Useful Notes / National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is the top professional Ice Hockey league in North America. Founded in 1917, it is currently composed of 32 teams: 25 in The United States and seven in Canada, with the Seattle Kraken as the league's newest team. The Stanley Cup represents the league's championship, and is the oldest such trophy in North America; traditionally, each member of the championship team gets possession of Lord Stanley's Bowl for a day, and due to this has had some odd misadventures in its time.

It is a member of the “Big Four” American and Canadian sports leagues along with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association. However, especially in the Deep South, the NHL is often the butt of My Friends... and Zoidberg jokes in regards to this group (In which they are referred to as "The Big Three Sports … and Hockey."), due to among other things, the sport’s difficulty in appealing to the "Sun Belt" region considering that there is little to no snow in those areas and hockey is obviously most popular in places where it snows in the winter. That being said, the league makes up for it by being extremely successful in the northern states and especially in Canada.^note To illustrate the point, the American NBC TV network acquired the exclusive national broadcast rights to NHL games for 10 years from 2011-2021 in the US for $2 billion, but the Canadian media company Rogers Communications paid $4.9 billion for the exclusive Canadian TV rights for 12 years from 2014-2026. And then in 2021, ESPN and TNT paid a combined $4.4 billion for a seven year contract to the American broadcast rights. When you consider that Canada has about 10% of the population of the USA, then the immense popularity of the league in Canada is obvious.

Each year since 2008, the league has hosted the Winter Classic on New Year's Day^note It was changed to January 2 in 2012 so as not to conflict with the NFL as New Year's fell on Sunday that year. which features two major rival teams in an outdoor game, usually at either an NFL or MLB stadium. The 2014 game (rescheduled from 2013 which was cancelled due to the league lockout) was held at the University of Michigan—significant because that institution just happens to have the largest non-motorsports stadium in the US. Beginning in 2010 (for the 2011 Classic), HBO began running NHL 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic which followed the two teams involved throughout the month of December leading up to the event. The 2021 Winter Classic was cancelled for obvious reasons and rescheduled for the 2022 season.

In "the beginning",^note The roots of the league go back to 1917 with four teams (among them the Canadiens and Maple Leafs) and grew to as many as ten before The Great Depression and World War II forced the league to downsize. there were the "Original Six", the six teams that formed the NHL from the folding of the New York Americans in 1942 until the league's expansion in 1967.

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"I watch it for the fights!"

As noted on the main Ice Hockey page, The NHL is notable for being one of the only sports leagues where fighting (referred to in the league's official rule book as "fisticuffs") is considered part of the game and players are not automatically suspended for it. Among NHL players, fighting is mostly an honorable affair, and breaking "The Code" is a serious no-no, usually resulting in one of the other team's enforcers marking you for the rest of the evening and most games after, as well as painting a target on your back for the rest of the league.

To be succinct, fight with your fists, no sucker punches, and only fight if you are already on the ice when it starts. Breaking any of these rules gets you ejected for a game misconduct. In addition, if you participate in a fight, you receive an automatic five-minute major penalty (you sit out for five minutes but are replaced in the lineup. But get three of them and you're ejected), and if you started it, you get an additional two minutes for instigation (get two of those and you're ejected as well). Most times, to circumvent the instigation rule, players will try to drop their gloves at the same time, though if they're just that pissed, they won't care.

When a fight is going on, play stops completely. The refs only intervene when either nothing is happening, a player is getting utterly shit-stomped, or both players fall to the ice. If someone else tries to come in and double-team, the refs will put a stop to it immediately. Almost always, the fight will cause the crowd to get into it, even if the home team is down by several goals, and is an effective way at livening up an otherwise-dull affair.

Generally speaking, mano a mano fights aren't as common as one would think. While often sheer animosity can lead to two players dropping their gloves, most fights are usually done strategically, either as retaliation for a big or unnecessarily-brutal hit or by enforcers to give the crowd something to cheer for and get the players mentally reinvigorated on adrenaline. Considering that players often toe the line with what they can do without getting penalized (including slashes, water bottle squirts, and Your Mom! jokes), it takes something special to elicit this reaction from the players, but if taken too far, it results in a line brawl.

Line brawls are very rare, and almost always stem from rivalries or anger. Almost always, all five skaters on each side throw down, and sometimes even the two goalies will go at it. All players participating get five-minute majors, only the one who sparked the conflict gets the instigator penalty, and everyone has to skate on over to the penalty box to wait out the five minutes rather than just running off five minutes from the clock.

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The Teams

Current League Format: The league is currently divided into two conferences (Eastern and Western), each with two divisions (Atlantic and Metropolitan for the East; Central and Pacific Divisions for the West). The conferences used to be named the Prince of Wales Conference and the Clarence Campbell Conference (respectively), and the divisions used to be called the Adams, Patrick, Norris, and Smythe before 1993. At the start of the 1993–94 season, Commissioner Gary Bettman realigned and renamed the conferences and divisions (Eastern and Western Conference; Atlantic, Northeast and Southeast division for East, Pacific, Northwest and Central for West). Another realignment, which took place prior to the start of the 2013–14 season, became necessary after the Atlanta Thrashers, who were in the Southeast Division, moved to Winnipeg, screwing up the alignment of the Eastern Conference. From 1981 to 2013, the Campbell/Western Conference had four different members at times located in the Eastern Time Zone, limiting the amount of road games these teams could play in their own time zone. The first of these teams to move to the Eastern Conference was the Tampa Bay Lightning, who spent only one year in the Campbell Conference, their inaugural season, before moving east in 1993. The Toronto Maple Leafs moved from the West to the East (and into the same division as their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators) in 1998, and finally, the Columbus Blue Jackets (established in 2000) and Detroit Red Wings moved east in 2013, moves that were made possible by the relocation of the Thrashers to Winnipeg (but in the process, went from being division rivals to playing in separate divisions - Columbus in the Metropolitan and Detroit in the Atlantic, which also contained the Maple Leafs and Lightning). In all of these instances, the moves from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference were very much welcomed by the teams and their fans, as the teams now played far more road games in the Eastern Time Zone.

For the 2020-21 season, the league temporarily realigned into 4 divisions (East, Central, West, and North) due to cross-border travel restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. The regular season was reduced to 56 games, and the teams' schedules were relegated to their own division in the regular season^note The American teams play their 7 divisional opponents 8 times, while the Canadian teams play 4 of their opponents 9 times and 2 opponents 10 times; also to reduce travel, teams play consecutive games at the same arena and the first two rounds of the playoffs, with interdivision play only occurring in the Stanley Cup semifinals and finals. The 7 Canadian teams^note Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg were placed in the North Division while the 24 American teams were equally divided among the remaining three^note The East Division consisted of Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington. The Central Division consisted of Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, and Tampa Bay. The West Division consisted of Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose, St. Louis, and Vegas. The alignment for the 2021-22 season was determinant on the Canadian government either relaxing or maintaining its cross-border travel restrictions. With border restrictions lifted, the league reverted back to the pre-pandemic alignment (with Arizona moving to the Central Division and Seattle taking their slot in the Pacific Division); however, some of the Canadian clubs wanted the temporary alignment to become permanent, but with the league going to 32 teams, it would've meant one of the three American divisions would have 9 teams.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

This division contains four of the six members of the "Original Six", thus, division rivalries involving these teams are among the most historic NHL rivalries. Spiritual Successor to the Adams Division.

• Boston Bruins: First NHL team south of the border. Famous former players include Bobby Orr, Cam Neely and Ray Bourque. Has one of the most dangerous top lines in the league- the 'Perfection Line' consisting of current captain 'Perfect' Patrice Bergeron, David 'Pasta' Pastrňák, and Brad 'Universally Despised' Marchand. The team throughout its history is known for having very physical, fight heavy games, special mention going to the previously mentioned Neely, and Forward Shawn Thornton for the most penalty minutes of the last two seasons due to fighting. Former captain and defenseman Zdeno Chára is the tallest guy ever to play in the league, standing six feet, nine inches (2.06 meters). Their 39-year Cup drought ended when they won in 2011. In 2022–23, they set league records for most wins (65!) and points (135) in a season, and tied the record for most road wins (31)...but couldn't sustain that momentum past Game Four of the first round and blew a 3-1 series lead to the Panthers, being eliminated in overtime of Game Seven. Have won more titles than any other American team but Detroit, but they also have lost the most titles in NHL history with 14 (recently losing the Cup to the rival Blues in 2019), surpassing Detroit's losses (13). They REALLY hate Montreal^note due to having lost a good chunk of their Stanley Cup Finals matchups to them, nor do they like the other remaining Original 6 teams^note such as New York, Toronto and Detroit, they have a mild dislike of the Philadelphia Flyers^note due to their Broad Street Bullies antics of the 70s that led the B's to lose the 74 Finals, they also don't like the St. Louis Blues^note on top of having historic battles with the Baseball Cardinals (with whom the Red Sox have split 4 World Series titles), and the iconic Flying Orr goal that helped the B's complete a sweep of the Blues in the 1970 Finals (which ironically enough was the main inspiration for the Blues' own Cup run in 2019), to whom the B's lost their recent Cup after an infamous no call in Game 5 that completely changed the series momentum to the Blues' favor. and they also dislike the Tampa Bay Lightning ^note due to their many playoff battles in recent years where the two teams have kicked each other out a few times and the Bolts' then-recent Stanley Cup allegations; in fact, they are in the running for the most hated team in the NHL up there with the Toronto Maple Leafs ^note due to the pro Boston/New England's teams dominance in the Big 4 sport leagues, which the Bruins contributed to by winning the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.
• Buffalo Sabres: Don't bring up Brett Hull's goal in 1999 to them. Please. Their original uniform design remains the most popular overall, given the backlash against their Goat's Head red and black era, and the Buffaslug. The team of the “French Connection” (a reference to the contemporary movie of the same name), a forward line from the 1970s consisting of three French-Canadians (center Gilbert Perreault, with Rick Martin to his left and Rene Robert on his right). Also the team that had The Dominator — goalie Dominik Hašek — for his most dominant years. Besides him and fellow goalkeeper Ryan Miller, they've mostly lacked star power over the past few years, to the point where they've started to play so badly that advanced stats sites leave them off of charts as they've sort of become statistical outliers. They looked like they were turning a corner to start both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, only to collapse down the stretch both years, then approached historic depths in 2021.^note lowlights include an 0-15-3 stretch (started February 23; ended March 31) that tied the 2003-04 Penguins for longest losing streak in league history; having had, at times, the lowest known even strength goal rate in league history; and, at times, having had the seven worst plus/minus ratings for the season, toplined by 2018 first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin Attendance has dropped accordingly, falling below 10,000 per game for the first time since thier inaugural season (when their arena only held around 12,000 people before it was expanded in the off-season and eventually replaced in 1996), while some of this can be attributed to COVID border restrictions^note Somewhere between a quarter to a third of Sabres fans live in southern Ontario it's mainly people deciding that money that would go to overpriced hockey tickets would be better spent elsewhere. They would experience a near resurgence in 2022-23 where they were above .500 for a good chunk of the season, but would lose the final playoff spot to the Islanders.
• Detroit Red Wings: The team of Steve Yzerman, The Captain for 20 years (a league record) and current general manager, and Gordie Howe, the all-time leading scorer of the Original Six era who was also noted for his physical play^note the "Gordie Howe hat trick" consists of scoring a goal, an assist, and a major penalty for fighting - a feat Howe himself only achieved twice in his career. Consistently good for almost all of the last 30 years—the 2016–17 season was the first since 1990 in which they missed the playoffs—therefore hated outside Detroit. The general dislike is newer than a lot of people think, since the post-expansion revival came after almost twenty years of being somewhat of a league Butt-Monkey and a strenuous rebuilding process. Before then, there just weren't as many teams to pass the Cup around to, but they were the most dominant of the American-based teams. Were notorious for being one of the most expensive teams in the NHL before the salary cap came to be, to the point where many people who hated them claimed they were only successful because they bought a championship caliber team rather than building up young and inexperienced players (much like the New York Yankees)^note a valid criticism of the 2002 team, which made a huge splash by signing Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Fredrik Olausson, but the 1997 and 1998 Cup-winners were largely built with homegrown talent and savvy trades with no big-time free agent acquisitions. However, the Red Wings remained competitive in the salary cap era, going on to win the Stanley Cup in 2008 (^note  which ultimately proved to be their last Cup win as a member of the Western Conference), proving that there is more to their success than simply throwing a lot of cash around (^note though since their move from the Western Conference as a result of the Atlanta Thrashers moving North to Winnipeg (reviving the Jets as a result) which forced the Wings to switch to the Eastern Conference (thereby losing their historic rivalry with Chicago, but reigniting their bitter historic rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the process), they haven't been to, much less won, the Cup since). Fans have a habit of chucking octopodes onto the ice during the playoffs (in the Original Six days a playoff team needed to beat two teams in best-of-seven, thus eight wins, to win the Cup; the tradition started in 1952, when the Wings swept both series for a perfect 8-0 record). The feelings between them and Chicago are mutual (even moreso now that the Red Wings are no longer in the same conference with their former rivals), but Detroit fans tend to have more creative chants. The Wings opened what was then the league's newest arena, Little Caesars Arena,^note Which naming rights were given to the pizza chain because it is owned by the Ilitch family—which also owns Olympia Entertainment, which in turn owns both Little Caesars Arena and the Red Wings. (Also the Detroit Tigers, but for obvious reasons they aren't involved with Little Caesars Arena.) There is actually a surprisingly wholseome reason for all this—Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch was a huge Detroit sports fan, and after building up his pizza empire from nothing he bought the Red Wings and the Tigers with the express intent of making them/keeping them winning franchises. (It didn't necessarily shake out that way, but it wasn't for lack of trying on management's part.) TL;DR: Anyone who hates the Blackhawks, White Sox, or Penguins should eat Little Caesars Pizza. for the 2017–18 season.^note While that same season was the first for the Vegas Golden Knights, their home ice, T-Mobile Arena, opened nearly a year earlier. Were on pace to make history as the worst team in the NHL, due to having an over -100 goal differential (goal differential essentially being a better measuring stick for team performance than points or record) before the 2019-20 season was delayed indefinitely. They have the 2nd most Cup losses in League history with 13 (trailing the Bruins by 1 ^note  due to most of their defeats coming against the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens .)
• 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. 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 an endangered cougar. Their arena, currently sponsorless, also has a multiple personality disorder, having gone through five 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. 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. 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.
• Montreal Canadiens: AKA the Habs.^note For "Les Habitants", an old term for French-origin inhabitants of Quebec. Older than the NHL; their history begins in the NHL's predecessor league, the National Hockey Association. They're the world's oldest continuously operating professional hockey team.^* Not only are the Habs older than the NHL, they also predate every Canadian professional sports team outside the CFL, as well as every American major professional team apart from the 16 pre-expansion Major League Baseball teams and the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. Has won 24 championships, a feat surpassed only by the New York Yankees who have 3 more Championships than the Habs. Also the last Canadian team to win the Cup (1993, which was the same year that hated Commissioner Gary Bettman took over the league), in which they bested the Gretzky-led Kings in 5 games, their Cup win actually set off riots throughout Montreal following their victory ^note which Foreshadow what was to come the following year and may have placed a curse on all Canadian teams in the process . Goaltender Jacques Plante made the goalie mask regular gear after stopping an Andy Bathgate slapshot with his nose in 1959. Pretty much the team of French Canada with the departure of the Quebec Nordiques to Colorado in 1995. Their long, storied history includes some legendary French-Canadian players: Maurice ‘Le Rocket’ Richard, Jean Béliveau, Guy Lafleur and Patrick Roy. They hate Toronto with a passion, they surely don't like Boston, and they really don't like Zdeno Chára. In the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs they managed to pull of a miraculous Cinderella run where, despite coming 18th in the regular season and only barely making it into the postseason, they beat a heavily favored Maple Leafs team (who won 11 more games in the regular season and opened 3-1 on the series before collapsing), swept the Jets, who swept the equally favourited Oilers, and managed to beat the Golden Knights, who have been favourites to win the Cup ever since they entered the league. This not only led to their first Finals appearance since 1993, but it also led to the first time a Canadian team made it to the Finals in ten years, though it sadly ended in disappointment when they lost to the defending champions Tampa Bay Lightning in 5 games.^note Though the only game they won in the Finals also kept alive an unusual record: the Habs lost 10 finals, but only the 1989 Calgary Flames managed to hoist the Stanley Cup in Montreal. Still, the following season was a massive regression, finishing last overall.
• Ottawa Senators: Not related to the old Ottawa Senators (1883–1934) who won the Cup 11 times. Their first two seasons were absolute disasters (their 1992–93 season saw them win only 10 games of 84), but they slowly grew into perennial playoff contenders for most of the 2000's, no matter if a constantly underachieving.^note They could never get past the Leafs whenever they met (four times in the last five years before the season-cancelling lockout), and their only Finals appearance ended in defeat to the Ducks.. They've fallen off again in the New '10s, and after a surprise conference finals run in 2017, came completely unraveled in the space of a year, with massive regression, numerous trades of both star players and high draft picks for magic beans^note one prominent example was a three-way trade that sent key center Kyle Turris to Nashville and a conditional first-round pick in 2018 (which eventually became the fourth overall pick in 2019 due to the '18 pick falling in the top ten) to Colorado in exchange for over-hyped Avalanche forward Matt Duchene; Duchene himself was shipped off to Columbus for prospects and conditional picks less than 16 months later, and threats by ownership to move the team. Despite being in the capital of the most hockey-crazed country, a slightly remote arena sometimes makes fans weary of attending games - not it stops Montreal and Toronto (the latter from the same province as Ottawa) from filling up the place, something the ownership eventually got tired of. Once got into a massive brawl with the Buffalo Sabres with 100 penalty minutes and goalies going at each other. Also, former star player Dany Heatley is disliked by fans.
• 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 Loophole Abuse 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! 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 The '90s 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! They were first led by star players such as Vincent Lecavalier (drafted in 1998 during the Bolts' Dark Ages ^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), 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 Audience-Alienating Era 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). 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 The New '10s, 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 Finals that year due to having a stronger offense and defense than Vancouver, despite the lack of a permanent goalie), then later advancing to their second Stanley Cup final in 2015 (eventually losing to the Blackhawks in 6). They then started having a small period of Every Year They Fizzle Out 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). 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!)... 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 a three-peat ended in heartbreak as they lost to the far more high powered offensive Avalanche team 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. Set a new standard for stadium Rule of Cool in 2011 when renovations to the St. Pete Times Forum (now Amalie Arena) included the installation of Tesla coils in the rafters that shoot real lightning during the pregame intro and after goals. Oh, and despite those aforementioned Florida Panthers (who play in a suburb of Miami), the Bolts predate them by one year. They don't like Boston. So much so that their fans will often chant "Fuck Boston!" even if they aren't playing the Bruins. 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 the Bolts and Panthers meeting in the playoffs over the last two years, with Tampa Bay winning both times ^note  ensuring that the Panthers will likely remain the Lightning's little brothers . They also dislike both of the New York teams, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs ^note  whom they have split their first round series at 1 apiece and the Montreal Canadiens^note due to Tampa's recent defeat of them in the postseason and the accusations of their recent Cup wins and have begun to develop (as of their recent Cup loss) a potential new rivalry with the Colorado Avalanche.

• Toronto Maple Leafs: Known for bad declension,^note Technically, it's correct because the team isn't named after the things that grow on trees but the Canadian Maple Leaf Regiment that fought in World War I. being hated by the rest of Canada and all of the United States (especially among Montreal fans), being the most valuable franchise in the league, and not having won the Cup since 1967, which may or may not be due to the lingering effects of their former deceased owner Harold Ballard implying that Ballard placed a curse on the team, (as of 2022 and their First Round defeat at the hands of Tampa Bay, it is now the longest Cup drought in NHL history), or before 2013, a drought of seven seasons not even qualifying for the playoffs, and since 2013, not having won a playoff round since 2004 (ironically enough since 2013:^note  the teams that have bested them in the first round have all gone on to lose the Stanley Cup in the end with the hated Bruins losing both the 2013 and 2019 Cup Finals after defeating the Leafs in the first round during both runs with fellow rival Montreal following suit losing the 2021 Cup (coming back from a 3-1 deficit no less in which Toronto was the heavy favorites) and Tampa Bay doing the same the following year (though the Leafs injuring Lightning star Brayden Point indirectly played a role) with Washington averting it in 2017 as they lost in the 2nd round to the eventual defending Cup Champs Penguins and the rival Bruins would do the same following year to the Lightning, all but ensuring that Toronto gets the last laugh), which was finally broken in 2023 when they took out the rival Tampa Bay Lightning in 6 Games. Their rivalry with the Canadiens is the oldest in the league. They hate their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, a lot ever since their rebirth in 1993 (as part of the big wave of The '90s expansion teams) and have kicked them out of the playoffs on multiple occasions, they also despise the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings and are a notable rival of the Buffalo Sabres (due to the teams' close proximity to each other) and have begun a new more hateful rivalry with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Toronto Maple Leafs are by far and away the most profitable and popular team in the sport, with season tickets to Scotiabank Arena (their home rink) unavailable for a minimum of ten years, and home games rarely not sold out, they are also tied for being the most hated team in the NHL with the Boston Bruins ^note  this is primarily due to their fans, which most see them as highly egoistical, entitled and very annoying, though the same could be said for the rest of the Canadian teams' fanbases once their teams start winning, though Toronto's far more hated. Their immense profitability and popularity has ensured that, despite their losing streak (going on fifty years), they are not in any danger of closing shop any time soon. With big names like Brendan Shanahan, Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello joining the front office staff over recent years, leading to a heavy influx of young talent on the ice that culminated in the 2016 1st overall selection of Auston Matthews and the 2018 offseason acquisition of former Islanders centerpiece John Tavares, there's finally some hope in "Leafs Nation" and early predictions are that they could make a serious run for the Cup for the first time in decades (though they still have yet to win a series with said core until 2023), though the young team also picked up a reputation for playing dirty when things don't go their way, leading many opposing fans to hate the Maple Leafs even more. They also quite infamously lost against a 42-year-old Zamboni driver who works for them. Even worse after said game when Toronto lost to their Zamboni driver, their attempt at changing the Emergency Backup Goaltender (commonly shortened to EBUG) rule to make it so the visiting team had to bring one of their own instead of relying on the host team to provide one didn't fly with the league, for obvious logistical reasons.

Metropolitan Division

The only division normally based entirely in the United States, it is basically an expanded Patrick Division, as six of its eight members made up that division from 1982 to 1993.

• Carolina Hurricanes: Formerly the Hartford Whalers, and formerly of the WHA; moved in 1997 because they were getting squeezed financially by the Original Six Bruins and Rangers (and to a lesser extent, the Islanders and Devils) and they were playing in a tiny arena that was literally part of a shopping mall complex. First couple of years in North Carolina didn't go so well either on or off the ice (half-empty arenas are a persistent problem for NHL teams in the South, especially if the team is less than awesome). A Cup run in 2002 and a Cup victory in 2006 turned things around for a while, though (Raleigh hosted a successful All-Star Game in 2011, which speaks to the fanbase support the team has cultivated), and they had usually been in contention with Washington for the Southeast Division titles. A lack of sustained success saw them sink back to the bottom of the league in attendance numbers, but things seem to be looking up for them after they snapped a 10-year streak of not qualifying for the playoffs in the 2018/19 season. Are an extreme case of "feast or famine": the Canes have only qualified for the playoffs nine times, but in half of those they made it to at least the third round!
• Columbus Blue Jackets: The second NHL team in Ohio (the Cleveland Barons^note Also the name of a longstanding minor-level American Hockey League (AHL) franchise from 1937 to 1973, then from 2001 to 2006. played from 1976 to 1978). Has a cannon in their home arena that fires after every Jackets goal and victory on home ice, honoring the state of Ohio's contributions to the Union (hence the name) - fans love it, while players and commentators from other teams typically do not. As a result of inept management and coaching, they were the undisputed Butt Monkeys of the league for most of their early existence, perennially finishing near the bottom of the standings. However, the team's fortunes finally turned in the early 2010s with the replacement of both its general manager and head coach. Since then, they've more or less become the league's designated underdogs, showing flashes of brilliance here and there (the most recent and perhaps triumphant example being when they swept the historically successful Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2019 playoffs, outscoring them 19-8 in the process) but never quite being able to convert them into long-term success. With a notorious inability to retain top-grade talent (the 2019 offseason saw three of their best players leave the team all at once, with one of them infamously taking a pay cut to do so), only time will tell if they'll ever be able to shake that reputation and become true contenders.
• New Jersey Devils: Formerly the Kansas City Scouts AND the Colorado Rockies. They are a tale of three eras: the Expansion Era, the Lamoriello Era, and the Shero Era. During their Expansion Era, they spent two years in Kansas City as the Scouts from 1974 to 1976. They relocated to Colorado as the Rockies where they made the playoffs once and ended up relocating again in 1982 to New Jersey where they continued to be the league's undisputed Butt-Monkey.^note None other than The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky, called them a "Mickey Mouse organization" in 1983 after he scored his first of two eight-point games against them. Then, in 1988, in the first year of the Lou Lamoriello Era, they Took a Level in Badass and began a 24-year streak where they won three championships ^note in fact, their first Cup win in 1995 actually saved the team from outright relocating to Nashville due to the same issues that had plagued the team in the past, which would ultimately lead to the birth of the Nashville Predators and only missed the playoffs three times; however, after losing the Cup in 2012, they have missed the playoffs the next five years. A new GM was brought in during that time and the Ray Shero Era began with savvy trades, strong free agency and their first ever No. 1 Draft pick in 2017. In 2018, the Devils returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. The team of Martin Brodeur, who is always in the discussion of best goalie ever and currently holds numerous career records. During the Lamoriello Era, they traditionally won with defense and came up with the neutral-zone trap^note Larry Robinson, who coached the Devils to a second Stanley Cup win, stated that when he played with the Montreal Canadiens in the 70s (alongside former Devils coach Jacques Lemaire, who led the Devils to their first Stanley Cup win), the team utilized a similar trap-like style game that led Montreal to a Cup dynasty. that led to low-scoring games all across the league in the years before the lockout. Now under the Shero Era, the Devils rebranded themselves as a speed-first, high-scoring team that caught the league by storm. Does not like the Rangers,^note The chant in the link happens at every home game, without exception, no matter who they're playing against or what point it is in the season. even the front office: until the Rangers traded Michael Grabner to the Devils for Yegor Rykov and a second round draft pick in February 2018, New Jersey had made trades with every other team except the Rangers. Though historically they have had trouble selling tickets (except for games against the Rangers and Flyers), this has recently changed due to the coming of age of their fans that grew up watching them win three Cups as children. Recognized in hockey circles as a heavily strict and heavily disciplined franchise, with a team-first mentality. Oh, and they're named after a cryptid called The Jersey Devil that supposedly haunts the Pine Barrens region. Hockey fans in New Jersey are typically torn between being loyal to either the Devils, Rangers or the Flyers (older fans in North Jersey tend to root for the Rangers while South Jersey, closer to Philly than Newark, roots for the Flyers).
• New York Rangers: AKA the Blueshirts. Name comes from the fact that the first owner was a guy named Tex.^note George Lewis "Tex" Rickard; in other words, “Tex's Rangers". Most recent year of glory was 1994, when the Curse of 1940 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., which contributed to a self-sustaining state of ^note  sometimes high-end, but mostly somewhere in the middle of the pack 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 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 Hate Sink 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 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 “Let's Go Band” at home games because every time it's played, 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.
• New York Islanders: New York's other team. Known as the ‘Fishsticks’ due to their unpopular 1990s jersey where they changed the logo for the 1995–96 season and it was too similar to the fisherman on boxes of Gorton's fishsticks, they have usually been bullied out of the media by the big-time Rangers, and have their radio coverage on the College Radio 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. Did have a string of four straight championships in the early 1980s. Since then, history and a hatred for the Rangers 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. and two surprisingly good runs to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021 are really 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 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. 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, 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 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. 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 horse track in Belmont), was being built. Before the team moved back full-time to the Coliseum in 2020–21, its nickname was arguably an Artifact Title.^note Brooklyn is physically on Long Island, as is Queens, but to a NYC resident, "Long Island" means Nassau and Suffolk Counties. 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.
  • To be fair about the DiPietro contract, it seems to have become more of a harbinger of contracts to come: more double-digit-year contracts for more high-profile players have since been made by teams around the league, and the league voided a 17-year contract between Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devils because it evaded the salary cap too blatantly (they later settled on a 15-year one that the league was fine with). The league later implemented new rules on contracts in the 2013 CBA, including limits on term (8 years to extend with the team that held your rights at the trade deadline, 7 years to sign with a new one)and structure (the lowest yearly payout must be no less than 50% of the highest payout),^note most of the contracts that followed DiPietro's tended to heavily front-load the actual cash payouts, then have several years of severely reduced salary to bring the average annual value (also the cap hit, since the 2005 CBA) down; to go back to the Kovalchuk example, the rejected contract had six years of near league minimum payments tacked on, while the accepted version had six years between one and four million and six years over eleven million. to prevent this, along with a retroactive punishment called the cap advantage recapture penalty to prevent teams from benefitting from these contracts if the players left their teams early.^note DiPietro's own contract would have been exempt, as it had real money payouts equal to the AAV/cap hit for the duration.
• Philadelphia Flyers: One of the teams created in the 1967 Expansion, and the first of the expansion-era teams to win the Stanley Cup. Historically known as the Broad Street Bullies of the '70s, where they pretty much punched their way to the Cup, twice.^note Although Bernie Parent's skimpy less-than-two-goals-against average probably had a little to do with it. Many Philadelphia cars at the time sported bumper stickers declaring “Only God saves more than Bernie Parent”. Has chronically lacked a permanent goaltender in recent years. On the subject of goaltenders: the first ever goalie to score a goal was Flyers' Ron Hextall. The only NHL team to defeat the Soviet Red Army team during their "Super Series '76" string of exhibition games, Ed van Impe's check on Valeri Kharlamov left the latter face-down on the ice for over a minute.^note The Red Army team withdrew from the ice in protest of no penalty being called, but were browbeaten back on when they said they wouldn't get paid for the entire excursion if they left. Their arena has been named after four different banks that ate each other up one after the other. They have particularly notable rivalries with the Rangers, the Devils, and Penguins, the latter of which they hate the most and divides within the state of Pennsylvania and a slightly lesser rivalry with the Boston Bruins. They made waves in late 2018 with the introduction of their new mascot, a burnt-sienna, googly-eyed... thing in a Flyers uniform by the name of Gritty, who quickly won over the city and the internet by just how weird he is.
• Pittsburgh Penguins: Another of the teams created in the 1967 Expansion and arguably the most successful of the bunch with 5 Stanley Cups ^note all of their Cup runs taking place during back-to-back trips in each decade dating back to The '90s, putting the Pens in rare company not seen since the Original 6 Era. The team of Sidney "Sid the Kid" Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but really, it's "Super Mario" Lemieux's team. He's saved them from bankruptcy at least twice; first as the hot number-one pick in 1984^note  Though this was not without controversy; by the time of the 1984 draft, it was clear Lemieux would develop into a generational talent, and he stated his willingness to play for whomever made him an offer. However, the Penguins are alleged to have deliberately lost enough of their late season games in 1983-84 to finish last in the NHL, three points behind the Devils, in order to get the top draft pick and bring Lemieux to Pittsburgh. Think twice before mentioning these allegations in front of Penguins fans. that revitalized the team and won two Cups in 1991 and 1992, and then again by buying the team outright, and then coming out of retirement to put butts back in the seats and thereby becoming the first ever player/owner in the NHL. Although they faced potential relocation a few years ago, first to Hamilton, Ontario and then to Kansas City, a new arena deal was struck in 2007, and the new building opened in 2010. Under Crosby and Malkin's leadership, got to two straight finals in 2008 and 2009, winning the latter, and following a long stretch with postseason shortcomings and/or injuries to several of their core players (most infamously the concussion that sidelined Crosby for all but a handful games in 2011), won the Penguins' fourth and fifth Cups back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. One notable thing about the team was their involvement in the action film Sudden Death, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme in what's essentially Die Hard...at a hockey game! The most (in)famous scene has JCVD fighting a terrorist in the costume of the team's mascot Iceburgh. Most of the film was shot at the Penguins' then-home ice, the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, including an insane final scene involving a helicopter plummeting through the arena's roof and crashing onto the arena floor. The players themselves made cameos throughout the film, playing against the Blackhawks in the final game of the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals^note the original plan was to use footage of a real game, but the 1994-95 lockout made that impossible; this however left the filmmakers with plenty of time to do anything they needed, though at times the players are not the real ones but substitutes from the Penguins' and Blackhawks' farm teams. The most recent team to have changed hands, with Lemieux and his business partner Ron Burkle selling out during the 2021–22 season to Fenway Sports Group. Yes, as in the Boston Red Sox.^note Both Lemieux and Burkle continue to hold minority stakes, and Lemieux still runs hockey operations.
• Washington Capitals: The team of Alexander Ovechkin. Their first season saw them with the worst winning percentage in modern NHL history ('74/'75 record: 8-67-5). For several years they usually had much more regular-season success, but Every Year They Fizzle Out in the first or second round of the playoffs (typically at the hands of the Islanders, Rangers, or Penguins); they then lost even their regular season success, as while Ovechkin remains potent offensively, his support all but crumbled, and without any real defense to back him up, they dropped in the standings until finally missing the playoffs in 2014, but bounced back to finish with the league best record in 2016 and followed it up with a Cup win in 2018 (though they have since returned back to their old ways). The Capitals have appeared in the Stanley Cup Final only twice in its franchise history: the first was in 1998, in which they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings; the next would take place twenty years later in 2018, where they faced and defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the first Finals series since 2007 to feature two teams that had not yet won the Stanley Cup. Their only other conference championship appearance was in 1990, which ended in a sweep by the Bruins.

Western Conference

Central Division

This division served as the home for the Western Conference's Eastern Time times over the three decades it had them, but now except for Colorado (and starting in 2021-22, Arizona), it is entirely based in the Central Time Zone. Spiritual Successor of the Norris Division.

• 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, Seattle (which eventually got its own team, the Kraken, in 2021), Quebec City, Kansas City, Houston, and even Saskatoon were offering to get the team; True North Sports and Entertainment had planned to bring the original Jets franchise home to Winnipeg before being persuaded by the league into buying the now-former Thrashers; 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 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. 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, 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 may need to seriously consider leaving the state altogether and relocate. 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.
• Chicago Blackhawks: Only Original Six team left in the West. A team with both history (Tony Esposito, Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull) and rising stars (Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews). Known for the longest time of having an incredibly stingy owner who would place the bottom line over winning the Stanley Cup. Interestingly, as soon as said owner died (to boos from the fans when asked for a moment of silence), his son took over and changed things. One of those things was finally allowing home games to be broadcast on Chicago TV. That has pushed CSN Chicago and WGN to their highest ratings ever. Even NBC and Versus have enjoyed some of the highest ratings they've had for playoff games. Everyone was very happy and the team suddenly played very well, ending a 49-year Cup drought in 2010 and following it up with another two Cup wins in 2013 and 2015^note  though the first, if not all three, is permanently scarred due to the Kyle Beach scandal, leading many to question Rocky's ownership. The Blackhawks are known for having a very rowdy fanbase, being loud enough to hear WAY outside the Chicago Stadium/United Center, and being raucous enough to earn the United Center the nickname "The Madhouse on Madison". They really hate Detroit and for that matter they really dislike Vancouver also◊. Neither do they care for St. Louis. And they also have a negative reaction to both Dallas and Minnesota because of the North Stars in the '80s. That being said, many a Blackhawk fan does have a favorable opinion of the Colorado Avalanche because of what is seen as a shared hatred of Detroit.
• Colorado Avalanche: Current Stanley Cup champions. Formerly the Quebec Nordiques, which joined the NHL in the 1979 WHA merger. This is the league's second venture in Denver (the Rockies became the New Jersey Devils in 1982). Had a strong rivalry with the Red Wings in the '90s when both were good. The Avs won two Stanley Cups, in 1996 (in their first season in the new city!) and 2001. The team of Joe Sakic. When the Avs won their second Cup, it was Ray Bourque's final NHL game. As the Nordiques, they were best known for playing in the shadow of the Habs, their heated rivalry with Buffalo, and for drafting Eric Lindros, whose subsequent trade to Philadelphia (without having played a game for Quebec) became the building blocks for the Avs' first Stanley Cup run. After some time being bottom feeders, they saw a resurgence in 2013–14, lead by two key players of the SC runs, Sakic himself as GM, and goalie Patrick Roy as coach. After Roy was fired, 2016-17 marked an absolute Rock Bottom, winning only 22 games and after the lottery picking only fourth in the draft. The Avs still managed to rebound quickly, going to the playoffs the following four seasons, and have since 2020 a strong, high-scoring team. Finally managed a run in 2022, clinching the Cup after a tough series with an equally high powered though badly injured Tampa Bay Lightning team, denying them a three-peat.
• Dallas Stars: Formerly the Minnesota North Stars. One of the teams created in the 1967 Expansion. Faced several ownership issues in Minnesota, including a merger with another failed team in 1978 (the Oakland/Bay Area Seals/California (Golden) Seals/Cleveland Barons), and a threat to move the team to San Jose before the merger was dissolved with the formation of the Sharks. Despite leaving a hockey-rich market in 1993, the Stars have surprisingly thrived in Dallas, winning the Cup in 1999 (although the nature of the Cup-winning goal remains a point of contention, especially in Buffalo). They recently have begun an up-and-down resurgence starting in 2013, with several off-season trades, including stars Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Alexander Radulov, as well as former Lightning-GK Ben Bishop, before acquiring Sharks stalwart Joe Pavelski and longtime Duck Corey Perry prior to a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020.
• Minnesota Wild: Awarded as a 2000 expansion team largely as an apology for allowing the North Stars to be hijacked to Dallas. Helps that the Wild ownership has been far more committed to the local market than any of the Stars' owners ever were, having retired #1 as a tribute to the hockey fans of Minnesota at the first Wild game. Until 2009 they didn't have a permanent captain (the position was rotated among the players). Once held one of the more unusual streaks in the game—they won all of their home openers until finally dropping one in 2013. Also, they have the punniest chant in the league thanks to their team's name. Their on-ice success has been limited, though - they've only made one Conference Finals appearance, in 2003, where they scored just one goal in four games against white-hot Ducks goalie Jean-Sébastien Giguère. After two first-round exits later in the decade, they became regular playoff contenders in the The New '10s after signing star forward Zach Parise and top-flite defenseman Ryan Suter in 2012, but advanced past the first round only twice in this time. The twin 13-year, $98 million contracts given to the duo eventually proved more burdensome than the value of their talents, especially as they entered their mid-30s, leading to buyouts for both just before the Seattle Expansion Draft in 2021.^note some analysts speculated a motivating factor was the memory of the Vegas Expansion Draft, where the team was forced to expose another top defenseman in Matt Dumba due to the No-Movement Clauses held by Suter and Parise; to retain him, they worked out an agreement with the Golden Knights that resulted in role-player Eric Haula leaving instead...alongside the team's top offensive prospect at the time, Alex Tuch. Especially for an offense-challenged team like the Wild, this was a hard blow Until 2021-22, the team had never had a 100-point scorer; Russian superstar Kirill Kaprizov, drafted with a late pick years earlier, finally reached the mark in his second^note first non-abbreviated season in the Twin Cities.
• Nashville Predators: An expansion team from 1998, born out of a failed attempt at relocating the 1995 Cup Champions New Jersey Devils. A consistently decent team since about 2004, which has problems both with other people knowing they exist and staying solvent: the fanbase is pretty decent, but corporate sponsors are lacking for them, not to mention attempts in 2007 to move the team to be the "Hamilton Predators" that fell through and then to Kansas City. Part of this situation might be the defensive-minded approach that coach Barry Trotz (who was there from the foundation in 1998 to 2014) has implemented — it's effective in winning games but doesn't make for exciting play that can draw fans in, but that changed with the addition of Mike Fisher (after being traded from the Senators, where he was a fan favorite), husband of country superstar Carrie Underwood and team captain until his short-lived retirement in the 2017 offseason (and second retirement in 2018), as well as making it past the first round of the playoffs thrice ^note , two of those times losing to a Canadian team in the second round - Vancouver in 2011 and Winnipeg in 2018. Known for their dominant defensemen, including Ryan Suter (whose decision to leave for Minnesota earned him the undying ire of Predators fans), Shea Weber (captain for six years who signed a massive 14-year/$110M contract), P.K. Subban (traded from Montreal for Weber; later dealt to the Devils before retiring in 2022), and Roman Josi (current captain and 2020 Norris Trophy winner). Were at their strongest in the late 2010s, where their feared defensive core and the play of goalie Pekka "Too Good Right Now" Rinne led to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2017 and a Presidents' Trophy in 2018; they infamously raised three banners for the latter (two of which were completely redundant "Central Division" and "Western Conference" banners), earning them the unyielding mockery of the league. Also known for their numerous bizarre fan traditions, including throwing catfish on the ice^note this was invented as a counter to the Red Wings throwing octopi on the ice, extended goalie chant after every single Nashville goal, and taking sledgehammers to cars painted in their opponents' colors during the playoffs.^note However, when the Predators faced the Winnipeg Jets in 2018, the Preds used a single prop plane instead; also as a Take That! to the Jets, the plane featured the logo of their past identity, the Atlanta Thrashers, likely to rally former Thrashers fans who switched to the Predators.
• St. Louis Blues: One of the teams created in the 1967 expansion, they were the team with the longest Cup drought since its inception - a whopping fifty-two years - before finally securing victory in 2019 in spectacular comeback fashion, having clawed their way out of dead last in the league at the start of 2019. Prior to that, they made the Finals in their first three seasons (due largely to divisional alignments of the time guaranteeing one of the 1967 expansion teams facing an Original Six team in the Finals), only to be swept each and every time (twice by the Canadiens, once by the Bruins^note in which the famous Flying Orr goal that finished the sweep of the Blues in the 1970 Finals has haunted the fanbase and the City of St. Louis for over 50 years, was the main motivation for their 2019 Cup run). They were once owned by Ralston Purina (who penny-pinched the hell out of the team), and nearly moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan before a new owner was found that would keep the team in St. Louis.^note The preceding year was so bad for them, though, that the arena got padlocked and they didn't even participate in the draft. Brett Hull had his best years as a Blue. They have a notable rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks and another developing one with the Boston Bruins ^note which first dates back to their cities' first championship matchup between the Baseball Cardinals and Red Sox in 1946, the Bruins and Blues' first Finals matchup in 1970, and due to Boston/New England's dominance against them in the 2000's and The New '10s which finally ended with the Blues beating the Bruins in 2019, ending Boston's dominance.
• Winnipeg Jets: Formerly the Atlanta Thrashers. On May 31, 2011, the team was sold and moved to Winnipeg^note The second time a team moved from Atlanta, the first being the Flames in 1980. Unlike the Flames, however, many Atlanta hockey fans absolutely despise the Jets. While most Atlanta hockey fans largely blame Atlanta Spirit, the team's ex-owners, for the Thrashers' failure in Atlanta, the NHL's front office is also heavily criticized for their handling of the Thrashers' situation. While many Atlanta hockey fans were not necessarily against the Coyotes remaining in Arizona or even the return of an NHL team to Winnipeg (at least until True North came knocking on the Thrashers' door), they argue that the wrong team was moved to Winnipeg, since the league had nearly two years since the Coyotes' bankruptcy to resolve their situation, with True North prepared to bring the original Jets home, yet the league instead allowed True North to buy and relocate the Thrashers almost as soon as Atlanta Spirit had settled a lawsuit with an ex-partner and had the clear title to the team. Some former Thrashers fans also accuse the league of violating its by-laws by making no good faith efforts to keep the Thrashers in Atlanta, as they had done for practically every other struggling team. In the decade since the Thrashers' move to Winnipeg, the Coyotes have remained under the near-perennial threat of relocation. Most hockey traditionalists want to permanently write off Atlanta as a lost cause, favoring a return to either Hartford or Quebec City instead; however, some Atlanta hockey fans remain optimistic that the league will eventually give the Peach State a third shot should the right opportunity arise. Since March 2023, rumors have been circulating of the NHL looking to either expand or relocate existing franchises to both Atlanta and Houston (even though Bettman heavily denies this claim), and in April 2023, a large Metro Atlanta car dealer made a proposal to build a mixed-use development anchored by an NHL-sized arena near the northeast suburb of Alpharetta for the next season, resurrecting the previous team's name due to overwhelming fan support for it (this has also led to a massive Continuity Snarl, 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. 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 Milwaukee media market. 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. 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 raises questions as for whether the Jets were good or simply lucky).

Pacific Division

This division contains the westernmost teams in the NHL, and through having three California teams, has the greatest concentration of teams from a single state or province in one division. As the Metro Division is an expanded Patrick Division, the Pacific Division is an expanded Smythe Division as it existed from 1991 to 1993, minus the original Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes.

• Anaheim Ducks: Formerly the "Mighty Ducks of Anaheim", this team was founded by Disney following the success of The Mighty Ducks movies (and subsequently the real team's mascot, Wildwing Flashblade, became the protagonist of Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series, 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. 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, the first Californian team to do so. They also had a streak of constantly losing 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 (especially of Edmonton) found the series win to be incredibly dubious due to accusations of missed calls and general poor officiating. 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 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 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. 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 absolute wizardry.
• Calgary Flames: Once home to one of the best mustaches in the league, belonging to Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald. Major rival to the Edmonton Oilers, as part of the Battle of Alberta, and also have another big one in the Vancouver Canucks. The rivalry with the former was most heated in the 1980s, when both teams had stockpiled incredible amounts of talent, the Oilers taking most of the series versus the Flames. (Although in 1986, the Oilers did the Flames a favor by scoring on themselves in Game Seven. In 1989, the Flames won the Cup without the Oilers on the way... because they lost to Wayne Gretzky's new team, the Kings.) Also broke Canada's heart when they couldn't seal the deal back in 2004 — although there was a potential Cup-winning goal scored by the Flames late in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final that is still a sore point for Flames fans today ^note humorously ironic considering that the review team that reviewed and overturned the would-be series winning goal was based in Calgary no less. The franchise started as the Atlanta Flames from 1972 to 1980, before moving northwest to join Edmonton in the NHL. Lately, they have been unable to amount to much, qualifying for the playoffs just four times since 2009-10 - with the first two having Calgary getting shown the door by the Anaheim Ducks, against whom they had a spectacularly-long losing streak away from home up until 2017 - and winning a round only in half of those. The Flames' long-time home of the Saddledome hosted several events in the 1988 Winter Olympics; however, it is one of the oldest arenas in the league and the oldest among the seven Canadian teams. In April 2023, after several false starts, the city and Flames reached an agreement to build the Saddledome's replacement.
• Edmonton Oilers: The last surviving team from the World Hockey Association that remains in its original city, and the only one of the four that joined the NHL (Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets^note Not the current Jets; this version of the franchise are now the Arizona Coyotes, Hartford Whalers) that never actually won a WHA title. The team most people think of when they talk about Wayne Gretzky. Once had an epic rivalry with the Los Angeles Kings during the '80s, but it was more one-sided in favor of the former; the Oilers won the Cup five times in seven years (1984, '85, '87, '88, and '90; a fluke own-goal cost them the chance to play for the 1986 trophy, and Gretzky was traded in the 1988 off-season). Simply put, they were an offensive juggernaut in the '80s, shattering records. The '90s, though, were a different story: changing economics forced management to dismantle the team (by the start of the 1992 season, most of the players from the dynasty years were gone), though they did make the playoffs somewhat consistently in the late 1990s. They last made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, only to be defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the seventh game. Since then, they've had a string of last or next-to-last-place finishes in their division (including finishing dead last in the league twice in a row), and subsequently a lot of high draft picks — most notably, four first-overall in a period of six years between 2010 and 2015. And yet the accumulation of young talent didn't translate into a winning season until 2016–17 (which made the rest of the league kind of hate the Oilers … but not their fans, whom they agree deserve a break someday), but the following season saw them miss the playoffs by a considerable margin, leaving that bright future in doubt due to high contracts for Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Andrej Sekera taking away a lot of cap space. These problems only became more apparent when in the 2021 playoffs, their first legitimate postseason since 2016^note The 2020 Play-in round technically doesn't count as a play-off appearance, the team got swept by the universally agreed inferior Jets franchise, including an embarrassing Leaf-like blowing of a 4-1 lead in Game 3. The series revealed just how easily the Oilers' main strategy of "Pass to McDavid and see what happens" could be countered and cast serious doubts on not only any future play-off viability but even whether Connor McDavid would even stay in Edmonton or ask for a trade, though they proved many doubters wrong by advancing to the Western Conference Finals the following year. Currently playing in one of the league's newer arenas, namely Rogers Place (opened for 2016–17).
• Los Angeles Kings: One of the teams created in the 1967 expansion. The team traded for Wayne Gretzky in 1988, a move which probably saved the Kings but almost caused the Canadian government to interfere (Serious Business doesn't begin to describe hockey in Canada) and would ultimately lead to the rise of expansion teams in the The '90s ^note including the Kings' respective rivals in the Sharks and the Ducks. Was the NHL's first team in a warm-weather city. Has a rather large and loyal fanbase. Stanley Cup champs of 2012 and 2014, both runs seeing some impressive victories over heavily-favored opposition (including a Second Round reverse sweep of the San Jose Sharks). Their regular season prowess leaves a lot to be desired, as in their fifty-one years of existence, they have only managed a single division title, but when playing as underdogs, the Kings often play far better than they do as favorites. Have a fierce rivalry with next-door neighbors Anaheim (The "Freeway Faceoff") and an equally-deep rivalry with the San Jose Sharks up the road. In recent years, a lesser rivalry with the Golden Knights also developed. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are huge fans of the team, and have made pre-game videos that are played at Kings games where Eric Cartman mocks the other team and tells them to "respect our authoritah!".
• San Jose Sharks: The first team of the 1990s expansion, born out of a failed attempt to relocate the North Stars to the Bay Area, and one of the more successful examples from a business perspective. They had a reputation of doing well in the regular season but not so well come playoff time; in 2010 and 2011 they made it to the Western Conference Finals, but lost in four games to Chicago and five to Vancouver, respectively. In 2014, they had a 3-0 lead over the Los Angeles Kings in the Second Round, only for the Kings to come back and win. In 2016, however, they finally won the Western Conference Finals after beating the St. Louis Blues in six games, but still lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Penguins in six games. As such, sports media and many fans seem to feel the "choker" label no longer applies (the teams that beat them in the 2016 Finals and eliminated them in 2010, 2011, and 2014 were all extremely potent^note Aside from the 2011 Canucks who were the best team all season long until losing the seventh game of the Finals, the other four all got the Cup.), but popular opinion being what it is, they will likely be "chokers" until they win a Cup. Have announced a long rebuild following their 2019 playoff loss by first ultimately trading longtime Shark Patrick Marleau to the Maple Leafs, allowing Joe Pavelveski to sign with the Dallas Stars ^note who alongside former rival Ducks Corey Perry would lead to the Stars to the 2020 Finals, allowing Joe Thornton to bolt for the Toronto Maple Leafs and trading away longtime Shark defenseman Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes. In addition to geographic rivalries with the Kings and the Ducks, the Sharks have developed a very fierce rivalry with the Vegas Golden Knights.
• Seattle Kraken: Seattle's place in hockey extends much further back into the earliest days of the sport, but the state of Washington had gone without a major-league hockey team for over 80 years before 2018, when a group of businessmen (including TV/film producer Jerry Bruckheimer) secured a proposal to expand the NHL back into the American side of the Pacific Northwest, with the name and logos being announced of July 2020. Much like Vegas' expansion bid, Seattle's bid was chosen over reviving the Quebec Nordiques because of a weak loonie^note Canadian dollar, from the presence of a loon (as in the bird) on one of the faces of the dollar coin as well as moving Columbus back to the Western Conference. In contrast to Vegas' initial season ticket drive, though, which had sold 5,000 deposits in the first day and a half but required more than a month to reach the league-mandated 10,000 to secure their bid, Seattle reached the 10K mark in 12 minutes, and had 25,000 deposits in about 75 minutes. The name and even the team colors themselves were a source of major speculation, as they didn't immediately reveal them, and several major candidates for the name were bandied about for two straight years, with the Kraken name always being seen as sort of an Awesome, but Impractical choice, even being outright denied being the name... right up until its reveal as the team name. ^note  Seattle Sockeyes for a long time was seen as the favorite... until everyone learned a romance novelist already had the trademark on it which she used for the fictional hockey team her novels centered on. Despite geographic proximity to Vancouver north of the border, support for the team exploded almost the moment the team was announced, with even fans of other teams showing excitement for Seattle's entry into the league. Their arrival also has huge implications for the National Basketball Association, given there has been a clamor to bring a team back, but no word on that front yet. Nevertheless, the city was ready to join the league, and officially hit the ice in the 2021–22 season.
  • A large part of the hype for the Kraken might be the fact that they've been put in the same division as the previous expansion team, the Golden Knights, whose out of nowhere Cup run in their first season of existence placed high expectations on the Seattle team before it even hit the ice. The comparisons between the two teams' entry drafts even caused some fans to engage in revisionist history about the Vegas draft, criticizing Seattle for not drafting a Cup-winning team off the bat when not even Vegas thought they'd do much with the team they drafted. The League also appear to be leaning in on this since one of the first games to be played in the 2021–22 season was Seattle at Vegas (Vegas won 4–3). For better or worse, the hype was mostly unfounded and the Kraken had what could be considered a typical expansion season, finishing at the bottom of the division while struggling with team chemistry, underwhelming goaltending^note their starter, 2021 Vezina finalist Philipp Grubauer, was considered to be "the prize of free agency" at the position after two great seasons with the Avalanche, only to not only flounder behind a bad defense in Seattle but post advanced metrics that suggested he was letting through more goals than most other goalies would with the same defense; supporting this is the number of times he landed on blooper reels for giving up "soft" goals and other gaffes and suspect coaching.^note Ironically, they were in the hunt for former Vegas coach Gerard Gallant, who was fired in early 2020, only to sign widely-criticized former Flyers coach Dave Hakstol after Gallant went to the Rangers.
  • In true idiosyncratic Seattle form, the Kraken's home rink broke new ground in arena naming schemes. Most arenas and stadiums in American sports had been named by municipalities and local owners up until around the mid 1990s, when a trend began where naming rights began being sold to businesses that named those locals after themselves as a form of showing support for local teams and as advertising. Seattle-based megacorp Amazon looked to follow suit when they bought the rights to Seattle's new arena while it was under construction, but took a much different direction. Under their guidelines, much of the arena was redesigned for environmental friendliness in mind, in line with the locale's new name, Climate Pledge Arena, the first pro sports location in North America to be named for a pledge or slogan towards a social cause.^note Though not the first ever. The Stockholm-area stadium that serves as home to the Sweden men's national football/soccer team (and is also used for many domestic matches) was originally known as Swedbank Arena, but that bank renamed it Friends Arena in 2012 after a nonprofit organization devoted to stopping school bullying. Swedbank is one of that organization's major financial supporters. In the US, when the University of Kentucky completed a new baseball park in 2018, the Kentucky Farm Bureau, an organization that lobbies for the state's farmers and also has a good-sized insurance business, bought the naming rights and donated them to a state agency, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The ballpark's name, Kentucky Proud Park, reflects the brand name used by said agency in its marketing program for Kentucky-made products.
• Vancouver Canucks: Unusually for a hockey team, for a couple years their goalie (Roberto Luongo) was captain.^note Although this is considered unofficial by League rules, which have prohibited goalies from wearing the "C" on their sweater for over 60 years. He wore it on his mask instead. Has reached the Stanley Cup Final three times and lost, twice to teams from New York (Islanders in '82, Rangers in '94) and to the Boston Bruins in 2011. The 1978–85 "Flying-V" sweater is widely considered to be one of the ugliest uniforms in League history (although the Flying Skate logo that came with the set became iconic to the point of being used for the team's 50th anniversary season), though some would argue that they've never really had good luck with uniforms. Home to the Sedins before their retirement, twin brothers with such uncanny chemistry that "Henrik to Daniel … Goal!" was one of the most common sounds in the league. Some people consider them to be rather creepy. Their last two Cup losses sparked riots in Downtown Vancouver. They really don't like Calgary^{Note 1: Geography} The two cities are just over 400 kilometres apart, and are not only the largest in BC and Alberta respectively, but also the two largest in western Canada altogether. But the Rocky Mountains aren't just a geographical barrier, but a social, economic and political one as well. Vancouver is Lotusland: a nature-loving, cosmopolitan, NDP/Liberal-voting city with a laid-back, hippie vibe, surrounded by the ancient rainforests, the towering Coast Mountains, and rugged inlets; Calgary is Cowtown: a rougher-hewn, oil-and-gas, CPC-voting city with a cowboy past, with the rolling foothills in the shadow of the Rockies to the west and vast prairie to the east. ^{Note 2: History of the rivalry} The bad blood peaked from the mid 80s to the mid 90s with playoff showdowns. Both teams started falling apart in subsequent seasons, but the rivalry was rekindled for a second, much briefer period starting in the 2003–04 season. The rivalry became dormant again after Calgary became a consistent disappointment starting in 2007 or so, and the Canucks moved on to Chicago as a main rival. The two teams met in the first round of the 2015 playoffs, igniting the rivalry for a third time, but whether it will last remains to be seen, especially if Michael Ferland is traded., don't like Chicago^note The tradition of waving towels, that started in hockey with Canucks fans, had its origins from when the two teams met in the 1982 playoffs; but the story really starts when Chicago's former owner "Dollar Bill" Wirtz died in 2007, and his son Rocky inherited the club, ending his father's sabotage and turning the team into a powerhouse. His touch was immediate: the Canucks met the Big Bad Blackhawks, and their physical agitators like Dave Bolland and Dustin Byfuglien, in the playoffs three years in a row. After being eliminated by Chicago in 2009 and 2010 with fairly lopsided defeats, they narrowly thwarted an almighty upset, a 3–0 to 4–3 reverse-sweep, in 2011. As if it couldn't have gotten any more white-knuckle, Jonathan Toews forced overtime with two minutes left in Game 7. But, Alex Burrows managed to slay the dragon, and the city breathed a collective sigh of relief. These playoff matchups featured a prickly relationship between head coaches Alain Vigneault and Joel Quenneville (who was said to "out-coach" AV) and even allegations of biased officiating, although the Canucks' problems with the refs stretch back all the way to "Auger-gate". After Game 6 in 2011, then-general manager Mike Gillis publicly criticized the series' officiating, which is a huge no-no in the league. He was slapped with an undisclosed fine for his trouble. (but not as much as in recent years^note Most of Chicago's physical players that gave Vancouver such a hard time have left the club, and the two teams haven't met in the playoffs since.), and they absolutely despise Boston.^note Besides losing to the Bigger, Badder Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals, the bad blood persists because the physical players that Canucks met in 2011 are mostly still there, including Chára (who had since left for Washington and eventually finished his career with the Islanders before signing a one-day contract to retire a Bruin), Marchand, and local boy (and WHL Vancouver Giants alumnus) Milan Lucic, prior to his move to Los Angeles, Edmonton and then the equally hated rival Calgary. Poor Lucic seems to be a magnet for hate in his own hometown. When the two teams met next, there was a bench clearing brawl, and six weeks later his family's church was vandalized. In a December 2013 game, the Canucks won at Rogers Arena 6–2, and later that night Lucic had a drink thrown on him and was then punched three times. Afterwards, he said he was fed up with his hometown and could no longer defend it. Until recently, they had an unfortunate reputation for flopping and playing dirty, which only waned after three very disappointing seasons (they went 1–8 in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs, and missed the playoffs in 2014 entirely) and a personnel change that saw the addition of Trevor Linden^note President of Hockey Operations, Jim Benning^note General Manager and Willie Desjardins^note Head Coach to the organization. Despite this, the hate for the Canucks in Alberta will always endure.
  • However, all three were widely criticized during their tenures, with the Canucks still failing to make the playoffs (aside from a brief first round appearance in 2015). Desjardins was eventually relieved of his duties in 2017, Linden was pushed to resign following a power struggle with Benning in 2018, and Benning would be fired (along with Desjardins' replacement, Travis Green) in December 2021. Linden and Benning's spots are now filled by Jim Rutherford^note President of hockey operations and Patrik Allvin^note General Manager. Green, meanwhile, would be succeeded as head coach by Bruce Boudreau, who quickly became a beloved fan favourite over the team's renewed success — until dwindling performance the very next season led to his own firing in January 2023, a controversial move that paved the way for current bench boss Rick Tocchet.
  • Also known as the team who caused the NHL to start cracking down on fights and enforcers due to one of its enforcers, Todd Bertuzzi, sucker punching Colorado Avalanche's Steve Moore from behind and driving his head into the ice, basically ending his career right then and there. The decision to allow Bertuzzi back into the league after only a relatively small suspension is considered one of the league's permanent black eyes and is still highly controversial to this day.
• Vegas Golden Knights: As part of the 2013 conference realignment, the two conferences were set with an imbalanced number of teams on order to allow for future expansion. The league officially began accepting bids in 2015 with proposals from Las Vegas and Quebec City, and Vegas was awarded a franchise in 2016 that began play at the new T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in the 2017–18 season.^note Quebec's bid was rejected largely due to requiring an existing east team to move to the west and the weak Canadian dollar. An initial season ticket drive prior to the official bid earned commitments from over 14,000 people. The Golden Knights are the first Big Four sports team in the city's history, it previously being the largest metro area in the country without one.^note Vegas also became the new home of the NFL's Oakland Raiders in 2020 with the opening of Allegiant Stadium. Billionaire owner Bill Foley appears dead set on avoiding most of the issues that have plagued Sun Belt teams in the past^note especially the perpetually unstable Coyotes and so far has been taking the right steps in doing so, including hiring longtime Capitals general manager George McPhee. Before the team was announced, Foley publicly stated that it would either be Desert Knights, Golden Knights, or Silver Knights, and not any name related to gambling, per league requirements. His original preference was Black Knights, as a nod to his days at West Point, but he wasn't able to claim that name.^note The team's ownership group calls itself Black Knight Sports & Entertainment. Sharing a conference with the Blackhawks didn't help him get the name. On November 22, 2016, Foley officially revealed the name and logos of the new team as the Golden Knights, and in June of 2017, their expansion draft was held, making Vegas the new home of 3-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-André Fleury, former Nashville centerpiece James Neal, and former St. Louis Blue David Perron. Vegas then rewrote what success for an expansion team in their inaugural season means, defying the odds and became the first expansion team across all four major sports to finish with not only a winning season, but also clinched the Pacific Division title, battled with Nashville, Winnipeg, Tampa Bay, and Boston for the President's Trophy, and reached the Stanley Cup Finals, all in their first year of existence. However, despite their best efforts, the Knights fell to Washington in the Cup Finals after winning just one Finals game. Although the Arizona Coyotes were originally poised to be their rivals, Vegas sees the San Jose Sharks as their main rival instead given the physically intense matches between the two and Arizona's move to the Central Division once the Seattle Kraken began play and took their place in the Pacific Division. In addition, they have lesser but still fierce rivalries with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. They finally missed the playoffs for the first time in the 2021–22 season. Vegas quickly gained a reputation for their extremely aggressive front office and fondness for blockbuster trades, for better or worse; this was not helped by a very public falling-out with Fleury, who had become a fan favorite before being unceremoniously shipped off to Chicago. In true Las Vegas fashion, their home games are quite a performance, with a drum line, a cheerleading squad, and even an ice show with actors dressed as knights.

Defunct Teams

Before the Stanley Cup permanently stayed with the NHL from 1926 onward (though they started competing for the Stanley Cup as early as 1917), its presence was graced upon multiple Canadian-based hockey leagues and even an American-Canadian based hockey league on both amateur and professional levels. It started out in 1893 on an amateur (and somewhat independent) level in Canada only with the AHAC^* (the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada) being the original league to decide who the best Canadian team in the nation was under its original format called the Challenge Cup at the time. It later expanded its presence into many other hockey leagues in Canada like the OHA^* (the Ontario Hockey Association), the MHA^* (the Manitoba Hockey Association), the CCHA^* (the Central Canada Hockey Association), the CAHL^* (the Canadian Amateur Hockey League), the MaPHL^* (the Maritime Professional Hockey League), the MNWHA^* (the Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association), the FAHL^* (the Federal Amateur Hockey League]], the MHL[[labelnote:*]](the Manitoba Hockey League), the MaHL^* (the Maritime Hockey League), the ECAHA^* (the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association), the OPHL^* (the Ontario Professional Hockey League), the AAHA^* (the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association), the ECHA^* (the Eastern Canada Hockey Association), the NHA^* (the National Hockey Association), the NOHL^* (the New Ontario Hockey League), and the PCHA^* (the Pacific Coast Hockey Association) until 1914. By March of that year, the trustee to the Stanley Cup of that time, William Foran, and the President of the NHA (the official predecessor to the NHL), Emmett Quinn, agreed to the Stanley Cup being held by only the professional hockey leagues from both Canada and the U.S.A. going forward, which were originally left with the NHA and the PCHA as the true direct competitors for the first three years after the proposal was made. Ironically, the NHA ceased operations in 1917 due to ownership squabbles with an owner they saw as completely unwanted with their association, which led to the operations of the NHL that we know today. However, the NHL still competed against teams from the PCHA and then the WCHL^* (the Western Canada Hockey League) (the latter of whom dropped the Canada part of their league, thus going as the WHL in their final season) together from 1922-1923 (with the winner of the PCHA/WCHL match going up against the NHL's winner) before just going against the WCHL from 1924 until they shut down altogether in 1926. Due of the convoluted nature that the early history of the Stanley Cup had, we'll be skipping the teams that played throughout the first two eras of that history (though shout outs are given for the Vancouver Millionaires and the Seattle Metropolitans of the PCHA, as well as the Victoria Cougars from the WCHL for being the only non-NHA/NHL teams to win from that second era, with the Metropolitans also being the first American team to win the Stanley Cup). Thankfully, due to the NHL being the only true competitors of the Stanley Cup, no other league has tried competing against that league. Furthermore, with the NHL also having the Original Six period from 1942-1967 combined with the fact that hockey's early history relied on ice being created naturally for the colder months of the year in its early history (some places did not have artificial ice at the time), they're actually the league with the least amount of defunct teams in its history (with seven total teams going defunct) due to the NHL being a conservative league at that time. However, each team has had some interesting history to their names, which makes their mentions worthwhile to point out here.

• The California Golden Seals (1961-1976) originally started out as the San Francisco Seals for the majority of their time in the then-rivaling WHL^* (the Western Hockey League), winning two championships there in their early years of 1963 and 1964. Near the end of their time at the WHL and at the start of their time in the NHL, the team moved to Oakland and broadened their sense of team names to become the California Seals before being more specific as the Oakland Seals for their first few seasons in the NHL. After the original team owners struggled with their move to Oakland to the point of nearly failing to sell the team to someone else despite making it to the playoffs twice in a row after their inaugural season in the NHL, the owner of the Oakland Athletics purchased the Seals and briefly renamed them the Bay Area Seals for two games before becoming the California Golden Seals for the rest of their time in California. However, the Golden Seals never recovered from their ownership issues throughout their promotion to the NHL, as they were never promoted well locally and an ill-fated trade with the Montreal Canadiens made competing properly feel next to impossible for them. After failing to move to Denver, minority owners George & Gordan Gund became full-time owners themselves and moved the team to Cleveland to rename them the Cleveland Barons (1976-1978) in honor of the original Barons team from the AHL^* (the American Hockey League). Unfortunately for the team, they had an even worse situation in Cleveland due to the rushed move resulting in a lack of promotion and money for the team in their first season in Cleveland. The team almost not just folded during the season, but also nearly caused a player's strike to occur there. However, they were briefly saved by the NHL giving the team a $1.9 million loan to finish that first season in Cleveland off. Unfortunately, despite them surviving another season due to the Gunds pouring their own cash into the team and briefly being competitive in their second season, the Barons were pushed to their wit's end between the new arena owners and a lack of new owners willing to purchase the team altogether, either for Cleveland or somewhere else like Houston. This led to an infamous merger with the also-struggling Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars) that led to the Minnesota franchise retaining their name, history, and team colors in exchange for the Gund brothers being the new team owners for the North Stars. Interestingly enough, half of the North Stars in 1991 (by this time, none of them were original Golden Seals/Barons players) were later sent to the San Jose Sharks, a then-expansion team of the time now owned by the Gund family, leading to a rare dispersal/expansion draft setting for both the Sharks and North Stars, though the Sharks don't really retain the history of the (Golden) Seals/Barons. As such, the (Golden) Seals/Barons are the last, most recent team to be defunct in any of the major four American sports leagues, never mind the entire NHL.
• The Montreal Maroons (1924-1938) officially went by the Montreal Professional Hockey Club in their entire history and were the last professional Montreal-based hockey team created in the NHL after their first team that focused on being the team for the English speaking minority shut down unexpectedly (see below). The very first owner of the first original professional Montreal team in the NHL, James Strachan, originally wanted the Maroons to exist as a revived version of the Montreal Wanderers (as seen below), but Strachan could not secure team rights of the Wanderers back from that original team's final owner, Sam Lichtenhein. As a result, he settled on a more generic, longer name to reflect their professional hockey status, though the Maroons were the official retroactive team nickname due to the colour of the jerseys they wore. The Maroons' existence was also what caused the first large hockey arena, the Montreal Forum, to happen due to the team sharing their home arena with the rivaling Canadiens. Anyways, the Maroons did not start out well in their first year in the NHL, finishing their inaugural season with a 9-19-2 record for a fifth place spot ahead of only the Boston Bruins. However, in their second season, the Maroons saw significant improvements by not only placing second place in the NHL behind the original Ottawa Senators, but they also both won the NHL Playoff format over both the Pittsburgh Pirates (see below) and the original Senators and also won the final interleague Stanley Cup championship for the NHL over the WHL's Victoria Cougars in a 3-1 series win at home. After that season, the NHL became the permanent home of the Stanley Cup championship, with the Maroons continuing to be a very successful hockey team throughout the majority of their history in the NHL due to powerful forwards that they had under what was called the "S Line" formation, as well as the first ever goalie to wear a hockey mask at the time. When the league had enough teams to create divisions for the American teams and the Canadian teams that existed there at the time, the Maroons only failed to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs one other time before their final season in the league came to pass. For the majority of their time spent in the Canadian Division, the Maroons were always somewhere in the top three of their division (finishing in first place there twice), making sure to compete well in the playoffs for those seasons. However, aside from one more Stanley Cup championship won in 1935 over the Maple Leafs (which was the last one won by a non-Original Six team until 1974 by the Philadelphia Flyers), the Maroons usually managed to fall in either the quarterfinals or semifinals matches (with one match even holding the record for the longest ever playoff game in a 1-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings that lasted for six overtimes for 176:30 of total action [or until 16:30 was left in the final overtime]), with them once failing to win the Stanley Cup over the New York Rangers in 1928 during only their second season of existence. Off the ice, however, the Maroons were facing significant financial issues due to a spending spree they had during the 1928-29 season before the start of The Great Depression. Once the Great Depression went into effect, the Maroons tried to stay competitive in spite of its lingering effects on the public eye, such as resorting to using a player-coach for two seasons and then selling the team to a bigger organization called the Canadian Arena Company. However, it was becoming clear to both the Canadiens and the Maroons that only one Montreal team could survive in the long-term, with the Canadiens having the advantage due to them focusing on the majority French-speaking population in Montreal. By the time the Maroons played their final season in the NHL, it was becoming clear that murmurs were abound to them moving elsewhere as a means of survival just as the Great Depression was nearing its end. Unfortunately for the Maroons, their final season caught up with them both financially and on the ice, as the Maroons played their final season with a 12-30-6 record, finishing dead last in the final year of the Canadian Division's existence in part to team captain Lionel Conacher retiring from hockey in order to get into politics instead. After their final season concluded, the Maroons departed from the NHL under what was supposed to be under a temporary basis for them, though it appeared on the surface that the Maroons were being merged with the Canadiens to have Maroons players be a part of their team going forward, with others playing elsewhere or otherwise being kept out of the league completely afterward. The Maroons even had two chances to revive themselves by having planned moves to first St. Louis and then to Philadelphia before a planned deadline at the end of the 1946-47 season occurred, though both situations failed in relation to failed team ventures out in St. Louis and Philadelphia respectively (see below), with the second venture failing to even get a suitable arena completed in time. Despite the tragic ending, the Maroons have arguably had the most success of any former NHL team of the time, having about 15 players from their history be in the Hockey Hall of Fame and a majority of coaches from their history also joining the players there.
• The Montreal Wanderers (1903-1918) were considered the first ever professional hockey team based in Montreal, being created years before the Canadiens existed and appealed to the French speaking community there. The Wanderers were named that due to them being a tribute to four different Montreal Wanderers franchises of the same name that all lasted for just one season. They also went by the Montreal Redbands nickname to the fans of the team at the time due to their use of red colouring going entirely around otherwise white jerseys in the middle, though the Wanderers were never officially referred to as the Redbands in their history. The Wanderers first appeared in 1903 at the FAHL, a league they helped create after disputes over the control of the original Montreal Hockey Club (which lasted from 1884-1932) forced both personnel and some players from the original club into creating the Wanderers instead as a direct competitor. In their first season at the FAHL, the Wanderers played a Stanley Cup match against the Ottawa Hockey Team (the precursor to the original Ottawa Senators team below that joined the FAHL only days after its inaugural season began) that resulted in a 5-5 tie game. The Wanderers wanted to continue their rematch against Ottawa in their home arena called the Montreal Arena, but due to Stanley Cup rules and regulations at the time (being considered the Challenge Cup at the time), the people entrusted with the trophy did not allow for the Wanderers to have a rematch in Montreal. This controversially led to the Wanderers forfeiting the series to Ottawa, which led to the Senators beginning their Silver Seven era and the Wanderers officially starting their rivalry with the Ottawa franchise. The Wanderers played one more season in the FAHL alongside Ottawa before they both moved to the ECAHA, where the Wanderers franchise won every season there outside of the final season over Ottawa (and by extension, won the Stanley Cup in each of those seasons over the Senators). Once the ECAHA ceased to exist, the Wanderers moved to the then-newly created NHA as a charter team, briefly playing without the Senators as a rival before Ottawa joined them during that season. In the inaugural NHA season (being played at the smaller Jubilee Arena for the Wanderers), both the Wanderers and the Senators were named Stanley Cup champions, but it was the Wanderers that were named the official champions of the NHA that season due to them having the best record of every team competing that year. Unfortunately for the Wanderers, they never again competed for another Stanley Cup after 1910, as they finished in fourth place with a 7-9 record the following season and never finished any better than second place with an average record in each of their following seasons until 1915, where they tied with the longtime rivaling Senators for first place in overall records with a 14-6 record, but lost the championship series against them with Ottawa scoring 4 goals over Montreal's 1 goal throughout two games played. In their final two seasons in the NHA, the Wanderers finished as the second-worst team behind the predecessor to the modern-day Toronto Maple Leafs and then as the overall worst team of the final NHA season respectively due to financial problems the team's owner had at the time. Due to every remaining NHA team hating Eddie Livingstone (who owned two Toronto teams for the first half of the final NHA season through what the rest of the league considered as "unethical means"), the Wanderers joined the rivaling Canadiens and Senators (and Quebec) as the first ever teams of the NHL (though the Quebec franchise was "temporarily" replaced by a Toronto franchise that eventually became the modern-day Maple Leafs that season). In the Wanderers' first ever game in the NHL, they managed a shootout with the new Toronto squad, winning 10-9 in their NHL debut. Unfortunately, the Wanderers went fully downhill from there, as they only achieved an average crowd of about 700 people despite allowing free admission for military personnel and their families. They then lost three straight games to the Canadiens and Ottawa twice before the Montreal Arena (the original home of the Wanderers and Canadiens) burned down on January 2, 1918, which led to team owner Sam Lichtenhein folding the club two days later (thereby forfeiting matches to the Canadiens and Toronto that were scheduled at the time), though Lichtenhein continued being a partner for the league in future meetings that season. This led to them technically being the shortest-lived franchise in NHL history, playing in only four games (winning only one game there) and forfeiting two through external forces beyond the team's control before folding altogether. The original owner of the Wanderers later gave the English speaking minority community a new team to cheer for six years later in the Montreal Maroons, as seen above.
• The New York Americans (1925-1941) were the second American team in NHL history behind the Boston Bruins, as well as the league's first team to be based in New York. The Amerks, as fans used to call them at the time, were jointly owned by former lightweight boxer and fight promoter Benny Leonard and former Prohibition-era bootlegger and gangster Bill Dwyer, the latter of whom used his fortunes from bootlegged beer and gangster operations to purchase the entire Hamilton Tigers' roster (see the Quebec Athletics below for more information on that regard). They briefly were nicknamed the New York Hamilton Tigers in their inaugural training camp sessions because of them buying out the Hamilton Tigers' roster with Dwyer's money, though they officially became the Americans by the time their first regular season game began. Despite essentially owning the same Hamilton Tigers players that placed first in their final season of existence and looked to compete in that year's Stanley Cup Playoffs at the time, only now gaining significantly more money due to Dwyer's ownership, the team finished in fifth place (ahead of only the modern-day Maple Leafs and the Canadiens), though were hugely successful to the point of the owners of the Madison Square Garden wanting to own their own NHL team after seeing the huge crowds the Americans received in their first season. Bafflingly enough, the Americans were soon placed in the Canadian Division instead of the American Division like the then-newly founded Rangers once the league grew enough to have divisions become a thing from 1926 until 1938 despite the NHL having a team in Detroit (which eventually became the Red Wings) from that time as well that could have handled them travelling to Canada more by comparison. This led to the Americans being considered a second-rate team to the Rangers in that period of time due to the Rangers having immediate success in the NHL (winning the American Division in their first season and the Stanley Cup in their second season) despite Bill Dwyer's efforts to rig games in the Americans' efforts by having goal judges saying goals counted just by touching the opposing team's goal line. One game even resulted in Dwyer wanting Ottawa goalkeeper Alex Connell dead due to him conflicting against the goal judge for that night, though Connell thankfully survived Dwyer's mob due to police efforts. However, when the Americans played in the Canadian Division for some innate reason, they often finished either dead last or second-to-last in their division, failing to make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all but three seasons they played in that time due to the tougher competition up in Canada from that period of time. In the three seasons they did reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they finished either in second or third place, which led to them losing a 1-0 quarterfinals match to the in-state rivaling Rangers, winning a quarterfinals series match against the Chicago Blackhawks 7-5 before losing a 2-1 best-of-three series to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and winning a best-of-three series 2-1 against the in-state rivaling Rangers before losing a best-of-three series 2-1 against the Blackhawks respectively. Leonard did not live to see the Amerks' first playoff match due to appendix problems in 1929, while Dwyer was around for two of the team's three playoff appearances in the Canadian Division due to the end of Prohibition leading to him being in massive debt through a government lawsuit against him. When the NHL took over the team a season later due to Dwyer failing to pay his debts off by him losing all the money he was lent from leading team manager/coach Red Dutton ($20,000) to a craps game, the Americans saw some immediate improvements in terms of results, which led to them being a playoff contender for three straight seasons (two of which coming after the NHL dropped down to seven teams and saw divisions as unnecessary by that time). However, the long-term effects of Dwyer's poor management of money (especially from that craps game) helped play a major part in the end of the Amerks. During the final season they made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Canada was entering World War II, which led to some of the team's Canadian players leaving for military service. The efforts then led to more players from the franchise leaving for war in the Amerks' final season in New York (finishing dead last there), which led to new owner Red Dutton being forced to sell off his best players that didn't go off to war for cash to help them survive as long as they could. In an effort to help the Americans survive beyond the 1941, the team moved their operations to Brooklyn and became the Brooklyn Americans (1941-1942), though they still played their home games that season in the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan due to Brooklyn not even having a temporary stadium to play in (only areas to help the team practice in that time). Once the war efforts reached American soil, more players left to help fight for the military against the Axis powers, which forced Red Dutton to suspend operations on the last-place team permanently after their sole season in Brooklyn concluded, though Dutton did want the Americans to return to the NHL, to the point where a group in Brooklyn wanted to help build a new ice hockey arena there. Regardless of whether you believe the team actually folded in 1942 officially or 1946 through the NHL's decision against this team's return, the Americans franchise was the last franchise to falter before the start of the "Original Six" era began, as well as the last hockey team in the league to fold before the Cleveland Barons folded by merger in the 1970's.
• The original Ottawa Senators (1883-1934/54) originally first started as the Ottawa Hockey Club, which existed as an independent hockey team for their first four years of existence as inspired by the Montreal Winter Carnival before briefly playing in the AHAC in 1887. After being dormant for two years due to their ice rink being turned into a roller rink, they returned as the Ottawa Generals under a new arena and competed in the OCHL^* (the Ottawa City Hockey League) in 1890. They continued going on as the Generals and split playing time between the OCHL, the OHA, and the AHAC for the first half of the 1890's, winning the OHA championship for three straight years in 1891-93 and the AHAC championship in January-March 1892, before permanently sticking with the AHAC from the second ever Stanley Cup championship match until 1898. On the note of the Stanley Cup, the Generals were also the first team to witness Lord Stanley reveal the championship that eventually became the Stanley Cup (the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup as it was known as the time) to the public eye. Anyways, the Generals then moved into the CAHL, winning the league's championship in 1901 before leaving to briefly become independent in 1904. During their last two years of the CAHL, as well as their time independently, their time in the FAHL, the amateur turned professional ECAHA, the CHA^* (the Canadian Hockey Association), and even their first two seasons in the NHA, the Ottawa Silver Seven were given that new nickname for their seven players providing Stanley Cup dominance from that period of time, holding it for four straight years from 1903-1906 before losing it that final year to the Wanderers as revenge for their Stanley Cup controversy in 1904. After the Silver Seven era ended, the team became the Senators going forward, with them regaining the Stanley Cup three times from 1909-1911 (though they didn't win the NHA championship in 1910) and winning the NHA championship in 1911. Long story short, the original Senators were pretty much the original Montreal Canadiens in terms of Stanley Cup and general championship impact on professional hockey, to the point where the modern Senators claim the original Senators' championships as their own history of sorts. The Senators faced a bit of a decline in the NHA after their first few seasons there, though they did win the NHA championship again in 1915 before moving into the NHL as a charter team there. Ottawa got off to a rocky start in the NHL with the Senators being late for their debut game (at home) due to contract disputes regarding payment against amount of games played in their first season there. After that, their first season and a half had them get into a rocky start in the NHL, finishing last or second place (out of 3 teams at the time) before being considered competitive enough to play in the NHL Playoffs. Once they did, however, they had a new dominant era that resulted in the first ever dynasty in the NHL with the "Super Six", named after the goals scored in the final game of their 1920 Stanley Cup championship series. The team's focus on defense was so strong during the dynasty years of 1920-1924 (winning the Stanley Cup in 1920, 1921, & 1923) that the NHL changed their rules to prevent teams like the original Senators from staying in the defensive zone once the puck left said zone. The Senators then slipped up in the standings after the rule changes combined with the first few expansions at hand, though they did win the Stanley Cup for the last time in 1927 alongside the NHL Canadian division that existed at the time. However, the team's final years had them be in financial trouble due to Ottawa being the smallest place to hold a team with 110,000 people living there at the time, which caused a lot of financial troubles for the team after winning their final Stanley Cup championship. As such, these Senators tried everything they could from playing a certain amount of "home" games in American places like Detroit, Atlantic City, and even Boston to giving away star players for loads of cash to briefly suspending operations for the 1931-32 season to even thinking about moving elsewhere like Toronto or merging with other struggling NHL teams at the time to try and survive. However, due to the struggles caused by the Great Depression, the original Senators ended up moving to St. Louis to become the St. Louis Eagles (1934-1935) for just one season. Unfortunately for the Eagles, their time in St. Louis didn't help matters with them not only finishing in last place again (with an 11-31-6 record that season), but their financial woes worsened due to travel expenses, which caused them to sell even more of their players to survive during the season. That caused the NHL to buy back the team to fold operations and disperse the Eagles' players to other teams after the team asked to suspend operations once again. As for the Senators, they still managed to survive after the professional team moved, though they operated as a senior amateur club by the Montreal Group for the QAHA^* (the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association), the QSHL^* (the Quebec Senior Hockey League), and the QHL^* (the Quebec Hockey League) from 1934 until they stopped existing in 1954, hence the year differences at hand. The "Senior Senators", as they were nicknamed by fans at the time, continued to remain competitive during the Great Depression years, winning the Allen Cup for the QSHL in 1943 (going under the Quebec Commandos at that point in time due to World War II) and 1949 and trying their hand at being professional again in 1953 before the Senators folded operations a year later due to the rise of television giving people their professional hockey needs for Ottawa. And yes, the current Ottawa Senators are named that because of this team's storied history.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates (1915-1930) were a team that's completed unrelated to the Major League Baseball team of the same name. They also originally started out as an independent, amateur hockey team known as the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets in 1915 before going semi-professional in 1921 due to success against teams from the USAHA^* (the United States Amateur Hockey Association). From there, they struggled in their first two seasons before turning things around to become champions of the USAHA in 1924 & 1925 (the latter of which was by default) before the USAHA folded. However, when the team was sold to James Callahan, he was given permission to take the entire Yellow Jackets' roster of the time and make that team compete in the NHL, albeit going under the Pirates name that he took from the MLB team due to the original owner wanting to keep the Yellow Jackets name for later on. In their first season in the NHL, they performed surprisingly well with a 19-16-1 record for third place that season before later losing to the eventual champion Montreal Maroons for the 1926 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately for the Pirates, things went downhill from there, as greater expansion in the NHL led to them being out of the playoffs in their second season before returning for the last time in 1928 with a 19-17-8 record. That season, they lost to the eventual champion New York Rangers due to the Rangers scoring more goals than the Pirates in the first round of that series. Things continued to get worse for them once the owner of the team was forced to sell them to New York Americans owners Bill Dwyer and Benny Leonard, who failed to improve the team themselves (or himself once Leonard died due to complications with his appendectomy in 1929). In fact, their records got even worse under the duo's ownership, with them finishing 9-27-8 and 5-36-3 in their final two seasons in Pittsburgh before the Great Depression forced them to sell their best players to other teams and then moved the team to Philadelphia (albeit as a temporary measure at the time) to become the Philadelphia Quakers (1930-1931) for one season. While the team hoped to have a new arena in Pittsburgh to replace the original arena they used there (the Duquesne Gardens), the Quakers managed to have their worse season in franchise history with a 4-36-4 record (yes, only four wins), which used to be the lowest win percentage of any NHL team before the inaugural Washington Capitals somehow managed to finish with a worse percentage by comparison. Even then, due to the Quakers finishing with the tied record for the lowest amount of wins in NHL history (at least in terms of teams that actually finished their regular season periods), Philadelphia shut down operations alongside the original Senators for the 1931-32 season, though unlike the Senators, their shutdown was more permanent due to the Great Depression continuing to take its toll upon the public (though the team was officially considered shutdown in 1936). As for the Yellow Jackets, they revived themselves after the Pirates moved to Philadelphia as a part of both the IHL^* (the International Hockey League) and the EAHL^* (the Eastern Amateur Hockey League), as well as an independent team before shutting down as a result of the Great Depression as well in 1937 (though that Yellow Jackets team has no obvious connections to the former Pirates and Quakers franchises). The team's existence did help fuel the revival of professional hockey after the end of the "Original Six" era, however, with both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia gaining new teams in the Penguins and the Flyers respectively.
• The Quebec Athletics (1878-1920) were once the oldest existing franchise of the entire NHL, playing one season there after starting out as the independent Quebec Hockey Club in their early years. This Quebec franchise first played only exhibition matches for a decade straight (including some Montreal Winter Carnival tournaments) before initially playing only one season at the AHAC. The team originally went dormant there for another season afterward before returning to the AHAC from 1892-1898. Once the AHAC folded, they moved on to other amateur hockey leagues from that early era in the CAHL and the ECAHA during the rest of the 1890's and early 1900's before those leagues also folded themselves. Quebec then briefly went to the CHA for its brief, failed season before being included as a new member of the NHA, though they did not play in its first season due to them being unsure of playing there at the time, to the point of being considered outcasts to the NHA at first. They later returned to action for the 1910-11 season going forward, playing as the Quebec Bulldogs according to reporters of the era at the time, though their new start in the NHA didn't go smoothly for the Bulldogs, finishing with a 4-12 record in their first proper season in that league. However, they quickly turned their fortunes around by their next season, going to first place with a 10-8 record against three other teams there before being Stanley Cup (and O'Brien Cup) champions for both 1912 and 1913 (the latter year had them finishing 16-4 against 6 teams in the NHA), though the second Stanley Cup was met with controversy due to the Victoria Aristocrats from the PCHA winning their series 2-1 against Quebec in Victoria instead of as a home series in Quebec.^* (The Stanley Cup Board of Trustees did not recognize the challenge as official due to their rules at time suggesting the winner of the Stanley Cup had to defend their title at the home area of the defending champions, which was in Quebec. While the Aristocrats did beat the Bulldogs 2-1 in a best-of-three series, they played their games in Victoria, which nullified the results to the Board of Trustees, which the PCHA objected to, but ultimately changed nothing to the Stanley Cup Board of Trustees.) While they did enjoy those highs from those two seasons, the Bulldogs never managed to repeat that success ever again, as they managed to place third in each of their next three seasons before finishing dead last in the first half of the final NHA season (which featured six teams at the time) before going second place (losing to a tiebreaker against Ottawa) in the second half of that final season when the league dropped down to four teams due to troubles in Toronto. While the Quebec franchise did intend on joining the NHL as a charter member alongside the Montreal Canadiens, the Wanderers, and the original Senators, the Bulldogs were completely unable to secure enough money to move to the NHL for even the first two seasons in the new hockey league before applying as a new franchise in the 1919-1920 season as the Quebec Athletic Club (officially the Quebec Athletics) for that season. In their only season under that name in the NHL, the played poorly despite regaining their star player, Joe Malone, from the Canadiens (finishing dead last with a 4-20 record, tying the Philadelphia Quakers above for the lowest amount of wins in a season, though Quebec only played against three other teams that season). After that season, the NHL purchased the team and moved them to Hamilton to become the Hamilton Tigers (1920-1925) in order to prevent the same belligerent hockey owner that destroyed the NHA from returning to the NHL. For their first four seasons in Hamilton, the Tigers still performed as the worst team in the NHL, winning nine games in their best full season in the league. In their final season, Hamilton looked to be Stanley Cup favorites due to their head coach change being successful for a 10-4-1 start in the first half. However, when they finished their second half of the season with a 19-10-1 record for first place in the league, the players revolted due to them being paid less than what they expected for more games played in a season, which resulted in the first players' strike in NHL history and led to the Canadiens being champions by default while the Hamilton players got fined $200 each and the franchise got permanently suspended for their actions. Interestingly, the entire team got bought out by the New York Americans above when they first entered the NHL (to the point of briefly being named the New York Hamilton Tigers in their inaugural training camp period), but their team history is not officially considered a part of Quebec/Hamilton's team history due to the owners of the players there not also owning the Hamilton Tigers franchise directly.

Two Roads to the Top: Unlike Major League Baseball, which runs its own farm teams, and basketball and football, which rely almost entirely on NCAA college ball to develop the rising generation of players, the NHL splits recruiting between two parallel systems: the NCAA and the Canadian Hockey League (also called the Major Juniors). Both of these, in turn, increasingly recruit from both sides of the border and both offer unique advantages to players — the CHL offers an earlier start (age 16 or occasionally earlier if a player is considered exceptional) and faster track while the NCAA offers a degree from a (sometimes quite prestigious) U.S. university as a fallback and more stability (CHL players can be traded at a moment's notice just like NHL players, while of course at an NCAA school, you stay in one place until you graduate, drop out, voluntarily transfer, or get kicked out for misconduct).^note We should note here for people planning to watch NCAA hockey that because hockey is so regional, its Division I conferences are quite different from those in other sports; many smaller schools from cold places are Division I in hockey. What's more, the conferences were even more different until a few years ago. Another option is the United States Hockey League (USHL), also a junior league.

While both draw from the same pool of youth hockey players, once a player has committed to one or the other there's no switching — the NCAA considers (ex-)CHL players professionals ineligible for their "amateur" sport while a player with a year in an NCAA program under his belt would be, at 19, too old to start out in the CHL (although both retain existing players up to age 22–23). The USHL, on the other hand, is strictly amateur, which allows players to go to the NCAA.

The NHL also recognizes two minor leagues for player development: the American Hockey League and the ECHL (an Artifact Title, it was known before 2003 as the East Coast Hockey League, but now has teams throughout North America), roughly equivalent to AAA and AA in baseball, respectively.

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NHL Awards

As with any sports league, the NHL has more than its share of awards for both outstanding individuals and teams. Most of these are presented at a special awards banquet after the end of the Stanley Cup Final, though the 2019–20 awards were announced one at a time due to COVID-19 disruptions. They are as follows:

Team Awards

• Stanley Cup: THE championship trophy (although it didn't start out quite that way). For everything you ever wanted to know about it—and a few things you might not—see our page on it.
  • Current holder: Colorado Avalanche
• Prince of Wales Trophy: Awarded since 1924, it has been a conference (or equivalent) championship trophy for most of its history... although it began its life as the NHL championship trophy, and during the Original Six era was awarded to the top regular-season team (which now gets the Presidents' Trophy). Currently, it's the Eastern Conference trophy. The "Prince of Wales" here is the future Edward VIII (later the Duke of Windsor), who donated the trophy. Although initially it was decided that it would not be awarded during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs due to the temporary suspension of the Eastern Conference, the league instead decided to award it to the winner of the Tampa Bay Lightning/New York Islanders semifinal series, since both teams were normally in the Eastern Conference.
  • Current holder: Florida Panthers
• Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Awarded since 1968, the first after the NHL doubled in size from the "Original Six" to 12 teams. It's always been a conference (or equivalent) championship trophy, now for the Western Conference. Named after the third NHL President (the office now occupied by the Commissioner). Although initially it was decided that it would not be awarded during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs due to the temporary suspension of the Western Conference, the league instead decided to award it to the winner of the Montreal Canadiens/Vegas Golden Knights semifinal series. This led to a bizarre situation where the Montreal Canadiens won their first and most likely only Campbell Bowl despite normally playing in the Eastern Conference.
  • Current holder: Vegas Golden Knights
• Presidents' Trophy: Awarded since 1986 to the team with the best regular-season record, based on points earned. It's well known for being the land of teams who crumble in the playoffs, oftentimes in humiliating fashion — Presidents' Trophy winners have lost in the first round of the playoffs as often as they've won the Cup (eight times apiece). The most common fate overall is a second-round elimination, which has happened to twelve winners as of 2023.
  • Current holder: Boston Bruins^note set or tied league records for wins, points, and road wins in a season; blew a 3-1 series lead and lost Game Seven to the Panthers in the first round

Individual Awards

The league hands out a boatload of annual individual awards. Except as noted, these are voted on exclusively by sportswriters who cover the league.

• Hart Memorial Trophy: The league's main MVP award, awarded since 1924. The award criterion is explicitly stated as the "player judged most valuable to his team" during the regular season. Wayne Gretzky has a record nine of them, eight of them in succession.
  • Most Recent Winner: Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
  • 2023 Finalists: Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers; David Pastrňák, RW, Boston Bruins; Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Florida Panthers
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: First awarded in 1925, and presented to the "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." Pre-WWII player Frank Boucher has the record for most awards with seven (in eight years, no less); Gretzky has five. Some in the media have publicly called for the voting body to be changed to either the players or the on-ice officials, but nothing has come of it.^note A few other US sports awards, including one of the NHL's two MVP awards, are voted on by players. Giving officials the vote? Unheard-of anywhere... except Down Under, where game officials are the voting body for the most prestigious award in the Australian Football League, the Brownlow Medal.
  • Most Recent Winner: Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets
  • 2023 Finalists: Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils; Anže Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings; Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Vezina Trophy: Has been an award for goaltenders since it was first presented in 1937. It originally went to the league's top goaltender. Then, from 1947 to 1982, it went to the goalie(s) with the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season. Since then, it has returned to being an award for the top goalie, specifically the one "adjudged to be the best at this position." Unlike most seasonal awards, the Vezina is voted on by the league's general managers. Jacques Plante has the most awards with seven; under the current voting criteria, Dominik Hašek has the most with six.
  • Most Recent Winner: Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
  • 2023 Finalists: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets; Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders; Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins
• Calder Memorial Trophy: Presented since 1937 to the league's top rookie. Famously the subject of a rule patch after the 1990 award went to the 31-year-old Sergei Makarov, who had starred with the famous Soviet Red Army team before political change allowed him to move to the NHL. Since then, there's an age limit—a winner can be no older than 25 as of September 15 of his rookie season. Also, the rules exclude any player who had appeared in more than 25 regular-season games in any single season, or anyone who has appeared in more than 6 regular-season games in any two seasons in any major professional league worldwide. Notably, that's why Gretzky doesn't have this award—the NHL counted his rookie season in the old World Hockey Association against him.
  • Most Recent Winner: Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings
  • 2023 Finalists: Matty Beniers, C, Seattle Kraken; Owen Power, D, Buffalo Sabres; Stuart Skinner, G, Edmonton Oilers
• Art Ross Trophy: First presented in 1948, it's the oldest of several awards based strictly on statistical criteria. It goes to the league's leading scorer (combined points and assists) in the regular season. Gretzky has a record 10 awards, seven of them in a row.
  • Most Recent Winner: Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
• James Norris Memorial Trophy: Another position-specific award, presented since 1954 to the "defense player [i.e., defenseman] who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position." Bobby Orr has a record eight of these, all in succession.
  • Most Recent Winner: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
  • 2023 Finalists: Adam Fox, New York Rangers; Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks; Makar
• Conn Smythe Trophy: Awarded since 1965 to the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs, with emphasis on "playoffs". Unlike the other three traditional major leagues of the US and Canada, this award is based on performance in the entire playoffs—not just the final game or series.^note The NFL hands out a Super Bowl MVP award; the NBA presents its analogous award to the MVP of the NBA Finals; and MLB presents MVP awards for both league championship series plus the World Series. Unlike most of the seasonal awards, three finalists are not named—only the winner is announced. Also differing from most seasonal awards, it's presented immediately after the end of the Stanley Cup Final, just before the Cup itself is presented. Patrick Roy is the only three-time winner, and also the only player to win it with more than one team (twice with the Habs, once with the Avs).
  • Most Recent Winner: Makar
• Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: First presented in 1968 as a memorial to Bill Masterton, who died during that season from an on-ice injury while playing for the Minnesota North Stars—the only player in league history to die as a direct result of an injury sustained while playing.^note A couple of other players died from complications of on-ice injuries. Each team nominates one player who, in its view, exhibits "qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey", with the same sportswriters who vote on most of the other awards making the final decision. While it's not specifically a "comeback player of the year" award, the winner very often meets that criterion.
  • Most Recent Winner: Carey Price, G, Montreal Canadiens^note who had offseason knee surgery that kept him out for the first half of the season, went into the league's substance abuse rehab program, and returned to play just before the end of the 2021–22 season
  • 2023 Finalists: Clayton Keller, RW, Arizona Coyotes; Kris Letang, D, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alex Stalock, G, Chicago Blackhawks
• Ted Lindsay Award: The NHL's other MVP award, voted on by players instead of sportswriters and awarded since 1971. Originally known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, receiving its current name in 2010. As with some of the other awards listed here, Gretzky has the most, with five.
  • Most Recent Winner: Matthews
  • 2023 Finalists: Erik Karlsson, D, San Jose Sharks; McDavid; David Pastrňák, RW, Boston Bruins
• Jack Adams Award: The league's "coach of the year" award, presented since 1974. It's the only significant NHL award that's voted on exclusively by broadcast media. Shockingly, this one isn't automatically given to the coach of the Presidents' Trophy winner, but instead is usually given to a coach who has experienced an epic turnaround, especially a coach who was just hired to a new team and turns them from losers to a playoff team. Pat Burns has a record three of them.
  • Most Recent Winner: Darryl Sutter, Calgary Flames
  • 2023 Finalists: Dave Hakstol, Seattle Kraken; Jim Montgomery, Boston Bruins; Lindy Ruff, New Jersey Devils
• Frank J. Selke Trophy: Presented since 1978 to the league's top defensive forward. Patrice Bergeron broke a tie with Bob Gainey for the most awards when he won in 2022.
  • Most Recent Winner: Patrice Bergeron, C, Boston Bruins
  • 2023 Finalists: Bergeron; Nico Hischier, C, New Jersey Devils; Mitchell Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
• William M. Jennings Award: Another award based strictly on statistical criteria. First presented in 1982 as the replacement for the Vezina Trophy after the latter award reverted to its original purpose of honoring the league's top goaltender. Presented to any goaltender who played a minimum of 25 games for the team that allowed the fewest goals in the regular season. Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur share the record for most awards with five.
  • Most Recent Winners: Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins
• King Clancy Memorial Trophy: One of two "man of the year" awards (acknowledging both on-ice leadership and community service), presented since 1988 and voted on by a combined panel of print and broadcast media. The only person to have received this award more than once is Henrik Sedin, once by himself and once with his twin brother Daniel.
  • Most Recent Winner: P.K. Subban, D, New Jersey Devils
• Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy: Presented since 1999 to the leading goal scorer of the regular season. Alexander Ovechkin has the record for most awards, with nine.
  • Most Recent Winner: McDavid
• Mark Messier Leadership Award: Presented since 2007 to the league's best on-ice and off-ice leader, as determined by Messier himself. No one has won this award more than once.
  • Most Recent Winner: Anže Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings
• Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. First presented in 2010, with the voting body consisting of the league's GMs, plus five NHL executives and five media members. Following the 2019 death of former Maple Leafs GM and NHL executive Jim Gregory, the league added his name to the award. Lou Lamoriello, who had won the 2020 award, became the first two-time recipient in 2021.
  • Most Recent Winner: Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
  • 2023 Finalists: Jim Nill, Dallas Stars; Don Sweeney, Boston Bruins; Bill Zito, Florida Panthers
• E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence: Presented since 2015 at the NHL Entry Draft to a prospect judged to have the best combination of character, skill, and athleticism, as determined by NHL Central Scouting.
  • Most Recent Winner: Lane Hutson, D, USA Hockey National Team Development Program (United States Hockey League)

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Names to know

Forwards

• Wayne Gretzky: The Great One. Near universally considered the best hockey player of all time, he holds over 60 league records, including the career highs for most goals, assists, and points in both the regular season and playoffs, and led Edmonton to four Stanley Cup championships. He was traded to Los Angeles in 1988, and played briefly with St. Louis and the Rangers in the late '90s. He retired in 1999, and coached the Coyotes for four seasons (though they were perennial losers under him).^note Whether this was because Gretzky's coaching wasn't the greatest or because he was coaching the mid-2000s Coyotes is a debate we will not enter here. We will note, however, that while his first season (2005-06) was a losing season, it was still about 50% better than their previous season. Also one of the nicest players to set skate to ice, staunchly avoiding fights and always playing a clean game, as evidenced with him winning the NHL's Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for good sportsmanship and complementary playing skill five times. His #99 was retired league-wide in 2000.
  • His records are so dominating that, in the seventeen years since he's retired, his career points (a point being a goal or an assist) is still completely untouched, nearly 1000 points higher than second place. Besides scoring more goals than anyone in league history (894), even if you only count his assists (1,963), the amount still tops any other player's career point total.
  • Gretzky finished his career with 2,857 regular-season points. The next one in the scoring lists is Jaromír Jágr with 1,921 career points; while he remained active in the league until being released in January 2018, he was less than a month shy of his 46th birthday at his release and was in his 24th NHL season.
  • To give another measure of how crazy Gretzky's point totals are, the 6 Sutter brothers scored 2,934 points over 4994 games combined. That's a mere 77 points more in over 3,500 more games.
• Gordie Howe: The man who held most of the league's records before Gretzky came along and smashed them. Also known as "Mr. Hockey". The unofficial stat of a ‘Gordie Howe Hat Trick’ is named after him, indicating that a player has scored a goal, an assist, and a fighting major in one game, even though Howe himself rarely accomplished this feat. He played most of his NHL career for the Detroit Red Wings and is probably most beloved there (he also ended up retiring there). Howe came out of retirement to play alongside his sons in the World Hockey Association before retiring again with the Whalers in 1980. He then came out of retirement again to play a shift with a minor league team in the 1990s for the sole purpose of becoming the only man ever to play professional hockey in six consecutive decades. Gretzky's hero growing up — the two would play on a line together at the 1980 All-Star Game, with Gretzky as the youngest player and Howe as the oldest. He's possibly considered the Trope Maker of a power forward in ice hockey because back then, there weren't many guys of that particular caliber until Howe came. It should thus come as no surprise that they're naming the new bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor after him.
• Maurice "the Rocket" Richard: One of the greatest players in his generation and best goalscorers of any. First player to ever score fifty goals in fifty games. Just four other men have followed.^note Gretzky three times (with one being a 50 in 40 season), Brett Hull twice, and Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux once each. The trophy given to the league's top regular-season goal scorer is named after him.
• Bobby Hull & Brett Hull: Father and son who, while they never played during the same years, were both feared for their booming shot. Bobby stunned the hockey world in 1972 for jumping to the World Hockey Association and the first million-dollar contract in hockey history. Between them, they've scored over 1300 NHL goals. ‘The Golden Jet’ and ‘The Golden Brett’, respectively.
• Stan Mikita: Along with Bobby Hull, is considered one of the greatest Blackhawks of all time, having developed a distinct Red Oni, Blue Oni playing style with Hull that proved highly effective^note Modern Hawk stars Jonathan Toews (blue) and Patrick Kane (red) mirror it to a degree. and led to the team's 1961 Cup. The two were honored in 2011 with life-size bronze statues outside the United Center right by that one guy who tends to be associated with great Chicago athletes. Mikita is the actual career leader in "Gordie Howe hat tricks" (see above).
• Guy Lafleur: A dynamic offensive star for the Canadiens during the Seventies. Known for his hair flying behind him as he zoomed down the wing. Known as ‘The Flower’ as such (and because it is also a direct French translation of his surname), or ‘The Blond Devil’.
• Mario Lemieux: Perhaps the only player who could rival Wayne Gretzky (Gretzky said Mario was actually better than he was) in skill, and points (1.88 points per game to Gretzky's 1.92), if his career wasn't plagued by injuries: chronic back problems (to the point he could hardly tie up his own skates), lots of hip issues and freakin' cancer, before finally retiring due to a heart issue. He retired once previously for three years, and took a full year off. Currently part of the ownership group of the Penguins and its AHL farm team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Lemieux bought the Penguins in 1999 in order to keep his beloved team in Pittsburgh, and un-retired in 2000 to both draw crowds back to games and so his young children could see him play. This made him the very first player-owner in NHL history, and one of the very few ever in North American professional sports. Retired for the last time in 2007 due to heart problems. Wore #66. Is the only player to score a goal in each of the game's five possible situations^note even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, empty net in a single NHL game, which pretty much everyone agrees will never happen again.
• Jaromír Jágr: Lemieux's longtime lancer during the Pens' glory years in the '90s and once owner of one of the most legendary mullets in sports history. Served as captain for Pittsburgh for a time after Mario's first retirement before the team's financial troubles led to him being let go. After a few seasons with the Capitals and Rangers the seemingly washed-up star returned to Europe to play in the KHL where he improved, eventually to the point of leading the Czech national team to gold at the World Cup. Wears #68 in honour of his grandfather who died in the Czech uprising of 1968. At age 39 he set his sights on a return to the NHL leading to the infamous 2011 "Jágr Watch" in the days leading up to the summer free-agency period. All signs pointed toward him returning to Pittsburgh but the deal fell through at the last minute and he eventually signed with the Pens' Arch-Enemy, the Flyers. As expected, backlash ensued. He was traded to the Bruins near the end of the 2012–13 season and wasn't re-signed at the end of the season. He then signed with the Devils as a free agent, being traded to the Panthers halfway through the 2014-15 season. Can still bring it from time to time — on January 3, 2015, Jágr became the oldest player in NHL history to score a hat trick, about six weeks shy of his 43rd birthday. Many note Jágr would be closer to Gretzky's numbers had he not spent some seasons in Russia.
  • And it seemed for a while that Jágr still had what it took to play at the very top level: in the opening five games of 2015–16 season, he scored four goals and three assists for the Panthers. By the end of the season, he led the team in points, finishing with 66, and the Panthers won their division. And then in 2016–17, he passed Mark Messier for second place on the all-time scoring list. All this at 44 years old. And he had absolutely no plans to retire—in fact, he said he could see himself playing until he's 50 (which happened in February 2022).
  • However, injuries finally caught up with him in the 2017–18 season, and the Calgary Flames released him during that season. After clearing waivers, he returned to his homeland to play for HC Kladno, a team he owns that was then in the second division. Jágr failed in his first attempt to get them promoted to the Czech top flight, but succeeded in 2019. Kladno has remained in the top flight, with Jágr having played occasional games to this day, most recently in December 2022 when illness decimated the team.
• Marcel Dionne: Sixth all-time in points and third only behind Gretzky and Lemieux in 100-point seasons. One of the most talented players never to win the Cup. Ironically, his less talented brother, Gilbert, pulled it off — with Montreal, against Marcel's longtime Los Angeles Kings — in 1993.^note The Kings tried to compensate Dionne by sending him a championship ring after winning it all in 2012.^note Not only did Marcel not get to raise the Cup, he never even played in a conference final! With Alexander Ovechkin's Washington Capitals finally making the conference finals and winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, Marcel is once again the only one of the league's 60 leading goal scorers without a conference final appearance.
• Mark Messier: The last WHA-era player to retire after the merger. "The Moose". Won the Stanley Cup five times with his hometown team in Edmonton, but is better known for winning it with the Rangers in 1994 — he's the only player ever to captain two different teams to the Cup. He is often considered to be one of the greatest leaders to play hockey, sometimes nicknamed "The Messiah" in New York for his legendary playoff performance with the Rangers in 1994. When he retired, he was second to Gretzky in all-time points scored, though by a wide margin (1,887 points to Gretzky's 2,857; he's since been passed by Jágr). In 2004, Messier retired when he was on his second stint with the Rangers — in-between he had a short and failed stint in Vancouver which most try to forget, and made Messier hated in BC to this very day^note he was semi-hated prior to this due to the fact he was the main piece of the Rangers' squad that bested the Canucks in the 94 Stanley Cup Finals. Now a studio analyst for ESPN's NHL coverage.
• Sidney Crosby: ‘Sid the Kid’. Entered the NHL as a child hockey prodigy originally from Nova Scotia. One of the best players playing today, and the one most likely to be recognized by non-hockey fans. Scored the game winning goal for Canada in the 2010 Olympic gold-medal game. Also one of the most hated players outside of Pittsburgh, particularly in Washington, Philadelphia, and Detroit. Much of the criticism comes from his being pushed by the league and media as The Next One, and his immaturity (whether actual or perceived) in his early years, and his continued push by the media to this day. When it comes to international hockey, pretty much all of the US hates him because of the aforementioned gold medal-winning goal, which came against the United States. Was sidelined with a concussion in consecutive games in early 2011 (the former of which being the outdoor Winter Classic) and was out until November when he returned for a couple weeks but was out once again until March. (Unintentionally) the face of a string of high-profile concussions currently plaguing teams and players throughout the league.
• Connor McDavid: 'Connor McJesus / The Chosen One'. Centerpiece for the Edmonton Oilers starting in the Late '10s, a prodigy on par with Sid the Kid himself, though unlike Crosby, he was designated The Next One by The Great One himself. At the beginning of the 2016/17 Season, Connor was named the youngest captain of an NHL team in history, at 19 years 256 days. He is also the fourth-fastest person ever to reach 100 points in the NHL (behind Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Alex Ovechkin), and the third-youngest player to win the Art Ross trophy, with only Gretzky and Crosby being any younger, and also won the Hart Memorial and Ted Lindsay trophies in 2017 to complete the trifecta. Currently holds the highest contract in the NHL at his age, and served as the cover athlete for NHL 18. He has also gone on record saying his favorite players happened to be Crosby and Tyler Bozak, as he was a fan of the Penguins and Maple Leafs, and his play style of "pass-first" reflects that.
  • Has in recent years become the face of how bad NHL officiating has become, especially in regards to the league's top players. The most egregious recent example possibly might be the back-to-back games where players on the opposing team clearly and directly tripped him while he was in possession of the puck and neither trip was called a penalty by the refs.
• Mike Modano: Probably the best player in Stars history, so much so that even though he signed with Detroit, when he returned to Dallas they still cheered for him. He is still beloved in Minnesota as well, having helped lead the North Stars to the 1991 Finals; his last game for the Stars was against the Wild in St. Paul, and he received a standing ovation at the end of the game when he came back out in a North Stars throwback. Currently holds the scoring record among American-born players and is widely considered to be the best American player of all time.
• Dave "Tiger" Williams: The NHL's all-time leader in penalty minutes with a staggering 3966 in 962 games. A feared fighter who was also fairly productive offensively with several 20-goal seasons (and one with 35) compiling a very respectable 513 career points total. A colorful character in the Seventies and Eighties, (in)famous for his ride-your-stick-like-it's-a-broom goal celebration.
• Teemu Selänne: "The Finnish Flash". Spent most of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks (two separate stints totaling 14 seasons and change out of 22 in all), finally retiring in 2014 just before turning 44. He's one of the most prolific goal-scorers in league history and holds the record for most goals (76) and points (132) in his rookie season.^note Gretzky would have held the latter record with 137 points in his first NHL season, but as he had played a season in the WHA before that, he was not considered a rookie when he joined the NHL. A mainstay on the Finnish national team until his retirement, he played in four Olympics and is considered a national hero.
• Paul Kariya: You may know him from his cameo in D3: The Mighty Ducks. One of the hottest prospects of the early 90's, and the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim's first-ever Entry Draft pick, the sky was the limit for Paul. The kid was speedy, could score goals, and looked destined to become the face of the franchise. In fact, it was thanks to his efforts that his line buddy Teemu Selänne would join the Ducks from Winnipeg, and he would eventually be named the Ducks' captain following a meteoric rise to the top. In many ways, he was the prototype for the modern north-south player in the NHL, but there was only one problem: he played in the brutal 90's and early 00's era of the NHL. Kariya found himself with a target painted on him by every other team's enforcer, which caused him to suffer catastrophic injuries, including a hit from Devils captain Scott Stevens during the Stanley Cup Finals that literally left him non-responsive on the ice^note He would memorably return from this hit minutes later, and score a goal to help Anaheim win the game, but ultimately lose the series in 7 games. To this day, he does not remember the night at all.. Kariya would eventually leave the Ducks before they won their 2007 Stanley Cup and float from the Avalanche to the Predators, and then to the Blues, before finally retiring due to post-concussion syndrome, which began a league-wide conversation on how to better protect players, and ultimately resulted in the modern ruleset, discouraging dangerous hits and indirectly encouraging the modern NHL to build teams around players like Paul, skilled speedy players with an eye for goal. He would eventually be named to the NHL Hall of Fame, and Anaheim would retire his number, forever hanging it in the rafters right next to Teemu's.
• Pavel Bure: "The Russian Rocket" — one of the premier goal-scorers of the Nineties. A dynamic talent, his career was ended prematurely by injuries. The last player to post back-to-back 60-goal seasons. Brother-in-law of actress Candace Cameron Bure.
• Alexander Ovechkin: Captain of Washington, and one of the most electrifying players in the league today. Fans either love his energy, or hate his showboating. While being one of the most eligible bachelors in professional sports, he was noted for preferring the simple family life, and is an admitted Momma's Boy. Of course his mother is an two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner from the Soviet women's basketball team, and is also his agent. He is also apparently BFFs with DJ Pauly D. Was engaged to Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko, but they broke off the engagement in 2014; he's now married to Russian model Anastasia Shubskaya. Ovi reached the 700-goal mark during the 2019–20 season and 800 during 2022–23, with many players and media members believing he has a realistic chance of breaking Gretzky's career goals record.
• Daniel and Henrik Sedin: Identical twins who retired at the end of the 2017–18 season, they played together for their entire lives except during the 2011 All-Star Game, when they were drafted by opposite teams. Considered to be two of the best players of the early 21st century, they ended their careers as the Canucks' regular-season leaders in both points and assists (with Henrik on top in both), and Daniel retired as the team's leader in regular-season goals. Each was the league's highest scorer once, and Henrik won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2009–10 and Daniel the Ted Lindsay Award the next season. Their playing styles were also eerily complementary; Daniel led Henrik in career goals by more than 150, while Henrik had nearly 200 more career assists than Daniel. Also known for their extensive community involvement; Henrik received the King Clancy Award, honouring said involvement, in 2016, and both twins shared that award at the end of their final season in 2018.
• Joe Thornton: The only guy to be chosen MVP while also being traded, as the Bruins sent him to the Sharks early in the 2005-06 season where he was the league's top scorer. The very big ‘Jumbo Joe’ then became the face of San Jose, being their captain for four years. Considered one of the best passers in the League (he has regularly earned more assists than all or most other players post-lockout), has recently drawn some comparisons to Steve Yzerman (see below) for committing to the defensive side of the game at the cost of reduced offense. Also known as a very nice guy during interviews and off the ice, but recently has started to react to the media with snarl and a little condescension due to their continued insistence on trotting out the “choker” label whenever the Sharks start to do poorly. Left an ailing Sharks team in 2020 to join the Toronto Maple Leafs hoping to finally get a championship, and then in 2022 moved to the Florida Panthers for the same reason only to lose both times, continuing his choker reputation. He's now the last of the star players to continue playing since the 90s following Chára's retirement.
• Steve Yzerman: The longest-serving captain in NHL history, wearing the C for Detroit for twenty years (19 seasons due to the 2004–05 lockout). Once an offensive superstar who approached Gretzky and Lemieux's scoring skills, Yzerman reinvented himself as a two-way player to help lead the Wings to three Stanley Cup titles. As GM for Team Canada, he put together the 2010 Gold-winning squad, and served as GM for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2010 to 2018 — during which time the Bolts ironically eliminated the Wings in Round 1 in both 2015 and 2016. With the Wings failing to make the playoffs in the next three seasons after the second playoff exit at the hands of the Lightning, the GM position in Detroit finally opened up at the end of the 2018–19 season and Yzerman returned to the Motor City.
• Paul Henderson: A very good player in the NHL and later WHA in The '60s and The '70s but famous for scoring the most dramatic and important goal in Canadian hockey history — the series-winning goal in the final game of the epic 1972 Summit Series versus the Soviets.
• Sean Avery: The most hated player in the league.◊ He was traded from the Red Wings to the Kings as a result of his behavior. He was then traded from the Kings to the Rangers in 2006, and the New York fans fell in love with his attitude that culminated in introducing an ingenious but outlandish tactic against the rival Devils in the 2008 playoffs. He signed with Dallas after that year to make more money, but was suspended and ordered to enter anger management by the league after making a crack about Dion Phaneuf getting his sloppy seconds before a game. He was waived and rejoined the Rangers later that year, and retired with them three years later because head coach John Tortorella notoriously disliked him, regularly demoting him without reason. Notably, he has different sides — he is very fashion-conscious (once interning with Vogue magazine one summer) and appeared in an ad publicly supporting gay marriage, leaving many detractors in the decidedly weird position of siding with him.
• Jonathan Toews: Captain of the Blackhawks and the youngest member of the Triple Gold Club.^note The group of players and coaches who have won the sport's three most prominent championships—the Stanley Cup, Winter Olympics, and IIHF World Championships. Entering the 2018–19 season, 28 players and one coach had won all three titles. Toews is the youngest at the time of entry, having done so six weeks after his 22nd birthday. Known as Captain Serious for his somewhat cold demeanor that occasionally borders on "Stop Having Fun" Guys. Has a notable bromance with Patrick Kane. He ultimately caught COVID-19 during the 2022–23 season and continued to suffer from side effects, ending his season and potentially his career. His contract with the Blackhawks expired at the end of the 2022–23 season, and the team treated its last home game of that season as a farewell to him.
• Patrick Kane: The red to Toews' blue. Scored one of the more awkward Cup-clinching goals in recent years in overtime of Game 6 of the 2010 Finals against the Flyers. It took several seconds for anyone else to realize the puck was in the net. Has earned the nickname "Showtime" because of his ability to score skill-demanding, flashy goals. A somewhat polarizing figure because of perceived arrogance, temperament, heavy victory drinking, and unwillingness to pay twenty cents. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2013 and the Art Ross Trophy in 2015–16, in the latter case being the only 100-point scorer in the league that season and becoming the first-ever American-born scoring champion. Would ultimately get dealt by the struggling Blackhawks during the 22-23 trade deadline to the New York Rangers.
• Joe Sakic: One of the longest-serving and most revered players and captains in the National Hockey League when he played for the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche. Is known best for his amazing all-around play, amazing maturity, possessing one of, if not, the best wrist shots in the league, and for what is known as probably one of the classiest acts in sports history, defying tradition by handing the Stanley Cup over to Ray Bourque (who had waited 22 years to win the Cup) instead of lifting it himself. Sakic became the Avs' de facto GM in 2013 and the official GM a year later, eventually getting his name on Lord Stanley's Mug a third time by putting together the 2022 Cup-winning squad. Sakic then moved upstairs as president of hockey options, ceding the day-to-day GM role to his highly regarded assistant Chris MacFarland.
• Bob Probert: Considered one of the greatest enforcers ever to play the game. But he was far from a one-dimensional fighter, averaging around 15 goals a year in his early seasons and once putting up 29 to go with 62 points and 398 penalty minutes. A member of the fairly exclusive 3000-penalty-minute career club in the NHL, with 3300 in 935 games. Paired up with Joey Kocur in Detroit, they were known as the Bruise Brothers until Kocur went to the Rangers; as opponents, they would sometimes laugh through a fight. Probert was also known for his hard living; he missed most of the 1989-90 season and all of the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season due to drug and alcohol-related suspensions, which strained his relationship with the Red Wings organization and led him to joining the rival Blackhawks as a free agent. Nevertheless, he remained popular in Detroit, and he would reconcile with the Wings in the years before his untimely death in 2010.
• Jarome Iginla (Full name — Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla): Half-Canadian, half-Nigerian ex-captain of the Calgary Flames, later playing for the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. One of the most recognizable power forwards and recognized as being one of the kindest individuals around despite having a bruising and physically punishing play style. Also, the Golden Goal Sidney Crosby scored to win gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics? Iginla made the pass. Has two Olympic golds, but was unable to win the Stanley Cup in in his playing career.
• Dave Bolland: Former center for the Blackhawks (before being traded to Toronto in 2013) and definite fan favorite due to being a central figure in the Hawks' rivalry with Vancouver. One of the few players in the league known for being exceptionally good at shutting down the Sedins and their Creepy Twins play style. Was injured with a concussion in a game against the Lightning in March 2011 and didn't return until game four of the first round of the playoffs. He did so in dramatic fashion, preventing a sweep and changing the momentum of the series to force game seven eventually. This, combined with certain personality quirks, such as never smiling after a goal only to laugh hysterically all the way to the penalty box◊ has earned him great Memetic Badass status of the Crazy Is Cool variety. Suspected of being◊ a Time Lord.
  • It's Bolly, bitch.
• Steven Stamkos: Centre for the Tampa Bay Lightning, known for his speed and scoring ability. His career started off with an unremarkable rookie year (which he blamed on improper off-ice training), but quickly improved, winning the Rocket Richard trophy the following year. Took a puck to the nose in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, only to reappear minutes later with a face cage, impressing pretty much everybody. Sat out almost the entirety of the 2020 playoffs due to injury, but made a very brief appearance in Game 3 of the finals. Despite only being on the ice for a few minutes, he scored a goal on his first shot. Was more active getting his second ring in 2021, even if being just one in a very good offense.
• Martin St. Louis: One of the shortest guys ever to be considered a bona fide NHL star. Was undrafted when he entered the league but through hard work in the minors got himself some playing time with the Calgary Flames. When his contract got bought out in 2001, he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. By 2003, he was one of the team's key offensive weapons. During the team's Stanley Cup run he became the team's top goal-scorer, and was one of the league's top scorers until his retirement, even after going to the Rangers at the age of 39. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for "gentlemanly play" three times, but the fans still loved him.
• Paul ‘BizNasty’ Bissonette: Former enforcer for the Coyotes, now color commentator with the Coyotes' radio broadcast team, who is more notable for his Twitter account than his playing. Aside from frequently bringing the league PR team to tears, he revels in Self-Deprecation about being a perennial fourth-liner and/or “healthy scratch” and has built up a solid fanbase in doing so. May be the reason the league has now instituted a social media blackout for players on gamedays. You can (and should) follow him right here.
• Dan ‘CarBomb’ Carcillo: BizNasty's former partner in crime who, having bounced around several teams became a very polarizing figure among said teams' fanbases, most recently in Philadelphia. For the 2011–12 season, he signed with Chicago, whose fans, after some initial skepticism,^note There was still some bad blood from the 2010 Cup Finals. very quickly welcomed him with open arms. His original Twitter account was deleted after an infamous tweet about a girl who just wanted her Daddy to be proud that may have been the reason for his favorable reception by Hawks fans. His new (slightly more SFW) account is right here.
• Evgeni ‘Geno’ Malkin: Russian player for the Pittsburgh Penguins, known for being considered one of the top three best players in the league in recent years. Was MVP of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals. Had trouble getting in the league from Russia and getting accustomed to the English language. Injuries derailed him for half of the 2010s, only for him to rebound in the second half and get two more titles, downright leading the 2017 offense with 28 points.
• Patrick Sharp: A former Blackhawks star from Thunder Bay, ON. Before being traded to Dallas after the 2014–15 season, tended to serve as The Kirk to Toews and Kane's respective Spock and McCoy (even though Toews is actually The Captain). Was named MVP of the 2011 All-Star Game while being the only one (of the four) Hawks therein drafted to Team Staal, which lost anyway. That same year, had consecutive overtime winning goals in games the days immediately before and after the birth of his first child — who is already being shipped with Eric Staal (also of Thunder Bay)'s son, born two days later.
• Daniel Alfredsson: The greatest player in Ottawa Senators history, played over 1000 games earning over 1000 points with them, serving as Ottawa's captain for 14 years (afterwards there was an attempt to win a Stanley Cup in Detroit that fell short). Was the first European captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup Finals.^note Detroit's Nicklas Lidström, also Swedish, would be the first European-born-and-raised player to win the Cup as a captain one year later. Was a part of the CASH^note Captain Alfredsson, Spezza, Heatley. line until Dany Heatley demanded a trade out. Ottawa fans love their captain and often chant Alfie during games which can lead to this. He has also inspired a following called the Church Of Alfie. Oppositely, he is hated in Toronto for mocking then captain Mats Sundin after Sundin was suspended for throwing his broken stick into the crowd and also for this hit on Darcy Tucker.
• Dany Heatley: Once a rising star with the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers and later the Ottawa Senators, he was responsible for the death of his teammate and friend Dan Snyder as a passenger due to complications from a car accident where Heatley, as the driver, was speeding. Charged and pled guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide, but not sentenced to jail due to Snyder's parents pleading for leniency. Enjoyed later professional success after transferring to the Senators, but his back-to-back fifty-goal seasons seem a distant memory these days. Demanded to be traded from Ottawa, earning enmity from their fans. Landed in San Jose and later Minnesota, always helping with goals, but his last year in the league was terrible, playing 6 games and scoring no points with Anaheim. (though he only retired after a somewhat more productive 2015-16 season in Germany, where he was born) Has mismatched eyes because a puck to the face made his pupil permanently dilated.
• Dale Hunter: Known to be one of the most feared enforcers in the NHL, Hunter could add points on the board and notches to opponents' bodies every chance he got. He had some pretty impressive runs with the Quebec Nordiques and the Washington Capitals, becoming just part of a handful of goons that scored more than 1000 points and 3000 penalty minutes in his career. He stepped in as coach of the Capitals after Bruce Boudreau was fired due to inconsistency problems and managed to get them to the playoffs in the 2011–12 season, advancing to the second round and taking the New York Rangers to the limit before eventually being ousted in seven games. He left the job and returned to being head coach of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), alongside his brother, Mark, serving as the Knights' current GM. Rather infamous for crosschecking Pierre Turgeon into the boards after conceding a goal in the 1993 playoffs against the New York Islanders, earning a then-record 21-game suspension. Although the Islanders went on to shock the Pittsburgh Penguins without the aid of their best skater, not winning a playoff series since then hasn't healed any Hunter-inflicted wounds.
• Bryan Trottier: Arguably the most complete forward of the '80s. Trottier won an Art Ross, six Stanley Cups and one as an assistant coach, was a rather tough SOB, and a dominant penalty killer. At a time, in the early '80s, many experts labelled Trottier as the best player in the league, even ahead of Gretzky. This was before Gretzky put up 92 goals and 163 assists in separate seasons, however.
• Mike Bossy: Known as one of the game's great goal scorers, Bossy scored at least 50 goals in every year of his career until his last. Unfortunately he left the game after just ten years due to a debilitating back injury. Became Overshadowed by Awesome due to his four-year dynasty with the Islanders immediately preceding Gretzky's golden years (in fact, both the fourth and final Cup that the Islanders would win and the fifth consecutive Islanders final were against the Oilers, who proceeded to start their dynasty).
• Matt Cooke: Winger for the Penguins. Was once (and in some places, particularly Boston, still is) one of the most hated players in the league infamous for his reckless play and flying elbow that led to several players, most infamously the Bruins' Marc Savard,^note The hit he took from Cooke, however, was one of several from different players in a very short time span. receiving serious sometimes career-ending injuries. Following a long suspension that had him miss the last several months of the 2010–11 season, as well as some soul-searching brought on by his wife falling ill and the concussion that sidelined his teammate Sidney Crosby, he vowed to change his game and spent the entire offseason relearning his play style. He finished the following season with no more than the average player's total penalty minutes, none of which was a major, and his offensive production improved dramatically.^note Of course, being on a line with Crosby following his eventual return could only have helped. While many will likely never forgive him for his past actions, he is now frequently cited as proof that other infamously dangerous players can change although so far few have followed his lead.
• Luc Robitaille: Currently the highest-scoring left-winger in NHL history, and the leading scorer in Los Angeles Kings history, playing for them in three different stints. The first stint was most notable for playing on a line with Wayne Gretzky. His season in Pittsburgh was most notable for an appearance in the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Sudden Death; his best season outside of Los Angeles came in 2001–02, when he won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings. Still connected to his original team, though; he retired a King and joined their front office, helping to put together the 2012 and 2014 Cup winners.
• Doug Gilmour: A defensive forward who played for seven different NHL teams, and as captain of three of them (the Flames, the Maple Leafs, and the Blackhawks). Though he was only 5’11” tall and was a relative lightweight^note At a time when players were beginning to consistently weigh in over 200 pounds, Gilmour was never listed over 180 and often was actually under 170, he had an intense style of physical play that earned him his "Killer Doug Gilmour" nickname (though his looks, which were often compared to Charles Manson, also helped). Won the Stanley Cup once with the Flames in their only victory in 1989 and the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward in 1993 when he played in Toronto. Gilmour is currently the GM of the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in his hometown of Kingston, Ontario.
• Eddie Shack: A left-sider who played on six different NHL teams, beginning with the New York Rangers in 1959 and culminating with the Pittsburgh Penguins when he retired in 1975. Known more for his long nose than for his actual hockey scoring talent, owing to receiving many Fan Nicknames such as "The Nose", "Pugnacious Pinocchio" and "The Entertainer". He was nevertheless a fan favourite in his role with the Toronto Maple Leafs when he joined in 1961. In his prime in 1966, before the Leafs won their last Stanley Cup, he was immortalized in a novelty song called "Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack" by a group calling itself "Douglas Rankine with the Secrets", which became a huge hit in Canada, being #1 on the Canadian pop charts for three months. Appeared in TV commercials across Canada where he lampshaded his long nose by joking, "I have a nose for value."
• Mats Sundin: The first European-born player to be chosen first overall in the NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989, and subsequently traded to the Maple Leafs in 1994. After a 94-point season in 1995–96, he was named the captain of the Leafs, serving that position until he was traded to the Canucks in 2009. During that tenure, he would end up becoming the all-time leader in scoring for the Leafs, and be a key centerpiece of the team's offensive efforts.
• Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry: A duo that, along with Dustin Penner, led the "Kid Line" that pushed the Ducks to the Stanley Cup in 2007. Both are the same age, form a one-two punch that even lead to a goal in the 2010 Olympics final, and got some commends: Getzlaf is the current captain, and Perry won both the Hart and the Rocket Richard Trophies in 2011. While Getzlaf appears to be getting better with age, and has shifted his play-style to be more pass-heavy, Perry looked to be slowing down as of late, but a shift back to the same line as Getzlaf produced dividends in the 2017 playoffs and when he filled in for Patrick Eaves in the 2018 season, it led to a bit of a resurgence, though it took Getzlaf coming back from injury to get him back to his old self. The duo finally parted ways with Perry being bought out of his contract after the 2018/19 season. Perry would sign with the Dallas Stars, along with former Sharks mainstay Joe Pavelski. He'd help an underdog Stars team get to the Stanley Cup finals, eventually losing to the Lightning. The following year, Perry did the exact same thing for the Canadiens, only to again lose to the Lightning! 2022 had Getzlaf announcing his retirement while Perry again was flying high in the postseason with the same Lightning team that beat him in the past 2 Finals in an attempt to win his 2nd Cup... only to lose the Cup for the third straight year, this time to the Colorado Avalanche!. Leading many fans to label Perry as a Stanley Cup curse.
  • Perry is also known for being something of a Troll. Known for provoking and generally annoying the opponents, he's one of the players that don't exactly get much love outside of Anaheim fans.
• Anže Kopitar: The first and currently only player from Slovenia playing in the NHL, he's a major figure in the Los Angeles Kings (serving as their captain since 2016), and contributed a large share to both their Stanley Cup titles. He might not be a goal scoring leader, but his puck control and passing accuracy and creativity are nothing to sneer at, and at the same time he's one of the best defensive forwards in the league. The Great One himself counts him among the three best hockey players in the world.
• Charlie Conacher: Possibly the earliest example of a power forward in ice hockey, Conacher played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Detroit Red Wings, and the New York Americans. Nicknamed "The Big Bomber" for his size and physical play. He was part of a dynamic trio with the Leafs known as "The Kid Line"^note Joe Primeau, Harvey "Busher" Jackson, and Conacher; assembled by Leafs manager Conn Smythe. long before the Ducks coined the term, in which the line carried their team to a Stanley Cup win in the 1931–32 season. Unfortunately, Conacher's career was shortened by injuries, due in part to his rough style of play, and he retired after the 1941 season.
• Patrice Bergeron: One of the current era's most celebrated "200-foot game" players, noted for both his offensive skill and his defensive skill. He is noted for his incredible chemistry with Brad Marchand, his record five Selke Trophy wins, and his ability to be in the right place at the right time nearly every second he's on the ice, leading to nicknames like "Perfect Patrice".
• Brad Marchand: One of the most famous/infamous "pests" in the current era of hockey. He got his start from the fourth line of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins and worked his way all the way up to the first line in a matter of months, and has stayed there with his best friend and center, Patrice Bergeron. He's known for, among other things, trying all sorts of ridiculous things to get under the opponent's skin. Some harmless, like taunting them after the whistle or after a goal... and sometimes harmful, like slew-footing or spearing a player in the most sensitive part of the body. He gained his most notorious streak in 2017-18's playoff run, where he began licking players who tried to start fights and scrums with him... All of this just made the worse by the fact that Marchand is also one of the better goal scorers of his generation, ensuring fans are furious with him no matter when and where he's on the ice and what he's doing.
• Cam Neely: One of the most feared players in the NHL of his time, he codified the term 'power forward' in ice hockey thanks to his imposing stature, hard yet accurate shot, quick release of the puck, and a willingness to use his physical style of play in the deeper aspects of the game, thus earning him the nickname "Bam-Bam Cam". Was drafted ninth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1983 draft and played three seasons with them until he got traded to the Boston Bruins, where he enjoyed his best years with the club. Unfortunately, like many power forwards that came before and after him, his career was plagued by injuries which hampered his ability as a front-line skater; he suffered two notable incidents which would later shorten his career. One was during Game 3 of the 1991 Prince of Wales Conference Finals when Ulf Samuelsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins delivered an illegal body check on him, injuring his knee in the process and later developed a painful condition known as Myositis ossificans; this condition would remain with him for the rest of his career. Another happened during a regular season game in 1994 when the tip of his right pinky finger got cut off through his glove, requiring ten to fifteen stitches to repair. He would later return to the game in the second period and notch an assist. Now currently serving as president of the Bruins. He Also Did a brief stint in acting, playing trucker Sea Bass in Dumb and Dumber and making a cameo in the same role in its sequel Dumb and Dumber To.
• Pavel Datsyuk: One of the best ever at puck-handling. There's a reason he's always one of the first three players to go in a shootout. Has played for the Red Wings his entire career, winning the Cup in 2002 (after his rookie season) and 2008. Has suffered from some injuries lately but when he's on he's the best in the league. In 2016 he returned to Russia to play in the KHL, and captained SKA St. Petersburg to the Gagarin Cup. One of the more recent members of the Triple Gold Club, having entered by winning gold in 2018 with the Olympic Athletes from Russia.^note Russian athletes who were allowed to compete in the Olympics under the Olympic flag after Russia's national Olympic committee was banned from the 2018 Winter Games due to massive doping.
• Taylor Hall: Left winger for the Boston Bruins. A first overall pick for the Edmonton Oilers, he showed his worth even as the team couldn't contend (Hall once scored two goals in 8 seconds, 1 faster than Gretzky himself!), and broke out after going to Jersey, leading the team back to the playoffs in 2018 with an MVP season, before being traded to Buffalo and then to Boston. Also a good luck charm for lottery teams: after drafting Hall, Edmonton won the first overall pick thrice, the Devils got it as soon as he was in their roster, and again in 2019. And even if Hall left the Sabres halfway through the 2021 season, Buffalo still won the lottery!
• David Pastrňák: Right wing for the Boston Bruins. Nicknamed "Pasta", a late first round pick from the Czech Republic who came into immediate prominence on the Bruins for his shooting acumen, his ever-present smile, and goofy personality. But not taking him seriously is a decision made at your own risk, as he quickly established himself as a scoring threat in 2018, and in 2019 he became one of the most dangerous goal-scorers in the entire league, particularly on the man-advantage, leading it in goals for much of the year until Alex Ovechkin caught up right before the stoppage, and inevitably both won the Rocket Richard. He's also notable for tying Jaromír Jágr in most wins of the Czech Player of the Year award, notably in four straight years.
• Auston Matthews: Centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The top overall pick in 2016, he made an immediate impact, becoming the first player in modern NHL history to score four goals in his NHL debut. He went on to score 40 goals as a rookie, and has scored 30-plus in each season since, making the All-Star Game in each season it's been held during his career (there was no ASG in 2021). Matthews took his scoring to another level in 2021–22, putting in 60 goals on his way to the Hart Trophy. The cover athlete for NHL 20, he's also notable for his unusual background—he's one of the few Latino NHL players (his mother is originally from Mexico); he was raised from infancy in the Phoenix area, which despite being home to an NHL team for his entire life^note (the Coyotes arrived from Winnipeg in 1996, the year before he was born) remains a relative hockey backwater; and unlike almost all North American players, he opted not to play junior or NCAA hockey, instead choosing to play for a pro team in Switzerland at age 17.
• Patrick Marleau: Centre and left wing who played almost all of his 24-year career with the Sharks; the exceptions are two seasons in Toronto (2017–2019) and the tail end of the 2019–20 season in Pittsburgh. The #2 pick in the 1997 draft, he made his NHL debut in the 1997–98 season opener only 16 days after turning 18, making him the youngest player to debut in the league since Len Wharton (at 17 years, 81 days) for the Rangers in 1945 (during WWII).^note In the modern era, it's essentially impossible for a player to debut at a younger age than Marleau. To be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft, a player must turn 18 no later than September 15 of the calendar year of the draft. Marleau was born on the exact cutoff date for his draft class. Known for much of his career as one of the league's best skaters, and also for his sportsmanship (though he never collected the Lady Byng Trophy), he's the Sharks' all-time leader in goals, points, even-strength goals, powerplay goals, and games played, and in April 2021 surpassed Gordie Howe for most NHL games played.^* However, Howe's 419 WHA games aren't included in the NHL record books. While he's won World Championship gold and two Olympic golds with Team Canada, he retired the following year (after not being picked up by any team in 2021–22) without the Stanley Cup.
• Trevor Zegras: Center for the Anaheim Ducks, still an incredibly young player, but already with no shortage of fame to his name. Often seen as the new face for the rebuilding Ducks (the heir apparent to Ryan Getzlaf), Zegras epitomizes the rebuild the Ducks are currently undergoing and has become a key figure in the team's sudden surge from being a Lottery Favorite to suddenly being in the mix for the Pacific Division. But none of that is what you're interested in, let's be real. What has caused Zegras' explosion in fame has been his two utterly spectacular plays that he made in the 2021/22 NHL season. First, and most spectacularly, is the "Dishigan"^note The name comes from two things. First, an assist is sometimes referred to as a "dish". Second, in 1996, University of Michigan Wolverines player Mike Legg dragged the puck on his stick up into the air and stuck it in the net in a lacrosse-style goal. In 2019, Hurricanes player Andre Svechnikov scored a similar goal, which was dubbed "The Michigan" in its honor, where he flipped the puck over the goal from behind the net to teammate Sonny Milano, who then batted the puck in the net. The goal was widely hailed as one of the most innovative goals in the history of the NHL (though it was met with some criticism, mainly by coach John Tortorella). A few weeks later, he scored his own Michigan goal. He then did it again (around a teammate no less!) a few weeks after that against the Coyotes, and that's not even mentioning the goal he scored while blindfolded at the All-Star Break. While he is still young, it's clear that Zegras' wizardry and his legend will grow over a long and extremely interesting career in the NHL.

Defensemen

• Bobby Orr: Unquestionably the greatest defenseman to play hockey and about the only player giving Gretzky competition for "best ever", yet had his career cut short due to a plague of knee injuries. Won the Cup twice with the Bruins. Scored "The Goal" to win the Stanley Cup in 1970, one of the most iconic moments in NHL history.
• Eddie Shore: The most dominant defenseman of his era — the late 1920s through 1940 — would have won a pile of Norris Trophies had the award existed when he played, and like Orr, he played the bulk and best portion of his career in Boston. Won the Hart Trophy four times as league MVP. Known for being extremely ill-tempered and violent as well as skilled. Later became the owner of the AHL's Springfield Indians for three decades, leading them to a period of glory in the early 1960s where they won three consecutive regular season titles and three consecutive Calder Cups (the AHL's equivalent of the Stanley Cup) from 1960 to 1962, to the point where it was speculated that the Indians "could have played in the NHL" without even finishing last.
• Ray Bourque: A defenseman considered second only to Orr. Holds the record for most consecutive All-Star games (19 in a row), most points scored by a defenseman and the unofficial record for most shots on goal (over 6000). When he retired, he was second only to Gretzky on assists. Played for 22 years (20½ of those with Boston, the remaining 1½ with Colorado) before finally getting to raise the Cup after his final game. No one had played longer before finally being able to hoist the Cup.
  • When he finally won the Cup, the Avalanche captain at the time, Joe Sakic, broke tradition. Tradition states the winning team's captain gets the first lap around the rink with the cup. Sakic took the cup, had his picture taken as part of the official presentation, turned to Bourque, and handed it over. Bourque had trouble skating around the rink through all the Manly Tears. Patrick Roy went on record saying, "A name was missing from that [Cup], and today it is back to normal."
• Paul Coffey: The premier offensive defender in his day, breaking many of Bobby Orr's records. Known for his tremendous skating ability, but also for sometimes hanging around the offensive end for too long (particularly later in his career).
• Al MacInnis: Best known for his incredibly powerful shot, often leaving trophy-sized bruises on players courageous enough to attempt to try and block it, despite being a great defenceman in all regards. Split his career between the Flames and Blues. Won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1989 when the Flames won their only Cup.
• Scott Stevens: The captain of the New Jersey Devils during their Stanley Cup years in the late '90s and early '00s. When he played, forwards were often afraid to cross his blue line, for he was one of the hardest hitters ever to lace the skates. Known for classic, thunderous hits and checking Paul Kariya into an early retirement.
• Mike Green: An offensive defenseman who is comparable to a young Paul Coffey.
• Nicklas Lidström: A veteran defenseman who is known for his outstanding play with the Detroit Red Wings, quietly shutting down opposing offenses without much body contact. If there's a player that can challenge Orr for best defenseman ever he's it, although Orr's offensive numbers are far superior. He retired after the 2011–12 season, leaving a lasting legacy behind him.
• Chris Pronger: Contrasting Nicklas Lidström, he is the epitome of physical domination in the defensive zone. Very big. Plays on the edge, nearly drawing infractions, but only nearly, drawing the ire of fans and players everywhere, except for his own. He is the most recent blueliner to win the Hart Trophy, which he did with St. Louis in 2000. Following a concussion in 2012, stopped playing despite still being on the Flyers' payroll in the subsequent years (the injury relief was preferred to voiding the contract). Drew the unending ire of Edmonton fans when, after helping the Oilers reach the Finals in 2006, he spurned them for Anaheim and helped the Ducks to win the Cup. Would also help the Flyers get to the 2010 Finals, getting infamous for taking away the pucks from games Philadelphia lost (not the series-winning, though). Due to his weird suspensions, he had a "Dammit, Pronger!"◊ running gag as well.
• Zdeno Chára: Now-retired Slovakian-born defenseman who last played for the New York Islanders, but is most famous for his long run as captain of the Boston Bruins. At 6’9” (well over seven feet with skates), he's the tallest person ever to play in the NHL,^note Consequently, he hoisted the Cup higher than it had ever been before in 2011. and holds the league record for hardest slap shot. In fact, he's so tall that he couldn't use a standard NHL stick—the league gave him special permission to use a stick 2 inches (5 cm) longer than league rules allow. Involved in a somewhat controversial hit against Max Pacioretty of the Habs. Habs fans thought it was dirty and he should have been suspended. Bruins fans attest the injury was because of the glass between the benches that isn't present at other arenas. Due to the teams' known relationship and the Serious Business nature of hockey in Canada, the Montreal police got involved and Air Canada threatened to pull their sponsorship of the league. He's fluent in seven different languages and wants to learn an eighth. During the 2021–22 season, he surpassed Hall of Famer Chris Chelios for the most NHL games played as a defenseman, and he and Panthers center Joe Thornton are the last active players in any of the four North American major sports leagues to have been active in the 1990s, until he signed a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with the Bruins.
• Larry Murphy: He earned credentials as one of the best two-way defenders in the 1980s and 1990s, being one of the key players that helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win two consecutive Stanley Cups after strong stints with the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals and Minnesota North Stars. The Detroit Red Wings would add him to their winning ways, earning him two more titles. In his time with the Penguins, he created the Murphy Dump, as coined by broadcaster Mike Lange: Murphy would clear out the puck from his zone so that it traveled just enough not to cause an icing call.
• Denis Potvin: One of the greatest defensemen the game has ever seen. The #1 overall pick in 1974 for the New York Islanders propelled the team to the playoffs in just their third year of existence. He's the reason Rangers fans continued to chant "Potvin Sucks!" long after he'd retired^note It began as Potvin broke the ankle of Rangers' forward Ulf Nilsson in the 1979 semifinals; without him, the Rangers lost the Finals to the Habs. (though the chant was briefly relevant again when unrelated goalie Felix Potvin joined the Islanders, and struggled).
• Niklas Kronwall: Swedish defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings. Not especially large or heavy but pretty much a one-man wrecking crew. His signature backwards charges on the boards coined the phrase “to get Kronwalled”.
• Shea Weber: Canadian blueliner and former captain of the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens. Has been a finalist for the Norris Trophy twice and been in the top ten four consecutive times. Famous for his Howitzer of a slapshot.^note In case you didn't notice, that shot went through the netting. Made his name with the Nashville Predators, but traded straight-up for P.K. Subban in 2016. Is retired in all but name, his last active year being part of the Canadiens' surprise 2021 Stanley Cup Finals run. Currently holds the largest contract in the NHL (14 years, $110M) with a structure that was rendered illegal shortly after being crafted; as a result, Nashville will suffer significant salary cap penalties should he formally retire before the contract's completion.
• P.K. Subban: A defenseman best known for his tenure with the Montreal Canadiens, Subban is one of the few black faces in hockey, and probably one of the best. He became both beloved and hated in Montreal for his dazzling 200-foot game that often overshadowed some of the forwards he played with, until he was controversially traded one-for-one for Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber. A nagging back injury caused his game to rapidly deteriorate near the end of his Nashville tenure, prompting the Predators to trade him to the New Jersey Devils where he spent the final years of his career. The cover athlete for NHL 19. He is known for his philanthropy, wherein he gave and raised well over several millions of dollars to Montreal's Children's Hospital to the point that his name is enshrined in the building, and for his eccentric but incredibly sharp attire off-ice. Also known for his former off-ice relationship with American skier Lindsey Vonn. Before their breakup, the couple became part of the ever-growing list of North American sportspeople who own shares in American soccer teams; both are among the many minority investors in Angel City FC, a Los-Angeles based team that started play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022.
• Scott Niedermayer: Former New Jersey Devil and Anaheim Duck Norris Trophy defenseman, who is the only hockey player in history to win all of the following championships: The Stanley Cup (three with New Jersey, one with Anaheim), Olympic Gold Medal (Team Canada 2002 and 2010), International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship (2004), the World Cup of Hockey (2004), and the World Junior Title (Team Canada 1991). One of his best moments was in the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. His younger brother Rob was a forward, and played in three Cup Finals (1996 for Florida, 2003 for Anaheim against Scott, and 2007 for Anaheim with Scott, winning it all).
• Dion Phaneuf: Former star player for the Calgary Flames and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now with the Los Angeles Kings. Feared around the league for his thundering, open-ice hits. Much like Kronwall, when forced to make a decision he tends to ignore the puck in favor of bulldozing his opponents, leading to a large collection of highlight reel hits. Often gets ridiculed in the media for being a completely bland and uninteresting person off the ice.
• Viacheslav "Slava" Fetisov: One of the best defensemen of the 1980s while he played in the Soviet Union. Although he was mostly past his prime once he was allowed to come play for the NHL, he did win two Stanley Cups in Detroit in 1997 and 1998, and his fight against the Soviet government paved the way for other Russian stars to come to North America as well.
• Jay Bouwmeester: Originally with the Florida Panthers and later the Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues, Bouwmeester made his name as an "iron man", not missing a game from 2004 to 2014. While he was a two-time All-Star and multiple-time Canada national team member, he's been somewhat divisive. He's known as an outstanding skater, and was quite capable offensively, but was alleged to lack a physical presence on the ice (his durability notwithstanding). The newest member of the Triple Gold Club, having entered by winning the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. Bouwmeester is also notable for having survived a cardiac arrest on the sidelines during a game in February 2020; he was revived in the arena and had a defibrillator placed in his chest a few days later. He never played again, retiring in January 2021.
• Harry Howell: He began his career playing for the Guelph Biltmores in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) for two seasons in 1951 and 1952 before moving over to play in the NHL for the New York Rangers. He became a stalwart presence for the Rangers, where he played 17 years and managed to get the Norris Trophy in 1967, becoming the last player to win the award before Bobby Orr won his 8 straight awards. In 1969, he moved over the Oakland Seals, played there for two seasons through a name change to the California Golden Seals. He played the last three years of his NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings before moving over to the World Hockey Association to play a season each with the New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights, San Diego Mariners, and Calgary Cowboys. After his hockey career, he dabbled briefly in acting, playing a bit part as an attorney in Murder in Coweta County. He also became a scout for the Edmonton Oilers, where he picked up his only ring in 1990. He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1979.
• Cale Makar: Defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche. Made his debut during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and made an immediate impact with his elite skating, offensive prowess, and defensive awareness. Won the Calder trophy as rookie of the year in 2020, was a Norris trophy finalist in 2021, and immediately followed up a win in the tightly-contested 2022 Norris trophy race^note Nashville captain Roman Josi earned more first-place votes, but since almost nobody voted Makar worse than 2nd, he was able to make up the points differential through second-place votes and ultimately come out on top with a Conn Smythe as his Avalanche raised the cup a week later, becoming only the third defenseman in history to win both trophies in the same season.

Goaltenders

• Jacques Plante: "Jake the Snake". Innovated the modern goalie mask, and was the first to wear it regularly. Also innovated the concept of skating behind the net to stop the puck. Won the Vezina Trophy seven times (note that the criterion then was different than the one used now). His habit of knitting to relax helped establish goaltender as the likely position of any Cloud Cuckoo Lander that laced up their skates. Moved to Switzerland after his retirement and died there.
• Gerry Cheevers: A good goalie in his own right (two-time Cup champion, Hall of Famer), began the tradition of decorating goalie masks when he would put a cartoon stitch mark on his mask where he got hit. Today, goalie masks are much more ornate, but the tradition started with him.
• Terry Sawchuk: Considered the (or at least among) best goalies of the Original Six era. Had his best years with Detroit in the 1950s and '60s, but also spent time with the Bruins, Leafs, Kings and Rangers before dying in a freak fall at age 40. He held a record that many thought could never be broken, 103 shutouts, until it was done in 2009 by …
• Martin Brodeur: Considered by some to be the best goalie of all time. In addition to the most shutouts, he holds the records for most wins, most shutouts in a seasons, saves in a career, and many more. He won the Cup three times with the Devils and two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada. Broke Patrick Roy's record for most wins and was still going strong with 691 compiled before his retirement in 2015.
• Miikka Kiprusoff: Was not a starting goalie until after he was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2003. In the starting spot he then set a modern-day NHL record for lowest goals-against average before backstopping the Flames all the way to game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, in an unlikely and charismatic playoff run by a scrappy underdog team. Has continued to be an outstanding goalie in the years since, frequently stealing wins with his acrobatic goaltending.
• Roberto Luongo: "Bobby Lou." Formerly with the New York Islanders, two stints with the Florida Panthers, and Vancouver Canucks, and was the first goaltender in decades to be a team captain, a title he relinquished after the 2009–10 season. While his technique borders on unorthodox, his frequent, and often incredibly athletic, saves leave viewers (and shooters) scratching their heads. After Martin Brodeur's embarrassing loss to Team USA in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Luongo took over as Team Canada's goalie, and helped salvage the tournament in his hometown, culminating in a gold medal. That was sort of a big deal. Since then, he's come under fire for his complete collapse in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals and been the subject of a seemingly unending soap opera regarding a potential trade from the Canucks, that wound up returning him to his previous team, Florida Panthers. Continued to play capably in his return, and even got the team back to the playoffs in 2016, until hip problems caught up to him in 2018-19, which led to his retirement and, ironically, one last chapter in the aforementioned soap opera with the Canucks.^note his now-illegal 12-year contract was one of about 20 to have the cap advantage recapture penalty applied to it under the 2013 CBA, which removes any cap advantage gained by heavily front-loaded contracts with such extended term by assessing a fee to the relevant team's salary cap if the player retires prior to its conclusion. The Canucks lose just over $3 million in cap space until 2022 as a result of Luongo's retirement, while the Panthers lose around $1.2 million over the same period Has a hilarious self-deprecatingTwitter account.
• Ryan Miller: Goalie for Team USA, played mostly for the Sabres, before spending time with the Blues, Canucks, and finally, the Ducks, with whom he retired in 2021. Has made an art of stealing, or at least keeping 'em in games his teams might have no business being in. Comes from a hockey family out of Lansing, Michigan: his brother Drew plays for Detroit, cousins Kevin, Kelly, and Kip (all brothers) are retired NHLers, and all five starred for Michigan State. Holds the most wins by an American-born goalie in NHL history.
• Antti Niemi: Goalie for the Canadiens (formerly several other teams). Notable for having helped the Blackhawks to the trophy in 2010; and for being in the rare position of winning a Cup, being released by the winning team, and signing with the team he helped beat to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Also notable for being something of a Memetic Badass, for his rather acrobatic butterfly goaltending — at one point during the 2011 playoffs he wound up playing while standing on his head, literally during several shots.
• Tim Thomas: Former goalie for the Bruins who helped them win the Cup in 2011 (also had brief stints with Florida and Dallas). Fifth goaltender and only second American player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. Known for making lots of ridiculously hard saves and a very unorthodox playing style. Didn't actually become a starting goalie in the NHL until he was well into his thirties, having played in Europe and minor leagues over the years. Also known for his controversial opinions on the federal government and refusing to meet Barack Obama.^note When the Boston Bruins were invited to the White House following their Stanley Cup-win in 2011 (as is traditional for U.S.-based Stanley Cup-winning teams), Thomas opted not to go, citing his opposition to "big government".
• Patrick Roy: Revolutionized the goaltending position in the '80s with a new butterfly style to stop low shots. Is considered one of the best goalies when the game is on the line, and has an uncanny knack to dominate playoff overtime. Among Montreal fans, he shares a reputation with Ken Dryden (see below) as a brilliant young goaltender who left the team when he was at the top of his game.^note Roy, after the Canadiens fell behind 9–1 at home against Detroit on December 2, 1995 (the final score was 11–1 for the Wings), angrily declared that that would be the last game he would ever play in Montreal, and he got his wish, spending the rest of his career with the Colorado Avalanche. One of the fiercest competitors ever to play. In 2013, he was hired as Colorado's new coach, and led them back to both the playoffs and a division title.
• Ken Dryden: As with Patrick Roy, Dryden was a former Hab who was a skilled goalie and left the team too soon when he was in his prime. He left the Canadiens (and the NHL) after only seven seasons over a contract dispute, and used the time to study law at McGill University in Montreal. Since retiring from hockey, in addition to being a lawyer, Dryden became an author and businessman, and was elected to Parliament in 2004 in a Toronto riding as a Liberal Party candidate. He served as a member for seven years until he lost to a Conservative candidate, Mark Adair, in the 2011 election. A skilled orator and writer, as one would expect from a lawyer and politician, yet his Creepy Monotone voice often results in accusations of being boring.
• Dominik Hašek: "The Dominator". The goalie most known for his stint with Buffalo in the '90s. Often stuck on Buffalo teams that were no better than OK but still managed to challenge Roy and Brodeur as the best goalie in the NHL year after year. If you ever hear, "How in the world did he do that?" during a broadcast, chances are they're talking about Hašek making a save — if Jacques Plante is the Beethoven of goalies, Hašek is the Miles Davis. Went on to win two Stanley Cups with Detroit. Won the Vezina Trophy for best goalie six times, a record for its current criteria. He's also the only goalie to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP twice. Not to mention that he also pretty much willed the Czech Republic to Olympic gold in 1998.
• Glenn Hall: Nicknamed "Mr. Goalie" during his career for his skill at his position. Habitually vomited before most games, but still managed to play 502 consecutive games once, a record for a goalie that will almost certainly never be broken (even the best goalies now will sit about ten or fifteen games a season). He's the one who actually invented the butterfly style of goaltending before Patrick Roy made it famous.
• Ron Hextall: Best known for his years in Philadelphia, Hextall changed the way goalies played by his willingness to come out of the net (way out of the net) and aggressively pass the puck forward instead of stopping it or guiding it to the side for a teammate to pick up. He was the first goaltender in NHL history to score a goal deliberately (instead of getting credit for the goal by being the last player to touch the puck before the opposing team screwed up and scored on their own net). Also well known for using his stick as an axe on opposing players' legs and even fighting. Became General Manager of the Flyers after retiring, but was fired in late 2018; he was hired to the same post with the Penguins in early 2021, but was shown the door after the 2022–23 season, in which the Pens missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Also part of a notable hockey family; his grandfather Bryan Sr. was a Hall of Fame forward with the Rangers, his father Bryan Jr. and uncle Dennis were longtime forwards in the league, his cousin Leah does play-by-play for ESPN, and his son Brett worked under him as a player development coach.
• Marc-André Fleury: Former goalie for the Penguins, Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks, now with the Wild. Known for being very flexible and able to make amazing saves, particularly the save on Alex Ovechkin during Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Semifinals which was a major turning point in the game that led to the Pens absolutely dominating the Caps. He also had a memorable save in the final seconds of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, literally jumping to the side of the net à la a Secret Service man taking the bullet for the President. Despite that, he had some really bad moments in the 2013 playoffs, and the Pens only won in 2016 and 2017 by putting Matt Murray as the starter. But then Fleury went to the recently created Golden Knights, and had stellar performances that led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season and four playoff appearances in as many years, capped off by claiming the Vezina Trophy in 2021. Unfortunately, he became slightly notorious in Vegas for coming up short in pivotal playoff games. After the 2020–21 season, with the Golden Knights in salary cap hell, he was traded to the Blackhawks for a minor-league prospect, making him the first reigning Vezina Trophy winner to be traded since Dominik Hašek 20 years earlier, he would get shipped out again not long after, this time to the Minnesota Wild ^note once the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal broke out and became widespread throughout the League, Fluery quickly demanded a trade out of Chicago to escape the lingering controversy.
  • His 2021 Vezina trophy was a slightly controversial decision, since many didn't consider his performance in its associated season to be his best, let alone the best of the season. Many fans and commentators believe that his win was more of a lifetime achievement award since he had never won the award in any of his previous seasons, and some fans who view his win this way consider it at least a worthy reason to give it to him. Even so, do not bring it up with Lightning fans, who (not without reason) feel Andrei Vasilevskiy was robbed of the trophy.
• Henrik Lundqvist: King Henrik, goalie for the Rangers until the team faltered and he left for Washington... but ended up never playing for the Caps due to a heart condition that required surgery. After sitting out the 2020–21 season, he announced his retirement, with the Rangers in turn announcing that they would retire his #30. Hails from Sweden and led the national team to Olympic Gold at the 2006 Torino Games. Well known amongst fans and throughout the league for being not only be really really good, but being really, really attractive, to the point that few fans and even other players haven't fallen into moments of Stupid Sexy Flanders upon seeing him without a mask, including a Swedish Princess if rumors are true.
• Ilya Bryzgalov: Russian-born goaltender for the Flyers who previously won the Cup with Anaheim in 2007. Became the Breakout Character in the 2011–12 edition of 24/7 which showed the entire hockey world his happy-go-lucky, philosophic self, at least until his play started hitting a slump at which point the world also saw a much more jaded and cynical side. It's not hard to draw comparisons between him and a certain Russian well known on this very wiki.
• Tom Barrasso: American-born goaltender who, despite his good start with the Buffalo Sabres, is much better known for his stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Stepped up into the big leagues at the age of 18, as the only person to go from US high school hockey straight to the NHL, and proved to be one of the best marquee goalies of his time thanks to his impressive agility, skating, and stick-handling skills, and became the first American goalie to amass 300 wins. He's currently mentoring Cam Ward as the Carolina Hurricanes' goaltending coach.
• Grant Fuhr: Drafted eighth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 1981, Fuhr would become one of the best goalies in the 1980s while playing alongside Andy Moog and later Bill Ranford. In the later stages of his career, he fought against injuries and substance abuse problems, but he still managed to obtain 403 victories in his career. He holds the current NHL record for 76 consecutive starts and 79 appearances in 1995–96 with the St. Louis Blues.
• Jean-Sébastien Giguère: The last remaining Hartford Whaler in the league before his retirement, his early career wasn't all that notable, with a few appearances for Hartford and the Calgary Flames. But then he was traded to Anaheim and became a steel wall. Thanks to his efforts, the Mighty Ducks were able to advance to the Finals, defeating the heavily-favored Detroit Red Wings and featuring a 63-save triple-overtime performance (a record for a playoff debut) followed by a five-overtime victory over Dallas a few days later, and then holding the Minnesota Wild to almost 220 minutes without allowing a goal, all of which earned Giguère the Conn Smythe Trophy despite Anaheim's defeat by the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals. Continued his winning ways and eventually did win a Cup with Anaheim in 2007. He stayed with the Ducks for a few years, then was traded to the Maple Leafs for one, before finally ending up in Colorado, eventually retiring with the Avalanche in 2014.
• John Gibson: Gibson's career started with him being made backup to Frederik Andersen of the Anaheim Ducks, before an injury to Andersen allowed him to step in and claim the Number One spot. Then Gibson got injured and Andersen came back in, and then Ilya Bryzgalov was signed, to add to the fun of figuring out who the Ducks' goaltending staff would be. Of the three, Gibson emerged as the Ducks Number One goaltender after the 2015 season, which saw a run by the Ducks to the Western Conference Final, helped along by Andersen and Gibson, though Andersen was traded to Toronto for Jonathan Bernier, leaving Gibson as the starter. Gibson has since become one of many top-notch goalies in the league, making an All-Star appearance in 2016 and being one of the driving forces behind Anaheim's 2017 run to the Western Conference Final, before an injury sidelined him before the Nashville Predators series.
• Andy Moog: Rising up as a goaltender with the Oilers, Moog showed a lot of moxie while splitting time with Grant Fuhr, even managing to win one of the Stanley Cup titles for Edmonton in the 1984 playoffs. He would then be traded to the Boston Bruins for Bill Ranford and cemented his reputation as one of the best of his position. Considered to be The Habs Killer due to being able to beat the Montreal Canadiens most of the times they met in the playoffs.^note Ironically, he signed with Montreal for the 1997–98 season, and that spring he helped them advance to the conference semifinals, their first playoff round won since their 1993 Stanley Cup. He's considered to have the scariest goalie mask in history (though it's since been given a run by the Bruins' now-retired Tuukka Rask).
• Ed Belfour: Known as Eddie the Eagle thanks to his emblematic mask that always sported an eagle in every team he's played with, Belfour is considered one of the best goalies of all time. Drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, Belfour would come up with one of the best seasons for a rookie in 1990–91 by obtaining 43 victories, 2.47 GAA and four shutouts and took them to the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals, only to be swept by the Mario Lemieux-led Penguins. Tensions between him and backup goalie Jeff Hackett led him to be dealt to the San Jose Sharks and later he landed to the Dallas Stars, where he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1999 against the Buffalo Sabres. He was also known as Crazy Eddie due to his drunken antics^note In perhaps the most famous such instance, the year after he won the Cup, he was picked up from a Dallas nightclub by a police officer and offered him $100,000 to let him off. When the cop refused, Belfour offered progressively larger bribes, culminating in one billion dollars … and then threw up all over himself. and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.
• Jonathan Quick: Goalie for Los Angeles, now with Vegas whose last name is as meaningful as it is punny; he became the third American to win the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Kings won the Cup in 2012. A very talented goalie whose only problem is that media-wise, he's overshadowed by other goaltenders such as Lundqvist, Fleury, Kiprusoff, Miller, and others. Being on the West Coast doesn't help, but the 2011–12 season as well as his performance in the playoffs helped highlight his skill. Many people believe he's a huge reason why Los Angeles made the playoffs. Provided several Funny Moments during the media blitz following the Kings' Cup victory both from putting away enough booze to rival the league's most infamous Hard-Drinking Party Girl Patrick Kane, and for the Precision F Strikes he threw out during interviews that went completely uncensored on national television … twice. Would ultimately be traded during the 2023 trade deadline, first to a floundering Columbus Blue Jackets team ^note never playing a single game for them, and then getting traded again to the Vegas Golden Knights.
• Pekka Rinne: Finnish goalie of the Nashville Predators and one of the best in the business. Very tall (6'5" — 1.96m) and with tremendous reach but still very quick on his feet and agile despite his size. Has been a Vezina Trophy finalist three times, winning it in 2018. His outstanding play — coupled with some excellent blueliners — has allowed the offensively challenged Predators to become a regular guest in the playoffs during the last few years, and was even one of the driving forces behind their 2017 Stanley Cup Finals run. One of the very late draft picks (round 8, pick #258 in 2004) to make it into a bona fide All-Star. Has since become a Memetic Badass around the league thanks to being "too good right now." Also, as of 9 January 2020, the most recent goaltender to score a goal (and only the twelfth goaltender to do so). Retired in 2021 after 15 seasons, and became the first retired number for Nashville.
• Tuukka Rask: Another Finnish elite goaltender and longtime starting netminder of the Boston Bruins. After being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs he got traded to the Bruins for Andrew Raycroft (which proved to be a bad deal for the Leafs) early and has served mostly as a backup to two-time Vezina winner Tim Thomas for most of his career. The lockout-shortened 2012–13 season saw him emerge as the full-time starter — aided by Thomas taking a sabbatical — and by all accounts he did an amazing job. Rask backstopped the Bruins to within two wins of a Stanley Cup win and got a massive contract soon after. Very competitive and prone to hilarious temper tantrums when things didn't go his way. Sadly, he suffered a hip injury that required surgery in the 2021 offseason and eventually forced him to retire in February 2022.
• Corey Crawford: AKA Crow, the most succesful Blackhawks goalie in the postseason. After many years as a backup, became the starting goalie in 2011, and despite a disappointing season in 2012, ended up being crucial in their 2013 Stanley Cup run (and like Quick, ended up swearing on national TV!)). The following years, Crow had a few below-average nights, but has often got incredible playoff performances — including the 2015 title run, leading to another Precision F-Strike. Even if he signed with New Jersey in late 2020, still retired a life-long Blackhawk as injuries made him never hit the ice and eventually decide to retire.
• Ben Bishop: Goalie for the Dallas Stars. Tallest player ever to play the position in the NHL (6'7" — 2.01m), which consequently has earned him the nickname "Big Ben". Bishop spent most of his career since 2008 in either the minor leagues or as backup goalie for the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators before being dealt to Tampa Bay at the 2013 trade deadline. The 2013–14 season saw him emerge as the full-time starter for the first time in his career, and it went well. He led the Lightning to their first postseason appearance in four years and earned himself a Vezina Trophy nod. Ended up in an unfortunate case of Overshadowed by Awesome (or, in Bishop's case, more awesome) towards the end of his career with the Lightning courtesy of up-and-coming goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky, ultimately resulting in his departure to Los Angeles in 2017, later going to the Stars who lost the 2020 finals to that very Lightning team!
• Sergei Bobrovsky: Current goaltender for the Florida Panthers, after spending most of his career in Columbus. Started as the Flyers' backup goalie before being traded to Columbus prior to the 2013 half-season, after which he promptly Took a Level in Badass; he has since been integral to the Jackets becoming serious contenders after years of being the league Butt-Monkey. Has a notable bromance with teammate Nick Foligno, and fans look forward to their celebratory hugs after each victory. Has the interesting Fan Nickname "#1 Cop on the Force" courtesy of sports presenter Jay Onrait, who thought Bobrovsky's name sounded like a cop from a 70's cop film. As one can see here
• Carey Price: Current number-one goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens. Drafted in 2005, he took the reins of the Montreal net as a rookie in 2008 after Cristobal Huet was traded away. Early on he faced criticism from many in the passionate Montreal fandom, especially during and after the 2009–10 season when Jaroslav Halak gave an amazing performance to lead the Canadiens on a Cinderella run to the Eastern Conference finals, after which Price was given the starter role again, with Halak traded to St. Louis. Since then, however, he has silenced the majority of his critics, with several fantastic seasons, capped off with backstopping Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and, in 2014–15, guiding an otherwise rather mediocre Habs team to the second-best record in the NHL while putting up ridiculously good numbers (93.3% of shots saved, 1.96 GAA) and 44 wins, a record number on a team with over 100 years of history. Performed even better in 2021 to help Montreal reach the finals for the first time in decades, though even Price couldn't stop the high-scoring Lightning team that awaited.

Other Notable Figures

Executives

• Frederick Arthur Stanley: Lord Stanley of Preston (1841–1908), the sixth Governor-General of Canada (serving 1888–93). An English aristocrat from a very old family, he had a significant career in British politics before being appointed viceroy. Once in Canada, he quickly came to love the country and became particularly passionate about its favourite sport, ice hockey. Desiring to raise the standard of the Canadian hockey match, he purchased the original trophy that came to bear his name, the Stanley Cup, in 1892, to be awarded to the champion of Canadian hockey. However Stanley never actually saw the Cup awarded, as he returned home to England prior to its first awarding in 1893; after his older brother, the 15th Earl of Derby, had died childless, Lord Stanley became the 16th Earl and had to leave to take his seat in the Lords and manage the family estate. The Stanley Cup was originally a challenge cup among amateur teams, but became a professional championship in the 1910s, and the de facto championship trophy of the NHL after 1926.
• Peter Pocklington: owner of the Edmonton Oilers from 1978 to 1998, he brought Wayne Gretzky to the team; put his father's name on the 1983–84 Stanley Cup (an accident, he claims); traded Gretzky to Los Angeles for two players, three draft picks, and $15 million in 1988; and had to sell the team after falling into bankruptcy. He is not liked in Edmonton.
• Gary Bettman^note BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!: Current NHL Commissioner (in fact, its first Commissioner; previously there were Presidents). Spearheaded the league's push into nontraditional markets (new franchises in Nashville, Atlanta and Las Vegas, as well as movement of teams southward^note Quebec to Colorado, Winnipeg to Phoenix, Hartford to Carolina; the Stars don't belong here because the decision to move to Dallas was made shortly before Bettman took over.). Has generated a lot of detractors from fans accusing him of being anti-Canadian, having blocked several attempts to move financially struggling franchises in Nashville, Pittsburgh, and Arizona; however, he allowed the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, satisfying his pie-in-the-sky dream of keeping the Coyotes (the original Winnipeg Jets) in Arizona and fulfilling Winnipeg's desire to return to the NHL with the consequence of repeating history and alienating fans in Atlanta. He is also accused of being generally detrimental to the sport with three labour stoppages, including the cancellation of the entire 2004–05 season, and the subsequent move of games from ESPN to the NBC Sports Network (formerly Outdoor Life and later Versus) due to the latter's much less extensive exposure. Amongst the fandom, particularly Canadians, Bettman is so reviled that some people believe he actually plays up his more hated traits just to get a rise out of the fans and keep people interested. It's gotten to the point where it is considered a league tradition to boo the commissioner at every public appearance he makes, from the entry draft all the way to presenting the Stanley Cup^note To the point where, when the Cup was presented at the end of the COVID-interrupted 2019-2020 season, in an arena with no fans, there was genuine speculation that the NHL would pump in fake "boo"s to keep the tradition alive. Even the year he didn't present the Cup (2022, due to contracting COVID), he got booed when Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly mentioned his name. For his part, this is a tradition Bettman wholeheartedly has embraced and enjoys.
• Lou Lamoriello: Was the Team President and General Manager of the New Jersey Devils, and in his very first year with them, the Devils Took a Level in Badass and were one win away from going to their first Stanley Cup Finals in the 1987–88 season. In the following 18 years, built a franchise with three titles, two other finals, only three missed playoffs before a rut starting in 2013, and plenty of smart drafting — most notably Martin Brodeur, who was passed by almost every team and went on to hold several league records. One of the drafters of the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement that brought the NHL back from a cancelled season. He went on to serve three seasons as GM of the Maple Leafs (2015–2018), where he started the Leafs' rise to playoff contenders (though not yet threatening to win the Cup). Lamoriello went straight from there to the New York Islanders, being named the league's GM of the year in 2020 and 2021. He was the first person ever to win that award twice, much less in consecutive years.
• Brendan Shanahan: Already well-known by hockey fans for his time as a player (1,354 points and three Stanley Cups won with Detroit), Shanahan became a rather polarizing figure in 2011 when he replaced Colin Campbell as the league's disciplinarian. As opposed to Campbell, who gained much criticism for punishing some incidents and letting many others slide, Shanahan's agenda seemed to be to hand out suspensions for absolutely everything (which, given that he earned 2,489 penalty minutes as a player, has opened up the Hypocritical Humor gate). Before long, half the fans were complaining that he was even worse than Campbell, and the other half argued that he was exactly what the game needed. Shanahan is also a firm defier of New Media Are Evil as he appeared in online videos explaining every suspension he handed out in detail, so fans weren't scratching their heads wondering about his application of the rules. Left his NHL post at the end of the 2013–14 season to become president (effectively overseeing all hockey operations) of the Maple Leafs.
• Brian Burke: Former GM of the Leafs, Ducks, Canucks and Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes), later President of Hockey Operations with the Flames, and currently holds the latter post with the Penguins. He, along with his son Patrick, has become the most outspoken voice for LGBT equality in professional sports. His other son, Brendan, was openly gay, working as a manager for Miami University^note the one in Ohio, not Florida; the latter is the University of Miami and doesn't have a hockey team and had made efforts to end homophobia in the sport before dying in a car crash in 2010. In his honor, Blackhawks defenseman and personal friend Brent Sopel carried The Stanley Cup in Chicago's pride parade that year. In 2012, the Burkes founded the You Can Play campaign, which seeks to emphasize to young athletes that sexuality has no bearing on their ability to excel at the sport, and that if you can play … you can play. So far support for the campaign has been overwhelming with dozens of big name players contributing videos.
• Harold 'Pal Hal' Ballard: The GM and owner of the Maple Leafs beginning in the 1971–72 season until his death in 1990. Was a penny-pincher who was stridently anti-union (which irked Leafs fan favorites Darryl Sittler and Hap Day), refused to hire any Europeans, and was notoriously rude, selfish, and insulting. He made misogynistic comments in an interview with beloved CBC host Barbara Frum on As It Happened and destroyed Foster Hewitt's broadcasting booth at Maple Leaf Gardens, where he coined phrases forever associated with the hockey vernacular such as "He shoots! He scores!" and "slapshot", when the Hockey Hall of Fame wanted to preserve it. He also got into a battle with new league president John Ziegler in 1978, when the league added a rule requiring player names on the backs of jerseys; when Ziegler threatened heavy fines for the Leafs' noncompliance, Ballard had blue letters added to the blue jerseys for a couple of games, before being allowed to have the Leafs finish the season with no names on their backs, so long as they complied for the next season (they did). It's heavily theorized that his destructive antics may have placed a Curse on the Maple Leafs to never advance let alone win a Stanley Cup again.
• John A. Ziegler Jr.: President of the league from 1977–92. In a spectacular backfire on Ballard's part, Ziegler, a Red Wings executive, was his pick to succeed Clarence Campbell. The perceived favorite for the job, Flyers owner Ed Snider, favored merger talks with the WHA, and Ballard believed that he could get Ziegler to keep the WHA out. Ziegler almost immediately opened up merger negotiations, and went after Ballard to boot (see above). Ziegler also fought to keep the North Stars in Minnesota, opting to give the team owners an expansion franchise in San Jose instead of relocating the team (and thus beginning the modern expansion era). He was ousted following the 1992 players' strike, leading to the owners eliminating the position of president and creating the office of the commissioner.
• Bill and Rocky Wirtz: Father and son, former and current owner of the Blackhawks. The former was usually blamed for the team's 47-year Cup drought, being considered a cheapskate (hence the nickname "Dollar Bill"), engineering the 1994 lockout and doing unpopular acts such as blacking out local TV broadcasts. But once his son took over, Rocky soon revived the team, bringing a new fanbase and three Stanley Cups ^note though his reputation and the 3 Stanley Cups would take a significant hit once the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal broke out, leading many NHL, Hawks' fans and pundits to paint Rocky in a similar negative light to his deceased father .
• Jeremy Jacobs: Owner of the Boston Bruins since 1975. While fans complimented his rebuild of the team in the late 2000s, including the first Cup in 39 years, he had previously earned hatred for the team's decay, and subsequently for his participation on the 2012 lockout.

Managers

• Scotty Bowman: winningest coach in the league's history (1244 regular season wins, 223 playoff wins). Won nine Stanley Cups as a coach with three different teams (Canadiens, Penguins, and Red Wings), and coached the St. Louis Blues to three consecutive Cup appearances from 1968–70. Currently the Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations for the Blackhawks. Was recently awarded the Order of Canada (basically, he's a Canadian knight).
• Al Arbour: hockey's third winningest coach (782 regular season wins, 123 playoff wins). Holds the record for most wins with one team (740). Best known as coach of the dynasty New York Islanders, but he also won Stanley Cups as a player with the Red Wings, Blackhawks, and Maple Leafs, and was captain of Scotty Bowman's St. Louis Blues.
• The Sutter Family: Six brothers from Viking, Alberta that have played in the NHL for a combined total of over 5,000 games — Darryl, Duane, Brian, Brent, and twins Ron and Rich. These six men have all said their older brother, Gary, was better at hockey than any of them... he just chose to stay at home and help operate the family farm. Several have gone on to coach in the league as well (with Darryl leading both of the Kings titles). The second generation of Sutters are breaking into the NHL as well, with Brandon (son of Brent), Brody (son of Duane) and Brett (son of Darryl) having played at the top level, and several more possibly on the way in coming years.
• Roger Neilson: Coach of the Maple Leafs, Sabres, Canucks, Kings, Rangers, Panthers (their first coach ever), Flyers, and Senators (for just two games). Sadly passed away from cancer in 2003. Infamous for his bending of the rules, such as putting a defenseman in goal for a penalty shot, who could legally leave the goal and check the other guy, and having goalies block the net with their stick when they were pulled. While in Toronto, he was fired and rehired by the team owner on a whim late in the 1978–79. While in Vancouver, he innovated the Towel Power tradition (fans waving towels) when he stuck a white towel on the end of a player's stick and waved it as a mock surrender flag as a symbol of his disgust with the officiating in the game during the 1982 playoffs.
• Joel Quenneville: Most recently head coach of the Florida Panthers, who earned his name coaching the Chicago Blackhawks; passing Al Arbour to become the second-winningest coach in NHL history in 2016. He previously had stints with the Avalanche and Blues but has led the Hawks to three Stanley Cups in six years. His mustache is legendary among fans and lent credence to the theory that you cannot win a championship in Chicago if you are clean-shaven.◊^note Clockwise, from the top left, that's Quenneville; Ozzie Guillén, who managed the Chicago White Sox to a World Series championship (their first in 88 years) in 2005; Mike Ditka, who coached the Chicago Bears to a near-undefeated season and a Super Bowl in the 1985–86 season; and Phil Jackson, who coached the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s.^note Though not pictured, Joe Maddon, who managed the Cubs to their first title in more than a century in 2016, also fits this theory. He had long been clean-shaven, but grew a mustache and goatee in time for the World Series run. However, after a downward spiral from the Blackhawks making plenty of poor offseason decisions, Quenneville was fired in a move widely regarded as a face-saving measure by 'Hawks front office staff, and the Panthers were quick to snatch him up. However, scandal broke in the early 2020s regarding a sexual assault of former Blackhawks team member Kyle Beach that occurred in 2010, in which it was revealed that Quenneville and members of the team downplayed Beach's reports of the incident and focused instead on winning the Stanley Cup that year. Quenneville soon resigned from the Panthers, and his future in the league is uncertain, with commissioner Gary Bettman publicly saying that Quenneville will have to meet with him before being allowed back in the league.
• John Tortorella: Current coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, having been hired after the 2021–22 season. He got his start as the coach who first helped bring Tampa bay to their first Stanley Cup win ever. Tortorella, or "Torts" as he is known, has become both famous and infamous for his fiery personality, and especially blunt and entertaining press conferences that are often quite profane. He's well-known for either having the entire team he's coaching love him for his eccentricities and hard-competing ways, but also for alienating veteran players, including popular and... well... GOOD players at that, which made him infamous in his brief season or two in Vancouver, for his outbursts and continued struggles. His contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets was not renewed after the 2020–21 season, and he was soon signed by ESPN, serving as a studio analyst for a season before returning to coaching.
• Mike Babcock: Largely viewed as the best head coach in the league since Scotty Bowman's retirement, Babcock has lead teams to the Stanley Cup Finals 3 times, in 2003 with the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and then in back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009 with Bowman's Detroit Red Wings, winning it all in 2008. He has also had international success, winning gold medals at all 3 major levels, World Juniors, World Championships and Olympics, the latter two of which, along with his Stanley Cup, makes him the only head coach in the famed Triple Gold Club. Left the Wings after the 2014-15 season willingly, an almost unheard of case where a major league coach left a team without being fired or retiring, to join his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. In 25 years as a head coach, including 8 years in the Western Hockey League and 2 years in the American Hockey League, his teams have missed the playoffs a total of 4 times ^note This is including the 2015-16 season, his first with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that had missed the playoffs for 8 of the prior 9 seasons before Babcock joined. However, as time went on, the Leafs began experiencing issues, inevitably ending in his firing, were plenty of dirty laundry about his style, such as psychological manipulations and his seeming inability to not piss off veteran players, were revealed.

Media Personalities/Commentators

• Foster Hewitt: Former radio and television broadcaster of the Toronto Maple Leafs, including broadcasts part of the nationwide Hockey Night in Canada series. Called his first games in 1923 and only retired in 1968, coming out to broadcast the 1972 Summit Series. Known for his introduction to game broadcasts, "Hello, Canada, and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland." (before Newfoundland joined the Dominion of Canada) and his goal call, "He shoots, he scores!"
• Don Cherry: Former coach of the Boston Bruins during the '70s and early '80s who went on to become the longtime host of Hockey Night in Canada's Coach's Corner segment until being fired in November 2019 after making on-air remarks that questioned the patriotism of recent immigrants to Canada. Best known for his flamboyant dress style and propensity to say controversial things which at times lands him in hot water. ^note Before his 2019 firing, the most notable was a five-minute-long debate with co-host Ron MacLean about the impending War in Iraq in 2003. Note that the entire argument had nothing to do with hockey at all.^note He was fired after the following comment: "You people ... that come here, whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey. At least you could pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada." This was during the lead-up to Remembrance Day, observed on November 11 to honour Canada's war dead. Traditionally, poppies are worn on that day. Coach's Corner has also been subject to a seven-second delay in the past due to Cherry's controversial nature. Cherry himself played only one game in the NHL (a playoff game with the Bruins in 1955), but had played on three AHL teams, the Hershey Bears (the oldest pro hockey team currently in existence outside the NHL Original Six, and yes, it's owned by the chocolate company), the Rochester Americans (also known as the Amerks), and the Springfield Indians. Earned the nickname "Hot Lips Don" in a 1993 playoff game when he kissed Doug Gilmour, then of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Incidentally, they were both born in Kingston, Ontario.
• Howie Meeker: A former player and TV commentator who became more famous as a children's educator in the sport with TV shows and books devoted to teaching the game. He also was a strong advocate for better-quality kids' safety equipment in the sport.
• Jack Edwards: Play-by-play announcer for the Bruins on NESN, known for his enthusiastic commentary. A former SportsCenter anchor, he also participated in ESPN's NHL coverage in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• Mike 'Doc' Emrick: Widely regarded as the best play-by-play commentator in the sport, and, to some, in all of sports. Has a unique vocabulary, and knows just about everything there is to know about hockey. Was born and raised in Indiana, a state known for its basketball rather than its hockey, and is a noted fan of baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. Nickname comes from the doctorate he earned at Bowling Green State University. Won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play for his work at NBC Sports an astounding nine times, first in 2011 (for work in 2010), then for EIGHT CONSECUTIVE YEARS from 2013 to 2020. Emrick also became the first hockey announcer to win the National Sports Media Association's^note formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association National Sportscaster of the Year Award, doing so for his work in 2013. He would win the award the following two years, then a fourth and final time in 2020, and be inducted into the association's hall of fame in 2019. He was the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2008 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, which is given to broadcasters who have had exceptional careers in ice hockey. Emrick retired at the end of the 2019–20 season. He currently narrates features on various sports for NBC.
• Jim Hughson: As Doc Emrick is to the sport in the United States, so too is Jim Hughson to Canada. Where to begin? Jim is known as the voice of hockey to many in the Great White North, being the lead play-by-play announcer for NHL on SportsNet and of course Hockey Night In Canada. If you played a NHL Hockey game between 1997 and 2009, he was most likely the guy you heard, alongside other commentators in later years. Coined the phrase "That's hockey!" during his time at TSN, which became the title of a show for daily discussion of the NHL that still runs to this day. Been calling hockey for 42 years, announced his retirement shortly before the 2021/22 season.
• Gary Thorne and Bill Clement: Currently not involved with NHL commentary, Thorne and Clement were a play-by-play/color commentary duo that were the front men for NHL on ESPN up until its discontinuation in 2004, and then appeared as commentators in the NHL Hockey series from 2007-2014 as well. Their impact cannot be overstated. For starters, some of hockey's most famous calls were made by the duo, including but not limited to "OFF THE FLOOR! ON THE BOARD! PAUL KARIYA!", "And after 22 years, RAYMOND BOURQUE!" and (look away Blues fans) "Yzerman blue line chance SCOOOOOOOORE!" With ESPN set to cover the NHL once more, calls for a reunion of Thorne and Clement have grown loud over the last several months.
• Steve Dangle: Real name Steve Glynn, Steve is a media personality who works for Sportsnet who gained a large online presence over the course of the New '10s. Initially, he started off as a YouTube creator making content about the game in 2009, before creating a series called "Leafs Fan Reaction", which quickly became his signature series for several years, in which he would usually report on news and games that the Leafs are involved in. However, after being picked up by Sportsnet, he started the series "Steve's Dang-Its" and "Steve's Hat-Picks", as well as exploring trade trees in recent history and such, all of which have garnered him a large following when it comes to hockey media. However, thanks in a large part due to his particularly hammy reactions, he has become a Fountain of Memes around the hockey community, giving us such gems as "That's a Dang-It", "If you're a goaltender, TEND THE GOAL!" and, most famously, "WE LOST TO A ZAMBONI DRIVER!" Oftentimes, whenever the Toronto Maple Leafs find a way to drop the ball, his channel and reaction will usually be one of the most highly-watched videos in the immediate aftermath.
• The Bar-Down Podcast: A collection of reporters and journalists working for TSN who are known to put their hockey-related quizzes online, in addition to their reporting and other postings about the world of hockey. Started to gain popularity in mid-2017. They do report on other sports, as they are sports journalists, but their main area of expertise is hockey. Also a Fountain of Memes to the NHL community, though not nearly as many as Steve.The cast love to pick on each other, which only adds to the fun, and Jesse particularly is known for being a Large Ham during quizzes, often being given a spotlight to shout "LET'S GO!" at the top of his lungs.
• Leah Hextall, cousin of the aforementioned Ron Hextall, is the first woman ever to serve as a play-by-play announcer for an NHL national telecast, doing so in March 2020 as part of Sportsnet's first all-female broadcast team. She started out as a general sports reporter for CTV in Winnipeg, moving from there to the New England Sports Network and then to Sportsnet as the studio host for Calgary Flames regional broadcasts. After being let go by Sportsnet in a 2016 downsizing, she started calling play-by-play in the now-defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League, as well as junior leagues and the NCAA Division I men's tournament (becoming the first woman ever to do play-by-play in the last of these). Hextall was hired as one of ESPN's play-by-play announcers for the 2021–22 season.
• Daryl Reaugh: A former NHL goalie in his playing days, didn't really do anything notable other than spending a year on the same team as Wayne Gretzky, got sent over to Hartford, played a year, then finished out his career in the ECHL in 1993. And then his real career started. Reaugh, known by the nickname "Razor", became a commentator in the NHL in 1996, calling games for the Whalers before eventually being picked up by the Dallas Stars to work alongside Ralph Strangis as the Stars' local broadcasting crew. Reaugh is known for his extremely creative and varied vocabulary that he uses to describe things going on on the ice, and is known for describing any kind of spectacular save as "larceny".

Other

• The Staal Brothers: Four brothers from Thunder Bay, Ontario. Three of them were signed with the Carolina Hurricanes at one point (Eric, Jordan, and Jared), and in 2016, the family business remained as Eric went to join Marc with the Rangers.
  • Eric, the oldest brother, was a part of the Carolina Hurricanes for a decade, helping their 2006 Stanley Cup win and becoming team captain. Traded to Marc's Rangers in 2016 then joined the Minnesota Wild that summer.
  • Marc, the second oldest and only defenceman of the four, has played his whole career for the New York Rangers. Got to the 2014 Final, but lost to the Kings.
  • Jordan was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2009, becoming a fan favorite even compared to superstar teammates Crosby and Malkin, before being traded to Carolina in the 2012 offseason. Interestingly, he started playing in the NHL a year before his older brother Marc.
  • Jared is the youngest brother. He was originally drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes but was traded to Carolina in 2010. Has not yet become an NHL regular, so he has not yet been able to play in a game with Eric. Currently stuck in the minor leagues.
• Gritty: Not a coach, a player, or even an executive, but a mascot. Inarguably the most famous mascot in the league, Gritty debuted to be the mascot of the Flyers in 2018 to almost instant fame due to just how bizarre he was; a giant orange furred muppet thing with a manic smile and googly eyes, and quickly became known for his similarly bizarre social media presence, his stunts at NHL events^note Like "streaking" at the NHL Winter Classic and getting tackled for it., and most fittingly, an actual criminal investigation over possibly punching a child... then getting out of it.
• Youppi!: Another mascot who was arguably the league's most famous until Gritty came along. Like Gritty, Youppi!^* French for "yippee!" Yes, the exclamation mark is part of his name. Seriously. is a giant orange-furred muppet thing, although his fur is noticeably lighter-shaded, and he has a more rounded face with a distinct neck. He's been a fixture in the Montreal sports scene since 1979, though he started out as the mascot of the Montreal Expos. During his tenure with the Expos, he was hugely popular, especially with kids, and also became the first mascot ever thrown out of a Major League Baseball game. After the Expos left for Washington at the end of the 2004 season, Youppi!'s future hung in the balance, with multiple groups vying for rights to the creature. Finally, the Canadiens announced shortly before the 2005–06 season that they had bought the rights and would make Youppi! their official mascot. He's since made the Mascot Hall of Fame (yes, there is such an institution!), becoming the first mascot of a Canadian team so honoured.

Historical footnotes

• In the three major North American sports leagues (or the "Big Two Sports … and Hockey", if you prefer) that have a best-of-seven playoff series format (the others being the NBA and Major League Baseball), a team has come back from being down three games to none to win the series only five times—otherwise known as a Reverse Sweep. Four of them have been in the NHL (the fifth being the 2004 Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees):
  • The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings in this manner to win the Stanley Cup, after Detroit head coach Jack Adams was suspended midway through the series.
  • The New York Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1975 Quarterfinals, and fell just short of repeating the feat against the Philadelphia Flyers in the following round.^note This gives the Islanders the dubious distinction of being the only team in any North American sport to rebound from a 3–0 deficit and not at least reach the final series.
  • The 2010 Philadelphia Flyers did this to the Boston Bruins in the Conference Semifinals, and to top it off, even spotted the Bruins the first three goals of Game 7, only to win that game by a score of 4–3. They defeated the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the Conference finals shortly after, then lost the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks.
  • The Los Angeles Kings did this in the 2014 Western Conference Quarterfinals against the San Jose Sharks. They hoisted the Cup over the New York Rangers three rounds later.

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