In 2016 (Dawn Braid was hired as the Arizona Coyotes’ skating coach), making her the first female full-time coach in the NHL. In 1992 (Manon Rhéaume became the first woman to play a game in any of the major professional North American sports leagues), as a goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues, stopping seven of nine shots. To aid with removing high-speed collisions on icing, which had led to several potential career-ending injuries, such as to Hurricanes’ defenceman Joni Pitkanen, the league mandated hybrid no-touch icing for the 2013–14 NHL season.
Can the Capitals realistically chase another Stanley Cup while Alex Ovechkin chases 1,000 career goals?
Since the 1990s — several leading players in the league have emerged from these European nations. For instance, the percentage of American players rose over time, and by the 1987–88 season, 15% of NHL players hailed from the United States. Almost exclusively, players in the NHL were Canadian from the league’s founding until the 1960s. A waiting period of three years from a player’s last professional game is required before they can join, a duration that is currently the shortest among major sports, shared with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Individuals who have enjoyed distinguished careers as players — coaches, officials, and team builders are eligible for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame through voting. The most valuable player during the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs is honored each year with the Conn Smythe Trophy, in addition to the typical season awards.
The Canadiens have renewed RFA Dach’s contract for one year at a value of $3.6 million.
The team with the most goals during the three-round shootout wins the game. Also (unlike minor penalties), major penalties must be served to their full completion, regardless of number of goals scored during the power play. The rule is unofficially nicknamed the “Martin Brodeur rule”; Brodeur at the time was one of the best goaltenders at getting behind the net to handle the puck.

- In 1937, the second event took place to support Howie Morenz’s family after his passing from a coronary embolism following a leg injury in a game.
- The upcoming two summers present looming contract extensions for Matvei Michkov and first-round pick Porter Martone from 2025, making Zegras’s cost certainty an essential piece of the larger roster strategy.
- Their squad played physical, in-your-face defense – a style championed by O’Reilly after he was traded to Kitchener in January.
- The current national television and digital rightsholder is Rogers Communications, which initially signed a 12-year deal that began in the 2014–15 season, then signed a 12-year renewal to extend its agreement to 2037–38.
- During playoff overtime periods, the only break is to clean the loose ice at the first stoppage after the period is halfway finished.
In 1948 — Asian Canadian Larry Kwong became the first Asian player in the NHL by playing for the New York Rangers. The second was held in 1937 — in support of Howie Morenz’s family when he died of a coronary embolism after breaking his leg during a game. The NHL embarked on a rapid expansion in the 1920s, adding the Montreal Maroons and the Boston Bruins in 1924, the latter best value bets today being the first American team to join the league. Following the conclusion of the regular season (16 teams advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs), a four-round tournament that runs into June to determine the league champion. Salt Lake City was awarded an expansion franchise in 2024; it acquired the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, which were deactivated, and established the Utah Hockey Club , now the Utah Mammoth,, thus maintaining the total number of teams at 32.
The rising-salary-cap world has diluted the UFA pool but forced teams to control their destinies with foundation-shaking trades. Parting ways with Hayley Wickenheiser may have been Leafs GM John Chayka’s 1st mistake this summer Five potential trade destinations for Kraken center Shane Wright The five worst contracts signed in 2026 NHL free agency so far Who is the Maple Leafs’ ideal defensive partner for Darren Raddysh? The five best contracts signed in 2026 NHL free agency so far
Following the securement of Zegras, the Flyers still enjoy significant flexibility with an estimated $30MM in projected cap space prior to this agreement. Primarily (Zegras played as a winger), occasionally shifting to center, and significantly contributed to Philadelphia’s playoff push as the season closed. Arbitration will not be necessary for the Philadelphia Flyers to finalize a new contract with star forward Trevor Zegras. The Sabres aim to stay competitive after reaching the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
This has significant effects on the league, as elite players have suffered from the aftereffects of concussions (such as Sidney Crosby being sidelined for approximately ten and a half months), which adversely affects the league’s marketability. The league’s post-lockout agreement with NBC gave the league a share of revenue from each game’s advertising sales, rather than the usual lump sum paid up front for game rights. With no new agreement in hand when the contract expired, league commissioner Gary Bettman announced a lockout of the players union and closed the league’s head office for the 2004–05 season. A lockout at the start of the 1994–95 season forced the league to reduce the schedule from 84 games to 48, with the teams playing only intra-conference games during the reduced season. In 1958, Willie O’Ree became the first black player in the league’s history when he made his debut with the Boston Bruins.
After a long professional hockey career, it feels very fitting to see this scenario play out where Kane ends it where it all began. The Sabres lost a hometown kid in Alex Tuch to the Capitals, who was the key return in the Jack Eichel trade a few years ago. He was also a nine-time all-star (along with accolades like a Calder Memorial Trophy win in 2008), an Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award in 2016. A three-time Stanley Cup Champion in 2010, 2013, and 2015, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2013. His previous 7-year deal only took up 8.63% in 2016; he won the Cup in the second-to-last year of that contract — making $6.3MM annually.

No game has extended beyond six overtime periods, although two have reached that mark. Instead — the format consists of multiple sudden-death periods where teams play five-on-five for 20 minutes until a team scores. The team that wins the shootout receives a goal added to the game score and earns two points in the standings. A shootout will commence if the game remains tied after the overtime period.
In the regular season, a five-minute sudden-death overtime period is played with three players from each team, where the first to score wins the game. The game is won by the team that has the highest number of goals at the conclusion of regulation time. He was the ninth overall selection in 2019 and was the Calder Trophy runner-up in his rookie season, achieving consecutive 60-point seasons in Anaheim until injuries and a strained relationship with the Ducks’ management hindered the early stages of his career. After possibly missing the playoffs with Detroit, he may assist his childhood team, which is ideally a stronger playoff contender than Chicago, in their quest for a Stanley Cup during the latter years of his career.
Brady Tkachuk’s return to Ottawa on Oct. 21 headlines NHL’s 84-game schedule releaseOpens in new window
Kane, who was dealt to the Rangers in 2023, never got to play a game with the 2023 first-overall pick, Connor Bedard. He won the Stanley Cup in that deal’s first year — notably passing the 100-point threshold for the third time in his first four seasons, and scored 31 points in the ’09 playoffs. It now shifts to first and third overall picks from 2023 in Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli, who both would ideally see their draft class colleague’s situation and view themselves receiving significant paygrades as well. He has one year remaining on his entry-level contract, a three-year, $2.93MM , $975K AAV, deal signed back in 2024, after being the No. 1 overall selection in the NHL Draft in that year. He turned pro with the AHL’s Texas Stars in 2023 – but only appeared in 44 games before he was included in a three-team trade in February 2024 deal that sent Chris Tanev to the Stars.
For decades prior to 1995, the American broadcast partners of the league experienced significant fluctuations. Regional feeds from Sportsnet, TSN, and RDS air games not covered under the national rights agreement. National French-language rights to the NHL were owned by Quebecor Media, with all broadcasts available on its specialty channel TVA Sports. During the regular season and playoffs, CBC provided NHL coverage produced by Rogers. NHL teams sought to enhance their rosters by drafting and signing European players in a bid to acquire more “skilled offensive players.
