realignment. Prior to the 2017-18 season, the franchise only made the playoffs twice, getting swept both times, once in their only appearance as the Thrashers in 2007 against the Rangers and again in their first appearance as the Jets in 2015 against the Ducks. The Jets ''finally'' won their first playoff game against the Wild on April 11, 2018, and the Jets subsequently won the series 4-1, marking the first time since ''1987'' that a Winnipeg-based team advanced to the Second Round, which it did win against the Predators, making it to the Western Conference Finals (and thus the league semi-finals) for the first time in the history of either incarnation of the Jets. Even better, the Jets managed to score a massive upset in the 2021 play-offs by ''sweeping'' the [=McDavid=]/Draisaitl-led Oilers in a series that went so well for the Jets that it ''caused serious concerns about the Oilers as a franchise'' - although being swept by the Canadiens in the following round raised questions as for whether the Jets were good or simply lucky. Those questions have deepened in the seasons since due to them straddling the playoff line[[note]]missed by a handful of points in '21-'22; squeaked in as the Second Wild Card in '22-'23, only to get crushed by Vegas, the eventual Cup champs, in the opening round[[/note]] while the coaching staff turned over,[[note]]the head coach that oversaw their 2018 and 2021 successes, Paul Maurice, resigned his post in fall 2021 (he later joined the Panthers and helped engineer their 2023 Finals run); interim Dave Lowry was let go at season's end; Rick Bowness took the reins for 2022-23 after an attempt to hire Barry Trotz fell through[[/note]] rumors of locker room strife swirled and multiple top players insinuated their desires to leave the team. Compounding the locker room drama, the Jets have been struggling with declining attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic; from 2021--24, the Jets lost over a quarter of its pre-pandemic season ticket base, many of them individuals, putting the long term viability of the Jets into question, implying that they too could relocate elsewhere much like the original Jets.

The '''UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} Coyotes''': formerly the original Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. After years of being threatened of relocation (helped by a former owner filing the team for bankruptcy in 2009, followed by four years of the Coyotes operated by the NHL itself -- hellbent on keeping them in Arizona, even if Hamilton, UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} (which eventually got the Kraken in 2021), Quebec City, UsefulNotes/KansasCity, UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and even Saskatoon were offering to get the team. True North Sports and Entertainment were the frontrunners to acquire the Coyotes, bringing the original Jets home if efforts to keep the team in Arizona fell through before the league convinced True North to buy the Thrashers instead; while the league allowed True North to revive the Winnipeg Jets name, the original Jets' history remains in Arizona) finally got a new owner in 2013. Surprised everybody in 2009–10 as [[EnsembleDarkhorse one of the best teams in the league]], finishing second in their division with 50 wins. They'd then do it again two years later by winning their first ''ever'' divisional championship ... for '''both sides of the franchise'''! That 2011-12 squad also made the first Conference Finals run for either side, only to get drummed out in five games by the Kings and return to perennial basement-dweller status in the years since (except for a very narrow miss with a wild card in 2018-19 and an appearance in the expanded 2020 playoffs where they managed to win their Qualifying Round series over Nashville before being demolished by Colorado in the next round; even in this year, they were eleventh in the Conference and were on a month long skid when the season was paused by the pandemic). As such, they're unsurprisingly the oldest franchise to currently never make it to the Stanley Cup, provided you include their original stay in Winnipeg. The Coyotes were in the Pacific Division from 1998 until the activation of the Seattle Kraken in 2021 moved Arizona back into the Central Division[[note]]the Jets were originally placed in the Smythe in 1979, moving to the Norris in 1981 when the league realigned into more geographically grouped divisions, only to move back to the Smythe in 1982 when the Rockies moved east and became the Devils; the Jets returned to the Norris, now renamed the Central Division, in 1993, remaining in the Central after their move to Phoenix until the league realinged into six divisions in 1998[[/note]]. Rumors of relocation have also re-intensified due to both the impending division switch and the current ownership's insistence on signing one-year deals with their now-former arena (the Gila River Arena), all of which came to a head when the City of Glendale decided not to renew the Coyotes' lease before the 2021–22 season began and forced the team and league to scramble for both a new arena ''and'' city once that season ended. Houston was considered to be the leading candidate since there are interested local parties and possible arena solutions already in place[[note]]Specifically Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets, and the Toyota Center, home to the Rockets, but was built to also accommodate the NHL as well[[/note]], but the league and franchise seemed determined to stay in the state of Arizona even if they couldn't stay in Glendale, thus they tried to strike a deal with the City of Tempe. The plan started with the Coyotes moving into the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena that was initially built by and for Arizona State University for some of their college teams (including hockey) in 2022, intending to stay there until at least 2025, if not 2026, while a more permanent home in Tempe (with a lot more seats being built by then) got built for them. However, the leading proposal for an arena and surrounding entertainment district was met with immediate opposition and subsequently fell apart after a public referendum resulted in a lopsided "no" vote in May 2023; after that, the Coyotes needed to ''seriously'' consider leaving the state altogether and relocate, particularly with both the Players' Union and the Board of Governors mounting pressure on the team to find a permanent solution. The head of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh, expressed his support in moving the Coyotes to Utah, growing impatient with the Coyotes' ownership in finding a long-term solution in the Phoenix area. The ownership made an effort to stay in the area, exploring possible sites in Mesa and north Phoenix, with a public land auction on June 27, 2024 in the latter being the team's last-ditch effort to remain in Arizona. However, given that the league wasn't too keen on an extended stay at Mullett Arena, since the proposed new arena would have taken at least two years to construct even ''if'' the Coyotes had won the land auction, the league facilitated a sale to UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Jazz]] owner Ryan Smith, giving the Salt Lake City market its second Big Four pro franchise.[[note]]While not exactly considered a hockey stronghold, Utah has a storied minor league hockey history. The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_Golden_Eagles Salt Lake Golden Eagles]] existed from 1969-94, winning five league titles and cultivating a loyal fanbase that helped the club twice survive their league ceasing operations, moving to a different league. After the Golden Eagles moved to Detroit, the Denver Grizzlies moved to Salt Lake in 1995, and the Utah Grizzlies (technically two different franchises with the same name: 1995-2005, 2005-present) have remained there since.[[/note]] The NHL has told Smith that the Delta Center, home to the Jazz, will need hockey-specific upgrades. However, with SLC planning a bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics, with a new arena in the works for that event, the Utah government plans to chip in close to $1 billion for the new arena, and Smith also has government support for upgrades to the Delta Center. The sale agreement officially gives Salt Lake City an "expansion" NHL team consisting of the Coyotes' players and front office, while the Coyotes get deactivated and owner Alex Meruelo granted a five-year window to get a new arena built in the Phoenix area. If he is successful, the Coyotes will get reactivated with a new roster and front office; otherwise, Meruelo's franchise rights will be revoked, and the Coyotes will formally cease operations. Under the terms of the agreement, Meruelo cannot sell his franchise rights during its dormancy period, arena construction must be at least 50 percent complete with an additional 18-month lead time before the Coyotes take the ice again, and Meruelo also cannot sell the Coyotes until five years after their reactivation. This [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Cleveland Browns-esque]] deal[[note]]A ''very'' similar thing like this happened in the NFL in 1995, where the Cleveland Browns were in the Yotes' spot and the Batlimore Ravens were in the Utah NHL team's spot. The Browns eventually got reactivated for the 1999 season.[[/note]] was formalized on April 18, 2024, when the NHL board of governors unanimously approved the sale and quasi-relocation of the Coyotes.

The '''Winnipeg Jets''': formerly the UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} Thrashers. On May 31, 2011, the team was sold and moved to Winnipeg[[note]]The ''[[HistoryRepeats second]]'' time a team moved from Atlanta, the first being the Flames in 1980. While many Atlanta hockey fans were not necessarily against the Coyotes staying in Arizona or even the return of an NHL team to Winnipeg (at least before True North came knocking on the Thrashers' door), most believe that the wrong team moved to Winnipeg in 2011, as the league had nearly two years to resolve the Coyotes' situation post-bankruptcy, yet they allowed the Thrashers to move to Winnipeg with practically no good faith efforts to keep the team in Atlanta beforehand. Since then, the Coyotes have remained under the near-perennial threat of relocation, particularly since being evicted from Glendale and are on the verge of relocating to Utah.[[/note]] for the next season, resurrecting the previous team's name due to overwhelming fan support for it (this has also led to a ''massive'' ContinuitySnarl, as the history of the original Winnipeg Jets is now entrenched in the backstory of the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes,[[note]]Meanwhile, the NFL's Cleveland Browns, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, MLS' San Jose Earthquakes, and NLL's Philadelphia Wings all either retained (Browns, Earthquakes, and Wings) or retroactively reclaimed (Hornets) the history of their original franchises after their relocations to Baltimore, New Orleans, Houston, and Connecticut, respectively. Additionally, Seattle retains the rights to the history of its former NBA team, the [=SuperSonics=], after that team's move to Oklahoma City, making matters worse, the Coyotes are expected to retain the original history of the Jets upon their deactivation in a similar manner to the Cleveland Browns and Seattle [=SuperSonics=][[/note]] a severely contentious issue among Jets purists). The Jets play in the smallest ''standalone'' market among the Big Four sports leagues and are one of two teams based in a metropolitan area with less than one million residents.[[note]]While the Green Bay metropolitan area is roughly half the size of Winnipeg's, the Packers are also part of the larger UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}} media market.[[/note]] Season tickets for Winnipeg's 2011–12 season sold out in ''17 minutes''. The team then remained two years geographically miscast in the now-defunct Southeast Division[[note]]OK, Winnipeg ''is'' in the southeastern part of Manitoba.[[/note]] before the league and the players' union accepted a new realignment. Prior to the 2017-18 season, the franchise only made the playoffs twice, getting swept both times, once in their only appearance as the Thrashers in 2007 against the Rangers and again in their first appearance as the Jets in 2015 against the Ducks. The Jets ''finally'' won their first playoff game against the Wild on April 11, 2018, and the Jets subsequently won the series 4-1, marking the first time since ''1987'' that a Winnipeg-based team advanced to the Second Round, which it did win against the Predators, making it to the Western Conference Finals (and thus the league semi-finals) for the first time in the history of either incarnation of the Jets. Even better, the Jets managed to score a massive upset in the 2021 play-offs by ''sweeping'' the [=McDavid=]/Draisaitl-led Oilers in a series that went so well for the Jets that it ''caused serious concerns about the Oilers as a franchise'' - although being swept by the Canadiens in the following round raised questions as for whether the Jets were good or simply lucky. Those questions have deepened in the seasons since due to them straddling the playoff line[[note]]missed by a handful of points in '21-'22; squeaked in as the Second Wild Card in '22-'23, only to get crushed by Vegas, the eventual Cup champs, in the opening round[[/note]] while the coaching staff turned over,[[note]]the head coach that oversaw their 2018 and 2021 successes, Paul Maurice, resigned his post in fall 2021 (he later joined the Panthers and helped engineer their 2023 Finals run); interim Dave Lowry was let go at season's end; Rick Bowness took the reins for 2022-23 after an attempt to hire Barry Trotz fell through[[/note]] rumors of locker room strife swirled and multiple top players insinuated their desires to leave the team. Compounding the locker room drama, the Jets have been struggling with declining attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic; from 2021--24, the Jets lost over a quarter of its pre-pandemic season ticket base, many of them individuals, putting the long term viability of the Jets into question, implying that they too could relocate elsewhere much like the original Jets.

The '''UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} Coyotes''': formerly the original Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. After years of being threatened of relocation (helped by a former owner filing the team for bankruptcy in 2009, followed by four years of the Coyotes operated by the NHL itself -- hellbent on keeping them in Arizona, even if Hamilton, UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} (which eventually got the Kraken in 2021), Quebec City, UsefulNotes/KansasCity, UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and even Saskatoon were offering to get the team. True North Sports and Entertainment were the frontrunners to acquire the Coyotes, bringing the original Jets home if efforts to keep the team in Arizona fell through before the league convinced True North to buy the Thrashers instead; while the league allowed True North to revive the Winnipeg Jets name, the original Jets' history remains in Arizona) finally got a new owner in 2013. Surprised everybody in 2009–10 as [[EnsembleDarkhorse one of the best teams in the league]], finishing second in their division with 50 wins. They'd then do it again two years later by winning their first ''ever'' divisional championship ... for '''both sides of the franchise'''! That 2011-12 squad also made the first Conference Finals run for either side, only to get drummed out in five games by the Kings and return to perennial basement-dweller status in the years since (except for a very narrow miss with a wild card in 2018-19 and an appearance in the expanded 2020 playoffs where they managed to win their Qualifying Round series over Nashville before being demolished by Colorado in the next round; even in this year, they were eleventh in the Conference and were on a month long skid when the season was paused by the pandemic). As such, they're unsurprisingly the oldest franchise to currently never make it to the Stanley Cup, provided you include their original stay in Winnipeg. The Coyotes were in the Pacific Division from 1998 until the activation of the Seattle Kraken in 2021 moved Arizona back into the Central Division[[note]]the Jets were originally placed in the Smythe in 1979, moving to the Norris in 1981 when the league realigned into more geographically grouped divisions, only to move back to the Smythe in 1982 when the Rockies moved east and became the Devils; the Jets returned to the Norris, now renamed the Central Division, in 1993, remaining in the Central after their move to Phoenix until the league realinged into six divisions in 1998[[/note]]. Rumors of relocation have also re-intensified due to both the impending division switch and the current ownership's insistence on signing one-year deals with their now-former arena (the Gila River Arena), all of which came to a head when the City of Glendale decided not to renew the Coyotes' lease before the 2021–22 season began and forced the team and league to scramble for both a new arena ''and'' city once that season ended. Houston was considered to be the leading candidate since there are interested local parties and possible arena solutions already in place[[note]]Specifically Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets, and the Toyota Center, home to the Rockets, but was built to also accommodate the NHL as well[[/note]], but the league and franchise seemed determined to stay in the state of Arizona even if they couldn't stay in Glendale, thus they tried to strike a deal with the City of Tempe. The plan started with the Coyotes moving into the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena that was initially built by and for Arizona State University for some of their college teams (including hockey) in 2022, intending to stay there until at least 2025, if not 2026, while a more permanent home in Tempe (with a lot more seats being built by then) got built for them. However, the leading proposal for an arena and surrounding entertainment district was met with immediate opposition and subsequently fell apart after a public referendum resulted in a lopsided "no" vote in May 2023; after that, the Coyotes needed to ''seriously'' consider leaving the state altogether and relocate, particularly with both the Players' Union and the Board of Governors mounting pressure on the team to find a permanent solution. The head of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh, expressed his support in moving the Coyotes to Utah, growing impatient with the Coyotes' ownership in finding a long-term solution in the Phoenix area. The ownership made an effort to stay in the area, exploring possible sites in Mesa and north Phoenix, with a public land auction on June 27, 2024 in the latter being the team's last-ditch effort to remain in Arizona. However, given that the league wasn't too keen on an extended stay at Mullett Arena, and the arena would have taken at least two years to construct even ''if'' the Coyotes had won the land auction, the league facilitated a sale to UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Jazz]] owner Ryan Smith, giving the Salt Lake City market its second Big Four pro franchise.[[note]]While not exactly considered a hockey stronghold, Utah has a storied minor league hockey history. The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_Golden_Eagles Salt Lake Golden Eagles]] existed from 1969-94, winning five league titles and cultivating a loyal fanbase that helped the club twice survive their league ceasing operations, moving to a different league. After the Golden Eagles moved to Detroit, the Denver Grizzlies moved to Salt Lake in 1995, and the Utah Grizzlies (technically two different franchises with the same name: 1995-2005, 2005-present) have remained there since.[[/note]] The NHL has told Smith that the Delta Center, home to the Jazz, will need hockey-specific upgrades. However, with SLC planning a bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics, with a new arena in the works for that event, the Utah government plans to chip in close to $1 billion for the new arena, and Smith also has government support for upgrades to the Delta Center. The sale agreement officially gives Salt Lake City an "expansion" NHL team consisting of the Coyotes' players and front office, while the Coyotes get deactivated and owner Alex Meruelo granted a five-year window to get a new arena built in the Phoenix area. If he is successful, the Coyotes will get reactivated with a new roster and front office; if not, Meruelo's franchise rights will be revoked, and the Coyotes will formally cease operations. Under the terms of the agreement, Meruelo cannot sell his franchise rights during its dormancy period, arena construction must be at least 50 percent complete with an additional 18-month lead time before the Coyotes take the ice again, and Meruelo also cannot sell the Coyotes until five years after their reactivation. This [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Cleveland Browns-esque]] deal[[note]]A ''very'' similar thing like this happened in the NFL in 1995, where the Cleveland Browns were in the Yotes' spot and the Batlimore Ravens were in the Utah NHL team's spot. The Browns eventually got reactivated for the 1999 season.[[/note]] was formalized on April 18, 2024, when the NHL board of governors unanimously approved the sale and quasi-relocation of the Coyotes.

The '''UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} Coyotes''': formerly the original Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. After years of being threatened of relocation (helped by a former owner filing the team for bankruptcy in 2009, followed by four years of the Coyotes operated by the NHL itself -- hellbent on keeping them in Arizona, even if Hamilton, UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} (which eventually got the Kraken in 2021), Quebec City, UsefulNotes/KansasCity, UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and even Saskatoon were offering to get the team. True North Sports and Entertainment were the frontrunners to acquire the Coyotes, bringing the original Jets home if efforts to keep the team in Arizona fell through before the league convinced True North to buy the Thrashers instead; while the league allowed True North to revive the Winnipeg Jets name, the original Jets' history remains in Arizona) finally got a new owner in 2013. Surprised everybody in 2009–10 as [[EnsembleDarkhorse one of the best teams in the league]], finishing second in their division with 50 wins. They'd then do it again two years later by winning their first ''ever'' divisional championship ... for '''both sides of the franchise'''! That 2011-12 squad also made the first Conference Finals run for either side, only to get drummed out in five games by the Kings and return to perennial basement-dweller status in the years since (except for a very narrow miss with a wild card in 2018-19 and an appearance in the expanded 2020 playoffs where they managed to win their Qualifying Round series over Nashville before being demolished by Colorado in the next round; even in this year, they were eleventh in the Conference and were on a month long skid when the season was paused by the pandemic). As such, they're unsurprisingly the oldest franchise to currently never make it to the Stanley Cup, provided you include their original stay in Winnipeg. The Coyotes were in the Pacific Division from 1998 until the activation of the Seattle Kraken in 2021 moved Arizona back into the Central Division[[note]]the Jets were originally placed in the Smythe in 1979, moving to the Norris in 1981 when the league realigned into more geographically grouped divisions, only to move back to the Smythe in 1982 when the Rockies moved east and became the Devils; the Jets returned to the Norris, now renamed the Central Division, in 1993, remaining in the Central after their move to Phoenix until the league realinged into six divisions in 1998[[/note]]. Rumors of relocation have also re-intensified due to both the impending division switch and the current ownership's insistence on signing one-year deals with their now-former arena (the Gila River Arena), all of which came to a head when the City of Glendale decided not to renew the Coyotes' lease before the 2021–22 season began and forced the team and league to scramble for both a new arena ''and'' city once that season ended. Houston was considered to be the leading candidate since there are interested local parties and possible arena solutions already in place[[note]]Specifically Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets, and the Toyota Center, home to the Rockets, but was built to also accommodate the NHL as well[[/note]], but the league and franchise seemed determined to stay in the state of Arizona even if they couldn't stay in Glendale, thus they tried to strike a deal with the City of Tempe. The plan started with the Coyotes moving into the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena that was initially built by and for Arizona State University for some of their college teams (including hockey) in 2022, intending to stay there until at least 2025, if not 2026, while a more permanent home in Tempe (with a lot more seats being built by then) got built for them. However, the leading proposal for an arena and surrounding entertainment district was met with immediate opposition and subsequently fell apart after a public referendum resulted in a lopsided "no" vote in May 2023; after that, the Coyotes needed to ''seriously'' consider leaving the state altogether and relocate, particularly with both the Players' Union and the Board of Governors mounting pressure on the team to find a permanent solution. The head of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh, expressed his support in moving the Coyotes to Utah, growing impatient with the Coyotes' ownership in finding a long-term solution in the Phoenix area. The ownership made an effort to stay in the area, exploring possible sites in Mesa and north Phoenix, with a public land auction on June 27, 2024 in the latter being the team's last-ditch effort to remain in Arizona. However, given that the league wasn't too keen on an extended stay at Mullett Arena, and the arena would have taken at least two years to construct even ''if'' the Coyotes had won the land auction, the league facilitated a sale to UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Jazz]] owner Ryan Smith, giving the Salt Lake City market its second Big Four pro franchise.[[note]]While not exactly considered a hockey stronghold, Utah has a storied minor league hockey history. The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_Golden_Eagles Salt Lake Golden Eagles]] existed from 1969-94, winning five league titles and cultivating a loyal fanbase that helped the club twice survive their league ceasing operations, moving to a different league. After the Golden Eagles moved to Detroit, the Denver Grizzlies moved to Salt Lake in 1995, and the Utah Grizzlies (technically two different franchises with the same name: 1995-2005, 2005-present) have remained there since.[[/note]] The NHL has told Smith that the Delta Center, home to the Jazz, will need hockey-specific upgrades. However, with SLC planning a bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics, with a new arena in the works for that event, the Utah government plans to chip in close to $1 billion for the new arena, and Smith also has government support for upgrades to the Delta Center. The sale agreement officially gives Salt Lake City an "expansion" NHL team consisting of the Coyotes' players and front office, while the Coyotes get deactivated and owner Alex Meruelo granted a five-year window to get a new arena built in the Phoenix area. If he is successful, the Coyotes will get reactivated with a new roster and front office; if not, Meruelo's franchise rights will be revoked, and the Coyotes will formally cease operations. Under the terms of the agreement, Meruelo cannot sell his franchise rights during its dormancy period, and he also cannot sell the franchise until five years after its reactivation. This [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Cleveland Browns-esque]] deal[[note]]A ''very'' similar thing like this happened in the NFL in 1995, where the Cleveland Browns were in the Yotes' spot and the Batlimore Ravens were in the Utah NHL team's spot. The Browns eventually got reactivated for the 1999 season.[[/note]] was formalized on April 18, 2024, when the NHL board of governors unanimously approved the sale and quasi-relocation of the Coyotes. Known as of late for, '''even when fielding awful teams''', somehow being a permanent hellish thorn on the Toronto Maple Leafs' side ''for no particular reason'', as it has been more than 20 years since the last time Toronto beat the Coyotes at home in regulation, and Arizona having beat them 18 out of the 25 times they've played one another.

The '''UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} Coyotes''': formerly the original Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. After years of being threatened of relocation (helped by a former owner filing the team for bankruptcy in 2009, followed by four years of the Coyotes operated by the NHL itself -- hellbent on keeping them in Arizona, even if Hamilton, UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} (which eventually got the Kraken in 2021), Quebec City, UsefulNotes/KansasCity, UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and even Saskatoon were offering to get the team. True North Sports and Entertainment were the frontrunners to acquire the Coyotes, bringing the original Jets home if efforts to keep the team in Arizona fell through before the league convinced True North to buy the Thrashers instead; while the league allowed True North to revive the Winnipeg Jets name, the original Jets' history remains in Arizona) finally got a new owner in 2013. Surprised everybody in 2009–10 as [[EnsembleDarkhorse one of the best teams in the league]], finishing second in their division with 50 wins. They'd then do it again two years later by winning their first ''ever'' divisional championship ... for '''both sides of the franchise'''! That 2011-12 squad also made the first Conference Finals run for either side, only to get drummed out in five games by the Kings and return to perennial basement-dweller status in the years since (except for a very narrow miss with a wild card in 2018-19 and an appearance in the expanded 2020 playoffs where they managed to win their Qualifying Round series over Nashville before being demolished by Colorado in the next round; even in this year, they were eleventh in the Conference and were on a month long skid when the season was paused by the pandemic). As such, they're unsurprisingly the oldest franchise to currently never make it to the Stanley Cup, provided you include their original stay in Winnipeg. The Coyotes were in the Pacific Division from 1998 until the activation of the Seattle Kraken in 2021 moved Arizona back into the Central Division[[note]]the Jets were originally placed in the Smythe in 1979, moving to the Norris in 1981 when the league realigned into more geographically grouped divisions, only to move back to the Smythe in 1982 when the Rockies moved east and became the Devils; the Jets returned to the Norris, now renamed the Central Division, in 1993, remaining in the Central after their move to Phoenix until the league realinged into six divisions in 1998[[/note]]. Rumors of relocation have also re-intensified due to both the impending division switch and the current ownership's insistence on signing one-year deals with their now-former arena (the Gila River Arena), all of which came to a head when the City of Glendale decided not to renew the Coyotes' lease before the 2021–22 season began and forced the team and league to scramble for both a new arena ''and'' city once that season ended. Houston was considered to be the leading candidate since there are interested local parties and possible arena solutions already in place[[note]]Specifically Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets, and the Toyota Center, home to the Rockets, but was built to also accommodate the NHL as well[[/note]], but the league and franchise seemed determined to stay in the state of Arizona even if they couldn't stay in Glendale, thus they tried to strike a deal with the City of Tempe. The plan started with the Coyotes moving into the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena that was initially built by and for Arizona State University for some of their college teams (including hockey) in 2022, intending to stay there until at least 2025, if not 2026, while a more permanent home in Tempe (with a lot more seats being built by then) got built for them. However, the leading proposal for an arena and surrounding entertainment district was met with immediate opposition and subsequently fell apart after a public referendum resulted in a lopsided "no" vote in May 2023; after that, the Coyotes needed to ''seriously'' consider leaving the state altogether and relocate, particularly with both the Players' Union and the Board of Governors mounting pressure on the team to find a permanent solution. The head of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh, expressed his support in moving the Coyotes to Utah, growing impatient with the Coyotes' ownership in finding a long-term solution in the Phoenix area. The ownership made an effort to stay in the area, exploring possible sites in Mesa and north Phoenix, with a public land auction on June 27, 2024 in the latter being the team's last-ditch effort to remain in Arizona. However, given that the league wasn't too keen on an extended stay at Mullett Arena, and the arena would have taken at least two years to construct even ''if'' the Coyotes had won the land auction, the league facilitated a sale to UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Jazz]] owner Ryan Smith, giving the Salt Lake City market its second Big Four pro franchise.[[note]]While not exactly considered a hockey stronghold, Utah has a storied minor league hockey history. The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_Golden_Eagles Salt Lake Golden Eagles]] existed from 1969-94, winning five league titles and cultivating a loyal fanbase that helped the club twice survive their league ceasing operations, moving to a different league. After the Golden Eagles moved to Detroit, the Denver Grizzlies moved to Salt Lake in 1995, and the Utah Grizzlies (technically two different franchises with the same name: 1995-2005, 2005-present) have remained there since.[[/note]] The NHL has told Smith that the Delta Center, home to the Jazz, will need hockey-specific upgrades. However, with SLC planning a bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics, with a new arena in the works for that event, the Utah government plans to chip in close to $1 billion for the new arena, and Smith also has government support for upgrades to the Delta Center. The sale agreement officially gives Salt Lake City an "expansion" NHL team consisting of the Coyotes' players and front office, while the Coyotes get deactivated and owner Alex Meruelo granted a five-year window to get a new arena built in the Phoenix area; if successful, the Coyotes will get reactivated with a new roster and front office; if not, the Coyotes franchise will be terminated by the league. This [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Cleveland Browns-esque]] deal[[note]]A ''very'' similar thing like this happened in the NFL in 1995, where the Cleveland Browns were in the Yotes' spot and the Batlimore Ravens were in the Utah NHL team's spot. The Browns eventually got reactivated for the 1999 season.[[/note]] was formalized on April 18, 2024, when the NHL board of governors unanimously approved the sale and quasi-relocation of the Coyotes. Known as of late for, '''even when fielding awful teams''', somehow being a permanent hellish thorn on the Toronto Maple Leafs' side ''for no particular reason'', as it has been more than 20 years since the last time Toronto beat the Coyotes at home in regulation, and Arizona having beat them 18 out of the 25 times they've played one another.

[[caption-width-right:1000:[[labelnote:Map of all NHL teams, including inactive ones]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nhl_map_inactive.png The Arizona Coyotes are technically the 33rd NHL team, but they are currently inactive with most assets belonging to Utah's NHL team.[[/labelnote]]]]

Emerged as an expansion (or rather, reactivation) candidate in April 2024 after the league facilitated a sale of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah Jazz and [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer Real Salt Lake]] owner Ryan Smith, who had made an explicit request to the NHL to open the expansion process that January. Previous Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo will have a five-year option to reactivate the Coyotes as an expansion team on the condition that he succeeds in getting a new NHL-capable arena built in the Phoenix metro area within that time frame.[[note]]While Smith received the Coyotes' player roster, coaching staff, and front office, the Coyotes' brand, history, and franchise rights remain with Meruelo in Arizona, much to the chagrin of Jets fans, whose original team history is still tied to the Coyotes.[[/note]] Much like Atlanta, traditionalists would rather see the league permanently write off Phoenix as a lost cause than even ''attempt'' to return, believing that the original Coyotes' 28-year tenure in Arizona was a complete farce, particularly since the team's 2009 bankruptcy and especially their last two years at Mullett Arena.

The '''UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} Coyotes''': formerly the original Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. After years of being threatened of relocation (helped by a former owner filing the team for bankruptcy in 2009, followed by four years of the Coyotes operated by the NHL itself -- hellbent on keeping them in Arizona, even if Hamilton, UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} (which eventually got the Kraken in 2021), Quebec City, UsefulNotes/KansasCity, UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and even Saskatoon were offering to get the team. True North Sports and Entertainment were the frontrunners to acquire the Coyotes, bringing the original Jets home if efforts to keep the team in Arizona fell through before the league convinced True North to buy the Thrashers instead; while the league allowed True North to revive the Winnipeg Jets name, the original Jets' history remains in Arizona) finally got a new owner in 2013. Surprised everybody in 2009–10 as [[EnsembleDarkhorse one of the best teams in the league]], finishing second in their division with 50 wins. They'd then do it again two years later by winning their first ''ever'' divisional championship ... for '''both sides of the franchise'''! That 2011-12 squad also made the first Conference Finals run for either side, only to get drummed out in five games by the Kings and return to perennial basement-dweller status in the years since (except for a very narrow miss with a wild card in 2018-19 and an appearance in the expanded 2020 playoffs where they managed to win their Qualifying Round series over Nashville before being demolished by Colorado in the next round; even in this year, they were eleventh in the Conference and were on a month long skid when the season was paused by the pandemic). As such, they're unsurprisingly the oldest franchise to currently never make it to the Stanley Cup, provided you include their original stay in Winnipeg. The Coyotes were in the Pacific Division from 1998 until the activation of the Seattle Kraken in 2021 moved Arizona back into the Central Division[[note]]the Jets were originally placed in the Smythe in 1979, moving to the Norris in 1981 when the league realigned into more geographically grouped divisions, only to move back to the Smythe in 1982 when the Rockies moved east and became the Devils; the Jets returned to the Norris, now renamed the Central Division, in 1993, remaining in the Central after their move to Phoenix until the league realinged into six divisions in 1998[[/note]]. Rumors of relocation have also re-intensified due to both the impending division switch and the current ownership's insistence on signing one-year deals with their now-former arena (the Gila River Arena), all of which came to a head when the City of Glendale decided not to renew the Coyotes' lease before the 2021–22 season began and forced the team and league to scramble for both a new arena ''and'' city once that season ended. Houston was considered to be the leading candidate since there are interested local parties and possible arena solutions already in place[[note]]Specifically Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets, and the Toyota Center, home to the Rockets, but was built to also accommodate the NHL as well[[/note]], but the league and franchise seemed determined to stay in the state of Arizona even if they couldn't stay in Glendale, thus they tried to strike a deal with the City of Tempe. The plan started with the Coyotes moving into the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena that was initially built by and for Arizona State University for some of their college teams (including hockey) in 2022, intending to stay there until at least 2025, if not 2026, while a more permanent home in Tempe (with a lot more seats being built by then) got built for them. However, the leading proposal for an arena and surrounding entertainment district was met with immediate opposition and appears to have fallen apart after a public referendum resulted in a lopsided "no" vote in May 2023; after that, the Coyotes needed to ''seriously'' consider leaving the state altogether and relocate, particularly with both the Players' Union and the Board of Governors mounting pressure on the team to find a permanent solution sooner rather than later. The head of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh, expressed his support in moving the Coyotes to Utah, growing impatient with the Coyotes' ownership in finding a long-term solution in the Phoenix area. The ownership made an effort to stay in the area, exploring possible sites in Mesa and north Phoenix, with a public land auction on June 27, 2024 in the latter being the team's last-ditch effort to remain in Arizona. However, given that the arena would have taken at least two years to construct even ''if'' the Coyotes had won the land auction, and the league wasn't too keen on an extended stay at Mullett Arena, the league facilitated a sale to UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Jazz]] owner Ryan Smith, giving the Salt Lake City market its second Big Four pro franchise.[[note]]While not exactly considered a hockey stronghold, Utah has a storied minor league hockey history. The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_Golden_Eagles Salt Lake Golden Eagles]] existed from 1969-94, winning five league titles and cultivating a loyal fanbase that helped the club twice survive their league ceasing operations, moving to a different league. After the Golden Eagles moved to Detroit, the Denver Grizzlies moved to Salt Lake in 1995, and the Utah Grizzlies (technically two different franchises with the same name: 1995-2005, 2005-present) have remained there since.[[/note]] The NHL has told Smith that the Delta Center, home to the Jazz, will need hockey-specific upgrades. However, with SLC planning a bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics, with a new arena in the works for that event, the Utah government plans to chip in close to $1 billion for the new arena, and Smith also has government support for upgrades to the Delta Center. The sale agreement officially gives Salt Lake City an "expansion" NHL team consisting of the Coyotes' players and front office, while the Coyotes get deactivated and owner Alex Meruelo granted a five-year window to get a new arena built in the Phoenix area; if successful, the Coyotes will get reactivated with a new roster and front office. This [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Cleveland Browns-esque]] deal[[note]]A ''very'' similar thing like this happened in the NFL in 1995, where the Cleveland Browns were in the Yotes' spot and the Batlimore Ravens were in the Utah NHL team's spot. The Browns eventually got reactivated for the 1999 season.[[/note]] was formalized on April 18, 2024, when the NHL board of governors unanimously approved the sale and quasi-relocation of the Coyotes. Also notable as the ''only'' NHL team (as of 2021–22) that does not require its players to arrive at the arena on game days in suits and ties.[[note]]The league's current collective bargaining agreement with its players' union requires such apparel unless a team specifies otherwise; so far, only the Coyotes have relaxed their dress code.[[/note]] Also known as of late for, '''even when fielding awful teams''', somehow being a permanent hellish thorn on the Toronto Maple Leafs' side ''for no particular reason'', as it has been more than 20 years since the last time Toronto beat the Coyotes at home in regulation, and Arizona having beat them 18 out of the 25 times they've played one another.

Emerged as an expansion (or rather, reactivation) candidate in April 2024 after the league facilitated a sale of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah Jazz and [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer Real Salt Lake]] owner Ryan Smith, who had made an explicit request to the NHL to open the expansion process that January. Previous Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo will have a five-year option to reactivate the Coyotes as an expansion team on the condition that he successfully wins the June 27th public land auction and builds the proposed mixed-use arena district.[[note]]While Smith received the franchise rights, the Coyotes' brand and history will remain in Arizona, much to the chagrin of Jets fans, whose original team history is still tied to the Coyotes.[[/note]] Much like Atlanta, traditionalists would rather see the league permanently write off Phoenix as a lost cause than even ''attempt'' to return, believing that the original Coyotes' 28-year tenure in Arizona was a complete farce, particularly since the team's 2009 bankruptcy and especially their last two years at Mullett Arena.

'''Current Head Coach:''' David Quinn\\

An inactive team is one that still legally exists, but is not fielding a roster and does not compete in the regular season (and by extension, can't win the Stanley Cup). Currently, the only inactive team in the NHL are the Arizona Coyotes, who were deactived as part of the roster and front office's relocation to Salt Lake City as the new Utah NHL team. They plan on remaining inactive unless they get an arena built and running by the 2029–30 season.