The annual Ice Hockey World Championships is held every May, at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs. ESPN’s deal includes 25 regular season games on ABC or ESPN, and 75 exclusive games streamed on ESPN+ and Hulu. The NHL primarily was then only available on cable television after 1981 (airing on the USA Network), SportsChannel America, and ESPN at various times. The current national television and digital rightsholder is Rogers Communications, which initially signed a 12-year deal that began in the 2014–15 season, then signed a 12-year renewal to extend its agreement to 2037–38. The NHL has made clear in the past that it only allows teams to recognize regular season division titles.
Following the conclusion of the regular season (16 teams advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs), a four-round tournament that runs into June to determine the league champion. Salt Lake City was awarded an expansion franchise in 2024; it acquired the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, which were deactivated, and established the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth), thus maintaining the total number of teams at 32. The league added six new teams to double its size as a result of the 1967 NHL expansion (then increased to 18 teams by 1974), and to 21 teams due to the 1979 NHL expansion. At its inception, the NHL had four teams, all in Canada, thus the adjective “National” in the league’s name. The league’s headquarters have been in New York City since 1989 — when it moved from Montreal; the league also has offices in Toronto and Montreal. Alfie detailed what appealed to him with Toronto, and explained how the power play will be a big part that he will work with alongside head coach Jim Hiller.
As things stand today, let’s prognosticate as to the Rangers opening-night lineup. One day ahead of the full release of the NHL schedule, the opening night slate of games and all 32 home openers are now known. Can you name every player selected in the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft? Three-time Stanley Cup champion Steve Yzerman stepping down as GM marks needed leadership change for Red Wings Merchandise sales were up 22 percent, and the number of unique visitors on the NHL.com website was up 17 percent during the playoffs after rising 29 percent in the regular season. The NHL had been the sport holding the most affluent fan base of the top four — but it slid behind the MLB and leveled off with the NFL in recent years.
Split squad games (in which parts of a team’s regular season roster play separate games on the same day), are occasionally played during the preseason. Shootout IIHF World Championship betting goals and saves are not tracked in hockey statistics; shootout statistics are tracked separately. The team with the most goals during the three-round shootout wins the game. Also (unlike minor penalties), major penalties must be served to their full completion, regardless of number of goals scored during the power play. The rule is unofficially nicknamed the “Martin Brodeur rule”; Brodeur at the time was one of the best goaltenders at getting behind the net to handle the puck. A committee led by Bettman and chairman Jeremy Jacobs is responsible for vetting new ownership applications, collective bargaining, and league expansion.

In the Pacific division, where will the Canucks, Flames, and Oilers finish? A new window opens.
The Detroit Red Wings announced Wednesday that Steve Yzerman is moving out of his role as general manager and will instead move forward as a senior advisor to governor and CEO Chris Ilitch. The Detroit Red Wings announced Wednesday that Steve Yzerman is moving out of his role as general manager and will instead move forward as senior advisor to governor and CEO Chris Ilitch. TSN Hockey analyst Martin Biron shares his early power rankings for the Pacific, and if the Oilers are strong enough in goal to be considered contenders.
NHL Rumors: Vancouver Canucks – Shane Wright, and Marco Rossi
As expected (the Pittsburgh Penguins have lost their leading goal scorer), as Anthony Mantha agreed to a deal with the a Metropolitan division rival. These improvements led NBC and the cable channel Versus to sign a 10-year broadcast deal, paying US$200 million per year for both American cable and broadcast rights; the deal will lead to further increases in television coverage on the NBC channels. NHL Centre Ice in Canada and NHL Center Ice in the United States are the league’s subscription-based, out-of-market sports packages that offer access to out-of-market feeds of games through a cable or satellite television provider.
Fighting in the NHL leads to major penalties while IIHF rules (and most amateur rules), call for the ejection of fighting players. Since the 2013–14 season — the league trimmed the goal frames by 4 inches (10 cm) on each side and reduced the size of the goalies’ leg pads. The goaltender can play the puck only within the trapezoid or in front of the goal line; if the goaltender plays the puck behind the goal line and outside the trapezoidal area, a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game is assessed.
No NHL club had played a Soviet or Russian-based club from the end of the Super Series in 1991 to 2008 when the New York Rangers faced Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the 2008 Victoria Cup. The first international club competition was held in 1976 (with eight NHL teams playing against the Soviet Championship League’s HC CSKA Moscow), and Krylya Sovetov Moscow. Under ESPN’s contract, the league’s out-of-market streaming package was incorporated into ESPN+ for those viewers in the United States in 2021. MLB Advanced Media then took over of its day-to-day operations in 2016, renaming it NHL.tv. The league co-owns the NHL Network, a television specialty channel devoted to the NHL. Turner Sports’ coverage includes up to 72 regular season games on TNT, with early round playoff coverage split between TNT and TBS.

- Merchandise sales were up 22 percent — and the number of unique visitors on the NHL.com website was up 17 percent during the playoffs after rising 29 percent in the regular season.
- The league is significantly affected by this situation; elite players (including Sidney Crosby), have endured the lingering effects of concussions, leading to a negative impact on the league’s marketability as he was out for about ten and a half months.
- Who would be the best defensive partner for Darren Raddysh on the Maple Leafs?
- The league enjoyed considerable success with the Winter Classic, an outdoor NHL regular season game that took place on New Year’s Day in 2008.
- Comprising 32 teams, the NHL includes 25 teams located in the United States and seven teams in Canada.
The NHL consists of 32 teams—25 based in the United States and 7 in Canada. Rheaume returned to perform as a goaltender for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game’s Breakaway Challenge. The attention led the NHL to include a 3-on-3 women’s game before the 2020 All-Star Game. The first female referees in the NHL were hired in a test-run during the league’s preseason prospect tournaments in September 2019. In 2016, Dawn Braid was hired as the Arizona Coyotes’ skating coach, making her the first female full-time coach in the NHL. In 1992, Manon Rhéaume became the first woman to play a game in any of the major professional North American sports leagues, as a goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues, stopping seven of nine shots.
Three players that the Nashville Predators might consider trading. They are not receiving satisfactory offers and cannot trade for future assets. The Red Sox could make an unexpected decision regarding Aroldis Chapman before the trade deadline, while Maxx Crosby’s updated trade value might spark a bidding war; Anthony Mantha has left the Penguins to join a divisional rival in the NHL.
The decision of three-time Stanley Cup champion Steve Yzerman to resign as GM signifies an essential shift in leadership for the Red Wings.
Overall, hockey ranks as the league with the smallest fan base among the four major leagues and generates the least annual revenue; it earns the lowest amount from television rights and has minimal sponsorship deals. In contrast to the Ice Hockey World Championships and the Olympic tournament (NHL regulations govern the World Cup of Hockey), rather than IIHF rules. In 2022 (no Olympic break was scheduled), as the NHL decided against allowing its players to compete due to that year’s shortened NHL season and concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The inaugural exhibition match involving an NHL team against a European club (excluding teams from the former Soviet Union) occurred in December 1977 — when the New York Rangers played against Poldi Kladno from the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League. NHL clubs, in addition to Russian teams, have engaged in various international exhibitions and competitions with European clubs.
Some observers have linked the Toronto Maple Leafs’ difficulties to the departure of Mitch Marner, who was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. Are you able to list all the players chosen in the expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken? While the rising salary cap has diluted the pool of unrestricted free agents, it has compelled teams to take control of their futures through impactful trades. Five possible trade options for Shane Wright of the Kraken include identifying the ideal defensive partner for Darren Raddysh on the Maple Leafs. Click here to receive Yardbarker’s Quiz of the Day directly in your inbox!

Over the initial twelve years of Rogers Sportsnet’s agreement (Hockey Night in Canada was both preserved and expanded through a sublicense), showcasing up to seven games nationally on Saturday nights throughout the NHL regular season. At the conclusion of the regular season, the team with the highest points in each division is declared the division champion, while the overall leader of the league receives the Presidents’ Trophy. Overtime during the regular season consists of a sudden-death (five-minute period played three-on-three), where the first team to score a goal wins the match. The team that scores the most goals by the end of regulation time is declared the winner of the game. The regular season of the league generally runs from October to April, with each team competing in 82 games. The Vancouver Canucks may face their first significant decision regarding Marco Rossi at the trade deadline.