9 Interesting Facts About the NHL
The BET99 team continues its Q&A series!
This time, we will answer the most asked questions about ice hockey. Baseball, basketball or soccer will follow.
Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in Canada, with a very different mentality and sometimes surprising rules (see below).
Therefore, any online bettor must understand the secrets of this sport so special to Canadians. That's why, from now on, we'll reveal the answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Rivalries? Fights? How many games in the NHL? Who are the defending Stanley Cup champions? Answer below. Follow us!
1.Which ice hockey league is the most popular?
Very popular in North America, ice hockey is best known for its famous North American league: National Hockey League (more commonly called NHL)
The NHL has 32 franchises and was created in 1917. (25 in the USA and 7 in Canada)
2. What are the Canadian ice hockey teams?
The most famous Canadian ice hockey teams are teams that play in the NHL league (LNH for Quebec).
Among these teams :
-Toronto Maple Leaf
-Montreal Canadiens
-Ottawa Senators
-Winnipeg Jets
-Edmonton Oilers
-Calgary Flames
-Vancouver Canucks
3. What are the American NHL teams?
The American teams currently playing in the NHL are :
-Boston Bruins
-Detroit Red Wings
-Buffalo Sabres
-Florida Panthers
-Tampa Bay Lightning
-Carolina Hurricanes
-Columbus Blue Jackets
-New Jersey Devils
-New York Islanders
-New York Rangers
-Philadelphia Flyers
-Pittsburgh Penguins
-Washington Capitals
-Arizona Coyotes
-Chicago Blackhawks
-Colorado Avalanche
-Dallas Stars
-Minnesota Wild
-Nashville Predators
-St. Louis Blues
-Anaheim Ducks
-Las Vega Golden Knights
-Los Angeles Kings
-San Jose Sharks
-Seattle Kraken
4. How many games in the NHL?
In the NHL, field hockey players are over-trained as each franchise plays 82 games per regular season.
In fact, 41 home games for each franchise and also 41 away games. Then comes the best teams, the Playoffs...
5. How are the NHL Playoffs played?
The NHL Playoffs are composed of four to seven games in general. The first franchises that win four games are then qualified. In the end, the two best franchises compete for the famous Stanley Cup.
This emblematic cup of ice hockey is the cup awarded to the winners of the playoffs of the NHL since 1893.
The latest winners of the Stanley Cup are the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021.
6. Why do ice hockey players fight?
Unlike other sports on BET99, ice hockey and the NHL have a specific feature: players can fight in the middle of a game.
In fact, the referee tolerates fights between two players for a few moments and reserves the right to separate them if one of them has a knee on the ground. It remains folkloric and emblematic of this sport, and often players fight to prove their team's superiority and thus mentally destabilize the opponents of the day.
However, it adds such a crazy specificity compared to other sports that many people don't know about ice hockey but know that fights are frequent.
7. Which team is the most valuable in NHL?
First, only two teams based in Canada have managed to stay at the top level without ever being relegated since the creation of the NHL:
-Toronto Maple Leafs
-Montreal Canadiens
Since their inception, the most titled team is the Montreal Canadiens with no less than 24 Stanley Cups! The Canadiens are also the oldest franchise, as it was created in 1909.
8. What are the rivalries in NHL?
As in any other sport, in the NHL the competition is tough.
Sporting rivalries can exist between certain teams for decades.
There are many historical NHL rivalries. Among them:
-Maple Leafs VS Canadiens
-Avalanche VS Red Wings
-Blackhawks VS Blues
-Blackhawks VS Red Wings
-Canadiens VS Bruins
-Capitals VS Penguins
These high-stakes games and rivalries are followed live by millions of viewers in the USA and Canada.
9. Understanding the cult of ice hockey
As you have discovered throughout this Q&A, ice hockey is immensely popular in North America and has its specificities.
Thus, it's a sport where frequent fights and games are very numerous.
The ultimate goal of the NHL ice hockey championship is to qualify for the playoffs, and ultimately one of the franchises wins the Stanley Cup.
There are 32 franchises (25 in the USA + 7 in Canada) that can have historical rivalries between them. Tensions and fights between two players can be frequent, and the referee reserves the right to tolerate and stop these fights.
The entertainment and excitement around the NHL are enormous as millions of fans worldwide watch the games.