National Hockey League

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional hockey with 30 teams across Canada and the United States. Comprised of 30 teams, divided into 2 Conferences and 6 - 5 Team Divisions, the NHL Teams play for the Championship Stanley Cup. The teams play 82 game seasons, and the top 16 teams (3 top teams from each division plus the next 5 teams from the Conference) from the Regular Season advance to an elimination round where a best of seven series are played between the seeded teams.
Canadian and American players make up the majority of the players in the NHL, however with the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, many skilled players have been brought into the league, making it a premier place for playing hockey. The large number of Canadian players and the large support for the sport of hockey make the NHL a popular draw in Canada, with playoff hockey actually drawing more viewers in Canada than in the United States.

List of Teams

Eastern Conference

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

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