Everything You Need To Know About The National Hockey League (NHL)
Hockey Lover? Hell, yeah. Landing on our article means that you care about this sport so much and wanna investigate more about this hockey-related competition. The National Hockey League (NHL) is not only loved in America but also worldwide.
So, get ready to equip yourself with the main information about the NHL. Let’s get started!
What is the NHL Per Se?
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a North American professional ice hockey league, is the world's premier professional ice hockey league and is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the U.S. and Canada.
The Current Number Of Teams
The NHL has 31 teams currently competing for the championship: 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada. For the 21-22 season, the number will expand to 32.
At the end of each season, the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional sports trophy, is presented to the league playoff champion.
The History of NHL
The NHL was formed on November 26, 1917, at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, replacing the National Hockey Association (NHA), which had been established in 1909 in Renfrew, Ontario.From only 4 teams (all in Canada) in the early days, the NHL steadily expanded to the United States at a total of 30 teams until 2017 when it incorporated its 31st team, and in 2021, it has authorized the extension of a 32nd team.
Overview of the NHL
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Season Structure
The NHL season is composed of:
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A preseason (September and early October)
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A regular season (from early October through early to mid-April)
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A postseason (the Stanley Cup playoffs)
Game in the NHL
A regulation game in the NHL lasts 60 minutes. The game is divided into three 20-minute intervals with a 10-minute intermission break in between. The team with the most goals at the end of regulation time wins the match. If a game is tied at the end of regulation, it goes to overtime. During the regular season, overtime is a five-minute, three-on-three abrupt-death span in which the team with the first goal succeeds.
After overtime, if the match is still tied, it will be decided in a shootout. Each team's three players take a penalty shot in turn. The match is won by the team that scores the most goals in the three-round shootout. If the match is still tied after three rounds of shootouts, the shootout will proceed but will be sudden death.
Finally, the team that wins the shootout receives a goal in the game score and two points in the standings. In overtime or a shootout, the loser receives one point.
During playoffs, there are no shootouts. Conversely, until one team scores, numerous sudden-death, 20-minute five-on-five intervals are played. There have been two matches that have gone to 6 overtime periods, yet none have gone further than that. Throughout overtime durations in the playoffs, the only time off is to tidy the messy ice at the halfway point of the interval.
The NHL's Rules
Normally, a penalized team is unable to substitute a player who is penalized on the ice and is thus short-handed for the length of the penalty. However, if the penalties are unintentional, like when two people combat, both teams persist at full force. Bad fouls, unlike minor penalties, must be served to their forward pass, no matter how many goals are scored in the power play.
The league also has a code of conduct for its players. Players have been prohibited from gambling, and their tenure could be suspended due to criminal activity.
In the 2005 collective bargaining agreement, the league and the Players' Association consented to a strict anti-doping policy. A first positive test results in a twenty-game suspension, a sixty-game suspension for a second positive test, and a lifetime suspension for a third positive test, according to the policy.
Final Advice
Are you checking out for a place to watch all free NHL matches this season? A simple but powerful website for you to opt for is NHL streams links. All you need to do is just go to this incredible website and choose your favorite match for some time before it kicks off. From here, you can follow all the games smoothly thanks to its highest quality possible streams
If you have any questions about the NHL, share them in the comments.
