We have learnt about National Hockey League (NHL) in our previous articles and now its time to know about the structure of NHL and the teams participating in it.
National Hockey League (NHL) Structure
The National Hockey League is basically divided in two seasons –Â Regular and Post. The regular season starts from the first week of October and lasts till the mid of April. The post season, where the teams play for the Stanley Cup playoffs, go from April to June. The NHL teams also sometimes play in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.
In the regular season each team plays 82 games, in which 41 are home games and the other 41 are road games. Eastern teams play 30 games according to their geographical division. Western teams play 28 or 29 games according to their geographical division, and then there are cross-intra division matches.
The Stanley cup playoffs is an elimination tournament where the top two teams from the regular season play against each other in a best of seven series. The final remaining team is crowned the Stanley Cup champion.
List of Teams participating in National Hockey League (NHL)
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks (1993) | City: Anaheim, CA | Arena: Honda Center
Arizona Coyotes (1979) | City: Glendale, AZ | Arena: Jobing.com Arena
Calgary Flames (1972) | City: Calgary, AB | Arena: Scotiabank Saddledome
Edmonton Oilers (1979) | City: Edmonton, AB | Arena: Rexall Place
Los Angeles Kings (1967) | City: Los Angeles, CA | Arena: Staples Center
San Jose Sharks (1991) | City: San Jose, CA | Arena: SAP Center
Vancouver Canucks (1970) | City: Vancouver, BC | Arena: Rogers Arena
Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks (1926) | City: Chicago, IL | Arena: United Center
Colorado Avalanche (1979) | City: Denver, CO | Arena: Pepsi Center
Dallas Star (1967) | City: Dallas, TX | Arena: American Airlines Center
Minnesota Wild (2000) | City: Saint Paul, MN | Arena: Xcel Energy Center
Nashville Predators (1998) | City: Nashville, TN | Arena: Bridgestone Arena
St. Louis Blues (1967) | City: St. Louis, MO | Arena: Scottrade Center
Winnipeg Jets (1999) | City: Winnipeg, MB | Arena: MTS Center
Eastern Conference
Boston Bruins (1924) | City: Boston, MA | Arena: TD Garden
Buffalo Sabers (1970) | City: Buffalo, NY | Arena: First Niagara Center
Detroit Red Wings (1926) | City: Detroit, MI | Arena: Joe Louis Arena
Florida Panthers (1993) | City: Sunrise, FL | Arena: BB&T Center
Tampa Bay Lightning (1992) | City: Tampa, FL | Arena: Tampa Bay Times Forum
Toronto Maple Leafs (1917) | City: Toronto, ON | Arena: Air Canada Centre
Carolina Hurricanes (1979) | City: Raleigh, NC | Arena: PNC Arena
Columbus Blue Jackets (2000) | City: Columbus, OH | Arena: Nationwide Arena
New Jersey Devils (1974) | City: Newark, NJ | Arena: Prudential Center
New York Islanders (1972) | City: Uniondale, NY | Arena: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
New York Rangers (1926) | City: New York City, NY | Arena: Madison Square Garden
Philadelphia Flyers (1967) | City: Philadelphia, PA | Arena: Wells Fargo Center
Pittsburgh Penguins (1967) | City: Pittsburgh, PA | Arena: Consol Energy Center
Washington Capitals (1974) | City: Washington, DC | Arena: VerizonCenter
