National Hockey League (original) (raw)

The National Hockey League is a professional sports organization comprised of ice hockey teams in Canada and the United States.

History

The Inaugural Season (1917-1918)

The National Hockey League, as it exists today, was formed on November 26, 1917 after a meeting between representatives of the National Hockey Association in Montreal's Windsor Hotel. The owners of the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas decided to form a new league in order to exclude Edward J. Livingston, owner of the NHA Toronto Blueshirts franchise from being involved in their future hockey operations.

The decision to form the NHL nearly proved to be a disastrous one. The new league faced stiff competition from a number of other leagues including the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) and the International Hockey League (IHL), and the talent pool was decimated by World War I. Prior to the start of the 1917-1918 season, the Quebec Bulldogs dropped out of the league, and early in the season, Montreal Wanderers were forced to disband. The remaining three teams completed the inaugural season, with Toronto winning the league championship, then beating the Vancouver Millionaires of the PHCL in a best of five series to claim the Stanley Cup.

Trophies and awards

Some of the NHL's most prestigious trophies and awards include:

Art Ross Memorial Trophy -- league scoring champion
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy -- perseverance and sportsmanship
Calder Memorial Trophy -- rookie of the year
Conn Smythe Trophy -- most valuable player during the playoffs
Frank J. Selke Trophy -- top defensive forward
Hart Memorial Trophy -- most valuable player during the regular season
Jack Adams Award -- coach of the year
James Norris Memorial Trophy -- most outstanding defenseman
King Clancy Memorial Trophy -- leadership and humanitarian contribution
Lester B. Pearson Award -- most outstanding player as selected by peers
William M. Jennings Trophy -- goalkeeper(s) for the team with the fewest goals against
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy -- player combining ability and sportsmanship
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy -- to the goal-scoring leader during the regular season
Vezina Trophy -- voted to be the most outstanding goaltender

The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League since 1966 to honour a recipient's contribution to hockey in the United States.

Three years after retirement, players are eligible to be voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. If a player is deemed important enough, however, the waiting period can be waived. This has been done 10 times.

Organisation

NHL teams (in their current incarnation)

Eastern Conference

Atlantic

Northeast

Southeast

Western Conference

Central

Northwest

Pacific

Presidents/Commissioners of the NHL

Frank Calder (1917-1943) President
Red Dutton (1943-1946) President
Clarence Campbell (1946-1977) President
John Ziegler (1977-1992) President
Gil Stein (1992-1993) President
Gary Bettman (1993-present) Commissioner