HELLO GOOD LOOKIN HOCKEY FANS AND WELCOME BACK!
Like some hockey fans (and a few of the players) I had a couple cobwebs to shake off last night. Anyone who has been following me since I started this hockey venture 4 years ago will know I follow all 30 teams in the NHL. That being said I live here in Vancouver so I am surrounded by Canuck Nation as well as transplants from all over the place including but not limited to the Edmonton Oilers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Calgary Flames, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins. Yes I said it the Boston Bruins (insert the Bruins raising the Stanley Cup in Rogers Arena after a Game 7 win circa 2011 and any loyal Canuck fans will still shutter). That being said I felt a quick recap on the basics of the NHL was in order.
Players: Any team in the NHL can carry up to 23 players at any point in time. The only must is they need two goalies. One to start the game and another as the backup. The minimum a team has to carry is 20 players which also happens to be the number of players a team dresses for a game. Again, the one must is two goalies. Other than that teams can play around but it usually boils down to 12 forwards and 6 defenseman dressed each game plus 2 scratches.
Games: Teams play 82 games in a season, 41 at home and 41 on the road.
Points: A team gets two points for a win, zero points for a loss in regulation and one point for a loss in either overtime or a shootout. At the end of the year a teams total points decides their place in the standings and whether they make the playoffs or nor. The team with the most points in the entire league wins the President's Trophy.
Conferences and Divisions: There are two conferences in the NHL, the Western and the Eastern. Each conference has two divisions. In the west you have the Pacific Division and the Central Division. In the east you have the Metropolitan Division and the Atlantic Division.
Teams: There are 30 teams currently in the NHL with a rumour two teams are going to be added. The original 6 teams in the contemporary NHL are the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. A little fun fact: the last two teams to join the NHL were the Columbus Bluejackets and the Minnesota Wild, who both joined in 2000.
And because I always love a good goal I have uploaded a few from yesterday's Opening Night in the NHL. First is Max Pacrioretty, who skated out onto the ice last night as Captain of the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first shot on net and a goal is a goal is a goal.
Later in the night we saw some thread the needle Sedinary magic in Calgary. The Sedin Twins skated with Brandon Sutter which was a great way to start the season. Every player on the line scored a goal and the line also collected 3 assists collectively.
And with that Hockey Fans I will sign off until next time! Enjoy