The National Hockey League or NHL is a professional ice hockey league consisting of 30 teams with 23 teams located in the U.S and 7 teams currently operating in Canada. It is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world with its current headquarters in New York City (Marsh). The purpose of the NHL can be seen through its mission statements and core values. The Constitution of the National Hockey League states that the purpose of the NHL is to “perpetuate hockey as one of the national games of the United States and Canada” (NHL Constitution). Additionally, the Constitution of the NHL outlines the leagues ability to arbitrate and settle disputes between clubs and players and governs the conduct of play between teams in order to assure a high standard of skill, fair play and integrity NHL Constitution).
In a presentation by Alex Hagan, the details of the principals of the NHL’s mission statement are outlined. They include: providing an international environment to NHL ice hockey for its teams and players to regularly compete at the highest level, delivering long term financial benefits to participants and shareholders which contributes to the growth and success of NHL ice hockey, creating additional value in terms of sport, finance and
…show more content…
emotion to clubs and leagues, and engaging fans in following teams in the best environment (Hagan). The core values of the NHL are that it is competitive, accessible and respectful. It is a highly competitive on an international level and attracts a broad demographic audience. The NHL’s major stakeholders are the owners of the teams, the players, the coaches, employees of the teams and of course the fans. The NHL was first organized in Montreal, Quebec on November 26, 1917 after its predecessor, the National Hockey Association (NHA), ceased operation. The original teams, all Canadian, were the Montreal Canadians, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, and the Quebec Bulldogs. The use of the word “National” in the league name was based on the fact that the original teams were Canadian until 1924 when the Boston Bruins joined the NHL. Since that time the NHL has consisted of both American and Canadian teams. The first president of the NHL was Frank Calder, who served until his death in 1943 and is honored today by the Calder Cup, which is the championship trophy of the AHL (American Hockey League), the minor affiliates of the NHL. During the next 25 years, the NHL underwent many changes in composition, playoff format and scheduling. The original four teams went through several transformations during the early years of the league. The Wanderers only played six games in the first season of the league due to a fire at their arena which forced them out of the league. The NHL created an interim franchise for the city of Toronto when the Bulldogs were unable to play during the first year. This team was originally called the Toronto Areas followed by the St. Patrick’s from 1919-1927. Toronto’s team became the Maple Leafs in 1927 and continues to use this name today. The Quebec Bulldogs eventually became the Hamilton Tigers; however, it was short lived as the team disbanded in the early 1920s. The Ottawa Senators became defunct after the 1933-1934 seasons. The current franchise revived this name almost six decades later. The Montreal Canadians are the only team out of the original four that are still in existence today. The NHL expanded into the United States in 1924 with the Boston Bruins being the first team created. Once the first team was created, the league quickly added teams in the following years. The New York Rangers were established in 1926 with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings both being founded in 1927. These four teams along with the Canadians and the Maple Leafs are known as the “original six” (Ice Hockey). The next expansion that occurred in the NHL was in 1967 when it doubled in size to 12 teams (Ice Hockey). The two main reasons that lead the NHL to this expansion were the desire for a television deal in the U.S and the fear of competition for the Stanley Cup with the Western Hockey League, a minor league that was attempting to declare itself a major league capable of rivaling the long entrenched NHL. The new teams created during this expansion were the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, California Seals, and the St. Louis Blues. The NHL now had twelve teams due to this major expansion. Due to the negative response of Canadians regarding the lack of additional Canadian franchises, the NHL responded by adding two new teams in 1970. One of the teams, the Vancouver Canucks was Canadian and the other, the Buffalo Sabers was located on the border between the U.S and Canada. The addition of the Washington Capitals, Hartford Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, and the Kansas City Scouts brought the number of teams in the league to a short lived 20 teams as both the Seals and Scouts folded in 1978. During this time period another professional ice hockey league, the World Hockey Association (WHA), formed in 1972, was challenging the NHL for its players. The ensuing rivalry caused an escalation in players’ salaries and eventually forced a merger between the NHL and WHA (Ice Hockey). Following the merger the NHL was a 21 team league, which by 1999 increased to 30 teams and continues at the level today. The NHL broadened its appeal by expanding into what have been traditionally non-hockey territories. Teams such as the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lighting and the Phoenix Coyotes are based in warm weather climates where ice hockey is not as prevalent. Currently the NLH is considering further expansion possibly in Las Vegas and Quebec. The Board of Governors is the main ruling and governing body of the league. Each team appoints a governor (owner of the club) and two alternates to the Board. The purpose of the Board is to create policies and uphold the constitution of the league. The main responsibilities of the Board of Governors are as follows: hiring or firing a commissioner, change or review any rule changes to the game, review and approve salary caps for member clubs and review and approve any changes to the structure of the game schedule. The Board of Governor’s meets twice a year in June and December as dictated by the Commissioner. The Chairman of the Board of Governor’s is Jeremy Jacobs of the Boston Bruins. The NHL Commissioner since 1993 is Gary Bettman and the Deputy Commissioner is William Daly. Colin Campbell serves as the Director of Hockey operations and as a senior vice-president along with Craig Harnett the CFO (NHL & Misc.). John Collins who left the NHL as Chief Operating Officer in November 2015 was instrumental is the creation of the Winter Classic. The NHL sponsors many events throughout the year with the most prominent event being the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Stanley Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the championship team. The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America. It was first presented in 1893 and since 1926 only NHL teams have competed for this trophy (The Stanley Cup). The Stanley Cup symbolizes professional hockey supremacy and distinguishes the NHL from other professional sports leagues. The NHL playoffs are known as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but no other professional sports leagues characterize their playoffs with the name of a trophy. The Stanley Cup has a long and colorful history. It is the only professional sports trophy where the name of each member of the winning team is engraved on the trophy (The Stanley Cup). Additionally, every member of the championship team and its staff has the opportunity to take the Stanley Cup home with them for 24 hours. Because of this, the trophy has traveled the world. The NHL and the Stanley Cup are forever linked, when you think Stanley Cup, you think hockey. The NHL is identified by the Stanley Cup; however, in recent years the NHL has developed new events that have become mainstays of the winter sports scene. In particular, the NHL Winter Classic is an event that has proven to be immensely popular with the fans. The Winter Classic is an outdoor hockey game, played on or near New Year’s Day, which has provided an alternative or complement to college football games. These outdoor games generally played in a football or baseball stadium have drawn huge crowds and continue to increase in popularity. The appeal of the Winter Classic can be traced to the early history of hockey when games were played outdoors on rivers or lakes.
The first regular season outdoor game was played in 2003 and in 2008 the NHL established the Winter Classic. The NHL usually chooses teams that are from larger markets such as the Blackhawks and the Rangers. This generates greater exposure for the league and higher television ratings. The success of the Winter Classic has spawned the development of the Stadium Series, which began in 2014, and the Heritage Classic. The Stadium Series are outdoor regular season games featuring American teams however, the Heritage Classic are outdoor regular season games featuring Canadian
teams. The Stanley Cup Playoffs remain the jewel of the NHL. It features a 16-team field with four rounds of games. The playoffs, which last about two months, are a grueling event whose ultimate goal is the Stanley Cup.
Canadiens Hockey Club has a positive impact on the city of Montreal as a whole.
Nicolet FEAR, Team 4786, is a FIRST Robotics Team in Glendale, Wisconsin. Our mission statement says, “We are determined to create a path to success by polishing our strengths and overcoming our weaknesses in order to integrate ourselves, schools, communities, and families in all aspects of our work.” Nicolet FEAR strives for efficiency, innovation and excellence, and our passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics attracts numerous students every year who desire to learn more about STEM, improve their leadership skills and work together as a team. Through our business plan we hope to become a top-20 team at competition and create dependable alliances by reaching out to other FIRST teams, therefore maintaining a
It’s Saturday Night, the crowd gone wild with an epic hit on the opposing team. The occasional drunk sitting next to you, as your kids enjoy delicious Dipping Dots. Right as the momentum is swinging towards the home team, a penalty is called. A powerplay opportunity is awarded to the defending team. With the home team fighting with all their might to defend from a goal, down 4 on 5, they run around like chickens with their heads chopped off, trying to get the puck out of their zone. Then when everything seems to simmer down, a fight breaks between the bulkiest guys on each team, punches being thrown, blood spattering across the ice. In hockey today, there are two main leagues in the United states: the NHL, and USA Hockey. Just like in any game, there are basic rules that must be followed. In these two leagues there are similarities and differences in basic “golden” rules, benefits from playing, and the official’s code of conduct.
Hockey is the game played with the curved stick and it is found in every culture. It has been a part of the Canadian and North American culture for over a hundred years. Hockey has developed from the original six to thirty teams, and many leagues. One thing that is prominent in hockey is the hit on the opposing player when he has the puck. Checking can be defined as using physical force to either gain possession of the puck or to disrupt the opposition’s play without breaking the rules. Checking has been a part of hockey since the beginning. Recently, there has been much controversy over whether or not checking in hockey should be banned. In the year 2005 and 2006 there were many rules and regulations added to checking that were not penalized before. Checking has made the hockey game more interesting game and also has given the opportunity to players to play more with minimal stoppage. I believe that checking should not be banned because medical science has gotten the ability to heal all injuries that occur in sports, players know in advance that there is high risk in the activity, and it allows a fan to sublimate his aggressive tendency.
The most memorable moment in hockey history came thirty-four years ago with the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The Americans defeating the dominant Soviet team at the Olympics was not only an important triumph for USA Hockey, but for the entire nation. Contrary to popular belief, the underdog win was not only the result of a miracle; it was also the result of a hard-working team led by Coach Herb Brooks. With increasingly negative views on the position of the United States in the Cold War, the Miracle on Ice and the gold medal win lifted the spirits of the nation and brought hockey into the American spotlight.
The sport of hockey has a long proud history of being one of the best sports in the
“‘They score! Henderson has scored for Canada!’” Foster Hewitt wordlessly described” (Pelletier) when Paul Henderson scored the series-winning goal. This allowed Canada to win the 1972 Summit Series, a moment that no one would ever forget since it all happened during the climax of the Cold War. Prior to this, the Soviets had won the previous three Olympic gold metals since Canada could not use its NHL players. Thus, this provided Canada with the chance to play hockey against the USSR using its best players. This raised the question: if Canada were able to send its best players, would it still be enough to beat the Soviets? Everyone in Canada was certain that the Soviets would not win a single game, but little did they know they underestimated the extent of the Soviets abilities. Tied in the last few minutes of game eight, Canada had to score or they would lose the series. However, when Paul Henderson scored the game-winning goal, never before had a single sporting event meant so much to Canadians. Therefore, Paul Henderson’s goal is a defining moment for Canada in the twentieth century becauseit provided Canada with the opportunity to evolve hockey, proved that Canada and our democratic society were superior to the USSR and their communist society, and brought citizens together to unify Canada as a nation.
Originally born in Moscow, Russia, I came to the United States fourteen years ago with my parents along with my unrelated brother as their newly adopted children. Transitioning to a new country can be hard, but not knowing the language is even harder. For the first few years of my life, I struggled to speak, write and read any English. Since then, I have become acclimated to the American culture and state of mind and learned English proficiently, but, lost touch with my mother tongue because I spoke minimal Russian. I have always been proud to acknowledge and tell others that I am adopted from Mother Russia. However, over the past several years my curiosity and desire to learn about my native homeland have increased significantly. My interest in the Russian language reignited last year when I overheard a Russian and Kazakh having a conversation in Russian. I soon found myself listening to anyone anywhere, who spoke Russian.
Before the 1980 Winter Olympics began, the US Olympic hockey team was not expected to do as well as they did. They had many powerhouse teams to beat and the team was just a bunch of college kids who wanted to play hockey. In the end, they had performed one of the greatest upsets in the history of hockey by defeating the USSR, the whom many thought of as the greatest hockey team in the world.
When I think of what it means to be Canadian, one of the first things that come to mind is hockey. This is true for many Canadian’s as hockey was and is an integral piece of the formation of the national identity. However, when people think of playing hockey their attention usually turns to the men in the National Hockey League or other top men’s leagues and tournaments. Even so, Canada has come a long way from its beginnings, when women were not even considered persons under the law until 1929. While it has taken many decades for women to receive more recognition in the world of sport, today shows great improvements from the past. A key reason that women are not treated the same way as men in regards to hockey is due to how the game began;
This research will jump forward in time to the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Starting from youth hockey where the interest in the sport is developed, was a great way to see why there has been an increase in the popularity of the sport across the nation, especially in regions not normally known as hockey areas. According to USA Hockey and the NHL, youth hockey has been on the rise for the last decade in almost every state. This research is aimed at finding out where and why this increase is happening.
...during the game the captain should be involved for support or stopping depending on the situation. In small hockey towns, for example, all the young children in the town look up to the captain of the local hockey team. If the captain is seen doing something wrong, it is looked negatively upon; he or she must keep a positive status for themselves and for the team. The captain must have the intelligence to dissect problems that have to do with his or her team.
Every person has something inside them that defines them as an individual. This uniqueness can take many forms and could be visible to the outside world or quietly hidden, deep inside. Passion for something specific is often the guiding factor in developing one’s uniqueness and often in ways that were not foreseen. My love of ice hockey has changed my life in ways that I could not have imagined and has shaped my personal growth. My ability to stop a hockey puck defined me; or so I thought!
As population continually increases in the Southern states, the NHL is moving teams into large Southern cities. In an effort to increase profits and popularity, the NHL has increased the number of teams in the league and moved into Southern cities that have never had hockey teams before. The problem is that hockey is not as popular in the South as it is in the North. This expansion in the South has lead to huge monetary losses to Southern teams and very low attendance numbers. The NHL should not have expanded the league into Southern cities and should keep NHL teams farther North.
...oth conferences. The rest of the teams left play a set of two games and determine the winner based on the scoring from both games. After the conference semi-finals and conference championships, the MLS Cup is played between two teams and one game. The MLS Cup is played like any other game, but played through extra time and if needed penalty kicks are played to determine a champion. No matter the score of the game or the teams involved fans always fill the stadium. “MLS”.