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Hockey: List of NHL Teams
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How many players are on each team?
Each team can have 23 players on contract. Of those 23 players, 20 can dress for a game including 18 skaters and 2 goalies. Typically a team will have 13-14 forwards, 7-8 defense, and 2 goalies on their 23 man roster.
How many NHL teams are there?
There are currently 31 NHL teams including 7 in Canada and 24 in the United States. There are two major conferences. The Eastern Conference is made up of two divisions; the Atlantic and Metropolitan. The Western Conference is also made up of two divisions; the Central and Pacific.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic
- Boston Bruins
- Buffalo Sabres
- Detroit Red Wings
- Florida Panthers
- Montreal Canadiens
- Ottawa Senators
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Toronto Maple Leafs
Metropolitan
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Washington Capitals
Western Conference
Central
- Arizona Coyotes
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Colorado Avalanche
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
- Winnipeg Jets
Pacific
- Anaheim Ducks
- Calgary Flames
- Edmonton Oilers
- Los Angeles Kings
- San Jose Sharks
- Seattle Kraken
- Vancouver Canucks
- Vegas Golden Knights
Fun Facts about NHL Teams
- The Pittsburgh Penguins once scored 5 goals in 2 minutes and 7 seconds.
- The entire 2004-2005 hockey season was shut down due to a labor dispute between the players and the owners.
- The Montreal Canadiens have the most Stanley Cup titles with 24.
- Since 2007 the NHL season has started in Europe. Some places they have played include Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Finland.
- The Canadiens beat the Senators 7-4 in the first NHL game.
- When the Montreal Arena burnt down in 1918, the league went a year with only three teams.
- The Boston Bruins were the first American team in the NHL. They joined in 1924.
- The Canadiens won five straight Stanley Cup titles between 1956 and 1960.
- Wayne Gretzky played one year for a rival league, the WHA, before the league collapsed and he joined the Oilers.
- Wayne Gretzky was the last player to have the three year waiting period waved to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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More Hockey Links:
Hockey Play
Hockey Rules
Hockey Strategy
Hockey Glossary
National Hockey League NHL
List of NHL Teams
Hockey Biographies:
Wayne Gretzky
Sidney Crosby
Alex Ovechkin
