What hockey team should I cheer for? A guide to picking your NHL team
Hockey is great! Hockey is fun to play and watch, but do you know what makes it even better? When you have a team to cheer for. Sometimes I wonder if I like my team more than I do the game itself. As a Calgary Flames fan I’ve been through many ups and downs (it […]
How Many Periods in Ice Hockey? (And How Long Is Each One?)
Ice hockey is played in three periods, each 20 minutes of actual playing time. Unlike basketball or football, hockey does not use quarters. A full NHL game lasts about 2.5 hours when you factor in intermissions and stoppages — but the action itself is broken into three clean chunks that most fans come to love […]
How the NHL entry draft works: A complete guide
Quick Answer: The NHL Entry Draft is a seven-round process held each June where all 32 NHL teams select the rights to young players, primarily 18–20-year-olds. Non-playoff teams pick first in round one, with lottery odds weighted toward the worst records to discourage tanking. Once drafted, players are not automatically paid — they still need […]
Why do they pull the goalie in hockey?
No matter how long you have watched hockey, it is still odd to see a goalie rush to his own bench and leave an empty net behind. There must be a good reason for it. Let’s take a closer look. A hockey team will pull their goalie in the last few minutes of the game, […]
What were the original NHL teams? (Hint: There were 4)
Original 4? Shouldn’t it be Original 6? When I looked into the history of the NHL, as a lifelong hockey fan I was surprised that the NHL started with just 4 teams, not 6. And only 1 of the original 4 teams is part of what is known as the original 6. So, who were […]
How many minutes do NHL players play?
An NHL game is 60 minutes long. There are more than five players on each team, so how does the coach split up the ice time between players? How long would a player play each night? Is there a difference between players? When looking at how many minutes NHL players play, it is most helpful […]
How do line changes work in hockey?
Hockey is known as the fastest game on earth, and line changes in hockey contribute to this. However, they are also a confusing part of the game: players coming on & off during the flow of the game at seemingly random times. Who comes off? Who goes on? How do they know? How do line […]
What Is the Long Change in Hockey?
TLDR: The long change happens every second period — teams switch ends and suddenly their bench is on the far side of the ice from their defensive zone. Players have to skate roughly 50 extra feet just to get off for a line change, which leads to longer shifts, tired legs, bad decisions, and — […]
How to read the NHL standings?
When following any new sport, it is important to figure out how to read the standings of the primary league, and following the NHL is no different. The standings can be confusing at first, but with a little knowledge they are quite straightforward. The purpose of the NHL standings is to show which team, at […]
Can hockey games end in a tie? (and what happens next)
The rules for a tie have changed in hockey. For a long time, a tie game was quite common to see at the professional level, but the NHL wanted to make sure that there was a winner and loser each and every game so they changed the way the game was structured; the tie in […]