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The NHL
is the world’s elite ice hockey
league. All 30 teams are based in North American cities, but as one of
the four major professional sports leagues in North America, the NHL is
able to attract top players from hockey leagues all over the world.
The 30 teams are divided into equal East and West conferences, with 3 divisions each. Not all teams play each other every season. After the lockout of 2004-2005 the league began experimenting with scheduling, creating divisional rivalries and reducing the number of inter-conference games to reduce travel. Because of the way the population is distributed in North America, (see NHL Map) teams in the eastern conference have far less travel each year, and teams as far east as Detroit are considered part of the Western Conference.
Despite travel complaints, however, the 2007/2008 season will debut in the O2 Arena in London, England. The Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks will face off against California rivals, Los Angeles Kings on September 29th and 30th 2007. This will mark the first time regular-season NHL games will be played in Europe.
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 Contact
our
NHL Hockey Librarian,
Ian from
BetUS Sportsbook
if you need help
with this
NHL page
 Teams
performing well in 2007 :
Ducks, Red Wings, Senators, Sabres
Team Previews for the 2007-08 season, from BetUS Locker Room
Brad May of the Ducks hoists the Stanley Cup
A diagram of the new NHL Ice surface
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The NHL regular season runs
from late September until April, followed immediately by the
Stanley Cup Playoffs. An All-Star game between the best players in each conference
is played during a break in late January
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Official
Rules
Guide to new hockey fans: "Learn the Basics of Hockey" is slightly out of date, so don't forget to read these
amendments as well. NHL.com provides the complete Official NHL Rulebook along with some videos.
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Training
Camp and Preseason
NHL Training camp begins in early September, followed by Preseason games, which allow teams to try out new players and prospects.
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Scoreboards
2007-08 key dates
Leaders and Player Stats
Team Standings by Conference |
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Other NHL Information.
Player numbers. The NHL allows 20 players to be dressed for a game, including a goalie and a backup goalie. Teams are usually bigger than this as player injuries are common. In addition, teams may call up players from their Junior League affiliate teams when players are injured.
NHL on TV. Of all the major North American sports leagues, the NHL is currently the least accessible to most American television viewers. Rather than being shown on ESPN and ABC, like it has in the past, the NHL is now shown on Versus, a somewhat obscure American cable network, with occasional coverage on NBC. Markets with an NHL team can catch some games on regional television.
In Canada, however, Hockey is widely televised and enjoys great viewership ratings. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation shows double-headers every Saturday known as "Hockey Night in Canada". TSN,
a Canadian cable sports network, also shows games regularly, and
games are well covered by the regional sports network, Sports Net.
Toronto even has a digital channel dedicated to Maple Leafs
coverage called Leafs TV.
Outside of North America, Television coverage of NHL games is fairly sparse. Center Ice Online is a paid subscription service that shows games over the Internet to a limited list of countries. NHL.com shows highlights of every game for free, and occasionally uploads entire games to Google Video.
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