A few weeks ago, I wrote a short piece about baseball, fully realizing that interest in the topic could be low. A quick look at my Google Analytics account confirmed the suspicion. So what did I do? I decided to write about ice hockey, a sport that’s even more of a niche player. Specifically, I’m talking about the National Hockey League (NHL). Here’s a little NHL trivia (as in 12 quick numbers) designed for the non-hockey fan, which based on experience is a lot of people.
1917
The year the NHL was founded (in Montreal). All four teams at the time of founding were Canadian, with Boston becoming the first American team in 1924. In 1989, the league’s head office moved from Montreal to New York City.
32
The number of current NHL teams, 25 of which are located in the US. The other seven are, of course, based in Canada. The teams are divided into two conferences, both with two divisions of eight teams each.
82
The number of games each team plays in the regular season, which is followed by the playoffs. The entire season lasts from October of one year to June of the next.
2
The number of points a team gets for each win. No points are received for a loss unless the loss occurs in overtime or a shootout, in which case one point is awarded.
In each conference, eight teams—the top three from each division and the two remaining teams with the most points regardless of division—make the playoffs. The winners of the two conferences then play a best-of-seven series to determine the season’s champion.
25
The number of times the Montreal Canadiens have won the NHL, making them the league’s winningest franchise. (In Montreal, it’s technically the LNH—Ligue Nationale de Hockey.)
34.5
The weight in pounds of the Stanley Cup, arguably the best-known trophy in North American sports, awarded to the champion of each season.
3
The diameter in inches of a hockey puck. With a thickness of one inch, a weight of 5.5 to 6 ounces, and game speeds that can break 100 miles per hour, the vulcanized rubber disk can cause some serious damage.
200
The length in feet of an NHL ice rink. The width measures 85 feet. Interestingly, the rest of the world uses slightly shorter rinks (196.9 feet) that are significantly wider (98.4 feet).
47
The average length in seconds of a shift in the NHL. Given the high intensity of the sport, even the best players end up playing less than half the 60-minute game.
41.7
The percent of NHL players born in Canada (based on rosters at the start of the 2023-2024 season). The US is number two at 29.1 percent. Other birth countries represented include Sweden, Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia, Denmark, Latvia, France, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Norway, and Slovenia. You won’t be finding much NHL trivia that references India.
3.5 million
A reasonable guess as to the average annual salary in US dollars among NHL players.
6.6 billion
The approximate revenue in US dollars generated by the NHL in the 2022-2023 season. That’s good for fifth among professional sports leagues after the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the English Premier League (EPL).
In case this NHL trivia has motivated you to find a team to root for, I highly recommend the Buffalo Sabres. They’ve never won the Stanley Cup, but they are close to Rochester, New York.
