The National Hockey League was formed on November 26, 1917, in Montreal, Canada 1)
The NHL played its first games in December 1917, only weeks after the league was officially created 2)
The league’s original lineup featured teams from Montreal, Ottawa, and a temporary Toronto franchise that later became the Toronto Arenas 3)
The Boston Bruins became the first American-based NHL team when they joined the league for the 1924–25 season 4)
From 1942–43 through 1966–67, the league consisted of the “Original Six” franchises: Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Bruins, Red Wings, Blackhawks, and Rangers 5)
The Original Six alignment lasted 25 consecutive seasons, the longest period the NHL has gone without adding or removing any teams 6)
In 1967, the NHL doubled in size from six to twelve teams in one year, the largest single-season expansion in major North American pro sports 7)
The 1967 expansion added the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues 8)
The Vegas Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural 2017–18 season, one of the most successful first-year runs by an expansion team in any major sport 9)
Seattle’s expansion franchise, the Kraken, paid a $650 million expansion fee, dramatically higher than the $2 million paid by each 1967 expansion club (adjusted only by era, not inflation) 10)
The Montreal Canadiens, founded in 1909, are the oldest continuously operating team name in the NHL 11)
The Montreal Canadiens have won more Stanley Cup championships than any other team, with over 20 titles to their name 12)
In 1926, the NHL gained permanent control of the Stanley Cup, ending the era when multiple leagues could challenge for the trophy 13)
The first NHL game radio broadcasts occurred in February 1923, when games were aired on Toronto radio stations 14)
The Lady Byng Trophy, awarded for sportsmanship and high playing ability, was donated to the league in 1925 by Lady Byng of Vimy, wife of Canada’s Governor General 15)
The longest game in NHL history took place on March 24, 1936, when the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Montreal Maroons 1–0 in a game that went into six overtimes 16)
NHL pucks are frozen before games to reduce bouncing and keep them sliding more predictably on the ice surface 17)
NHL rules allow teams to use an emergency backup goalie (EBUG), who can be called from the stands and play for either team if both regular goalies are unavailable 18)
Organized indoor hockey games were first played in Montreal in 1875, laying the groundwork for the professional sport that eventually led to the NHL 19)
In a 2014 game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, play continued for 13 minutes and 45 seconds without a whistle, one of the longest continuous stretches of action recorded 20)
Michael Frolik scored just seconds into a Jets–Blackhawks contest, and no one else scored, making it the earliest goal in any NHL game that finished 1–0 21)
During that same long, whistle-free stretch in 2014, players combined for multiple shots and more than a dozen hits, showing how demanding continuous NHL play can be 22)
Billy Mosienko holds a famous NHL record by scoring a hat-trick in only 21 seconds during a 1952 game against the New York Rangers 23)
Three different teams share the quirky record of using seven goaltenders in a single NHL season: the 2007–08 Kings, 2002–03 Blues, and 1989–90 Nordiques 24)
The Boston Bruins once scored three shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill, an almost unheard-of outburst while down a skater 25)
Mario Lemieux once scored five goals in a game in five different ways (even strength, power play, shorthanded, penalty shot, and empty net), a feat considered nearly impossible to replicate in today’s NHL 26)
Scoring five or more goals in one NHL game has happened only around a few dozen times in league history, underlining how extraordinary such performances are 27)
Dave Schultz’s single-season penalty minutes total from the 1970s is widely regarded as one of the most unbreakable “tough guy” records in NHL history 28)
Lou Lamoriello owns an unusual distinction as one of the oldest coaches making a head-coaching debut behind an NHL bench 29)
Legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur holds a record for the most assists by a goalie in NHL playoff history, highlighting how involved he was in puck-handling and breakouts 30)
Ilya Kovalchuk ranks among the NHL’s most prolific shootout scorers, giving him a place in the record books for success in that modern tiebreaker format 31)
The Stanley Cup, now awarded annually to the NHL champion, dates back to the 1890s, making it the oldest professional sports trophy still contested in North America 32)
Some NHL franchises have compiled playoff appearance streaks measured in decades, demonstrating unusual long-term consistency in a league with a hard salary cap 33)
The Lady Byng Trophy has helped highlight star players known for clean, gentlemanly play in a sport that often features heavy physical contact and penalties 34)
The Philadelphia Flyers became the first post-Original-Six expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, capturing it in their seventh season of existence in 1973–74 35)
The NHL’s head offices are located in New York City, reflecting the league’s evolution into a binational, continent-wide business operation 36)
In the modern era, the NHL has grown to encompass 32 teams spread across the United States and Canada, the largest size in its history 37)
The Montreal Canadiens’ long run of championships, especially in the Original Six era, has helped cement them as one of the most storied franchises in all of sports 38)
In its early decades, the NHL competed with rival major leagues like the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League for players and the Stanley Cup before emerging as the dominant circuit 39)
What started as a four-team Canadian league in 1917 has grown into the premier professional hockey league in the world, attracting top talent from many countries 40)
The NHL has run continuously since 1917–18, with its record books listing champions, standings, and statistics for every season across more than a century of play 41)
In the league’s first season, Toronto’s arena was the only NHL venue with artificial ice, while other rinks still relied on natural freezing conditions 42)