NHL Guide
Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:32NHL Guide
Guiding you through the national hockey league.
The National Hockey League (NHL) is the main professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. Considered as the leading professional ice hockey league around the globe, it is home to the famed Stanley Cup, to several powerful teams and to hundreds of the hottest and most talented ice hockey players the world has ever seen.
The NHL began with four teams in 1917 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was an offshoot from its predecessor, the National Hockey Association (NHA), formed in 1909. The NHA was dissolved due to the clashing of Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone and the owners of other teams: the Wanderers, Canadiens, Senators, and Bulldogs.
After decades of relocations, contractions, and expansions, the NHL now has 30 professional hockey teams from various places in the US and in Canada. These teams are divided into two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. These geography-based conference names have been used since 1993. Prior to that, the conferences were called Prince of Wales Conference (Eastern) and Clarence Campbell Conference (Western).
Each conference is composed of three divisions, and each of those divisions house five teams. The following are the NHL’s current team alignment:
EASTERN CONFERENCE |
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Atlantic Division - New Jersey Devils - New York Islanders - New York Rangers - Philadelphia Flyers - Pittsburgh Penguins |
Northeast Division - Boston Bruins - Buffalo Sabres - Montreal Canadiens - Ottawa Senators - Toronto Maple Leafs |
Southeast Division - Atlanta Thrashers - Carolina Hurricanes - Florida Panthers - Tampa Bay Lightning - Washington Capitals |
WESTERN CONFERENCE |
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Central Division - Chicago Blackhawks - Columbus Blue Jackets - Detroit Red Wings - Nashville Predators - St. Louis Blues |
Northwest Division - Calgary Flames - Colorado Avalanche - Edmonton Oilers - Minnesota Wild - Vancouver Canucks |
Pacific Division - Anaheim Ducks - Dallas Stars - Los Angeles Kings - Phoenix Coyotes - San Jose Sharks |
Betting & Facts | The Stanley Cup |
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NHL Betting |
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NHL Odds |
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NHL Spreads |
Visit the official site of the NHL with teams, events, standings, stats. schedule and much more.