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Stanley Cup playoffs - Wikipedia
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class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Appearances by active teams</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Appearances_by_active_teams-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav 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searchaux" style="display:none">Elimination tournament in the National Hockey League</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup_Finals" title="Stanley Cup Finals">Stanley Cup Finals</a>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_champions" title="List of Stanley Cup champions">List of Stanley Cup champions</a>, <a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup_winning_players" title="Stanley Cup winning players">Stanley Cup winning players</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup" title="Stanley Cup">Stanley Cup</a></div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox"><caption class="infobox-title">Stanley Cup playoffs</caption><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-subheader"><b>Current season, competition or edition:</b><br /><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="Current sports event" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Hockey_current_event.svg/31px-Hockey_current_event.svg.png" decoding="async" width="31" height="31" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Hockey_current_event.svg/47px-Hockey_current_event.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Hockey_current_event.svg/62px-Hockey_current_event.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="60" data-file-height="60" /></span></span> <i><a href="/wiki/2024_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2024 Stanley Cup playoffs">2024 Stanley Cup playoffs</a></i></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Sport</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Ice_hockey" title="Ice hockey">Ice hockey</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Founded</th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"> <ul><li>As an event held on a <a href="/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_challenge_games" title="List of Stanley Cup challenge games">challenge basis</a>: 1893</li> <li>As a prearranged inter-league competition: 1915</li> <li>As solely the <a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League" title="National Hockey League">National Hockey League</a> postseason: 1927</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">No. of teams</th><td class="infobox-data">16</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Most recent<br />champion(s)</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Florida_Panthers" title="Florida Panthers">Florida Panthers</a> (1)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Most titles</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Montreal_Canadiens" title="Montreal Canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a> (24)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">TV partner(s)</th><td class="infobox-data"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><b>Canada</b></li><li><a href="/wiki/NHL_on_Sportsnet" title="NHL on Sportsnet">Sportsnet</a>/<a href="/wiki/Hockey_Night_in_Canada" title="Hockey Night in Canada">CBC</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/TVA_Sports#NHL_coverage" title="TVA Sports">TVA Sports</a></li><li><b>United States</b></li><li><a href="/wiki/NHL_on_ABC" title="NHL on ABC">ABC</a>/<a href="/wiki/NHL_on_ESPN" title="NHL on ESPN">ESPN/ESPN2</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/NHL_on_TNT" title="NHL on TNT">TNT/TBS</a></li><li><b>International:</b></li><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_current_National_Hockey_League_broadcasters#International_broadcasters" title="List of current National Hockey League broadcasters">See list</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Streaming partner(s)</th><td class="infobox-data"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist nowrap"><ul><li><b>Canada:</b></li><li><a href="/wiki/NHL_on_Sportsnet" title="NHL on Sportsnet">Sportsnet+</a></li><li><b>United States:</b></li><li><a href="/wiki/NHL_on_ESPN" title="NHL on ESPN">ESPN+</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Max_(streaming_service)" title="Max (streaming service)">Max</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Official website</th><td class="infobox-data"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nhl.com/stanley-cup-playoffs">Stanley Cup playoffs</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The <b>Stanley Cup playoffs</b> (<a href="/wiki/French_language" title="French language">French</a>: <i lang="fr">Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley</i>) is the annual <a href="/wiki/Tournament#Knockout_tournaments" title="Tournament">elimination tournament</a> to determine the winner of the <a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup" title="Stanley Cup">Stanley Cup</a>, and the league champion of the <a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League" title="National Hockey League">National Hockey League</a> (NHL). The four-round, <a href="/wiki/Best-of-seven" class="mw-redirect" title="Best-of-seven">best-of-seven</a> tournament is held after the NHL's regular season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season points totals. The final round is commonly known as the <a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup_Finals" title="Stanley Cup Finals">Stanley Cup Finals</a>, which matches the two conference champions. </p><p>The NHL is the only one of the <a href="/wiki/Major_professional_sports_leagues_in_the_United_States_and_Canada" title="Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada">big four major leagues in Canada and the United States</a> to refer to its playoffs by the name of its championship trophy, a tradition which has arisen because the Stanley Cup is North America's oldest professional sports trophy, dating back more than two decades before the establishment of the NHL. Originally inscribed the <i>Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup</i>, the trophy was donated in 1892 by <a href="/wiki/Frederick_Stanley,_16th_Earl_of_Derby" title="Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby">Lord Stanley of Preston</a>, then–<a href="/wiki/Governor_General_of_Canada" title="Governor General of Canada">Governor General of Canada</a>, initially as a "<a href="/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_challenge_games" title="List of Stanley Cup challenge games">challenge trophy</a>" for Canada's top-ranking amateur ice hockey club. From 1893 when the first Cup was awarded to 1914, the champions held onto the Cup until they either lost their league title to another club, or a champion from another league issued a formal challenge and defeated the reigning Cup champion in a final game to claim their win. Professional teams then first became eligible to challenge for the Stanley Cup in 1906. Starting in 1915, the Cup was officially contested between the champion of the <a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_Association" title="National Hockey Association">National Hockey Association</a> (NHA) and the champion of the <a href="/wiki/Pacific_Coast_Hockey_Association" title="Pacific Coast Hockey Association">Pacific Coast Hockey Association</a> (PCHA). After a series of league mergers and folds, including the 1917 establishment of the NHL as a successor to the NHA, the Stanley Cup became the championship trophy of the NHL prior to the <a href="/wiki/1926%E2%80%9327_NHL_season" title="1926–27 NHL season">1926–27 season</a>. </p><p>The NHL has always used a playoff tournament to determine its champion. The league's playoff system has changed over the years, from the NHL's inception in 1917, to when the NHL took over the Cup in 1926, to the current setup today. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Current_format">Current format</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Current format"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/NHL_conference_finals" title="NHL conference finals">NHL conference finals</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Stanley_Cup_Playoffs_(34424018622)_(2).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Stanley_Cup_Playoffs_%2834424018622%29_%282%29.jpg/220px-Stanley_Cup_Playoffs_%2834424018622%29_%282%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="330" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Stanley_Cup_Playoffs_%2834424018622%29_%282%29.jpg/330px-Stanley_Cup_Playoffs_%2834424018622%29_%282%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Stanley_Cup_Playoffs_%2834424018622%29_%282%29.jpg/440px-Stanley_Cup_Playoffs_%2834424018622%29_%282%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="5472" /></a><figcaption>No. 88 - Nate Schmidt of the Washington Capitals skates near the Stanley Cup playoffs logo during their May 10, 2017 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins</figcaption></figure> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Format">Format</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Format"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Stanley Cup playoffs consists of four rounds of <a href="/wiki/Best-of-seven_playoff" class="mw-redirect" title="Best-of-seven playoff">best-of-seven series</a>. Each series is played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the team with home-ice advantage hosts games one, two, five, and seven, while their opponent hosts games three, four, and six. Games five, six, and seven are only played if needed. </p><p>Eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. In the playoff series format instituted in 2014, the first, second, and third place teams in each of the four divisions qualify for the playoffs automatically. Two additional teams from each conference, regardless of divisional alignment, also qualify for the playoffs by having the highest point totals out of the remaining teams in the conference. These teams are referred to as the <a href="/wiki/Wild_card_(sports)#National_Hockey_League" title="Wild card (sports)">wild cards</a>. Since there is no attention paid to divisional alignment with the wild cards, it is possible for one division in a conference to have five teams in the postseason while the other has just three. </p><p>In the First Round,<sup id="cite_ref-NHL_PlayoffFormat_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NHL_PlayoffFormat-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> the teams are split into two separate brackets by conference. Each bracket consists of the top three divisional qualifiers and one of the wild cards. The lower seeded wild card plays against the division winner with the best record while the other wild card plays against the other division winner, and both wild cards are de facto <abbr title="Number">No.</abbr> 4 seeds. The other two series match the second and third place teams from the divisions. </p><p>The winners of both First Round series advance to the Second Round.<sup id="cite_ref-NHL_PlayoffFormat_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NHL_PlayoffFormat-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The reseeding in the previous format, which ensured the top seed would play the lowest remaining seed, was discarded, as it is no longer possible. The first round is the only round where the better teams play easier opponents, as every other round is played by the winner of another series, thus leaving no opportunities to reseed. The winners of these series advance to the conference finals and the two conference finals winners move on to the Stanley Cup Finals.<sup id="cite_ref-NHL_PlayoffFormat_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NHL_PlayoffFormat-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In the first two rounds, the higher-seeded team has home-ice advantage (regardless of point record). Thereafter, it goes to the team with the better regular season record (regardless of seeding); in the case of a tie, the league's standard <a href="/wiki/Season_structure_of_the_NHL#Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="Season structure of the NHL">tie-breaking procedure</a> is applied. The team with home-ice advantage hosts games one, two, five, and seven, while the opponent hosts games three, four, and six (games five through seven are played if necessary). </p><p>Any ties in the standings at the end of the regular season are broken using the following protocols: </p> <ol><li>The greater number of <i>regulation wins</i> only (used since the <a href="/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_NHL_season" title="2019–20 NHL season">2019–20 NHL season</a>, reflected by the RW statistic).</li> <li>The greater number of <i>regulation and overtime wins</i>, excluding shootouts (used since the <a href="/wiki/2010%E2%80%9311_NHL_season" title="2010–11 NHL season">2010–11 NHL season</a>, reflected by the ROW statistic).</li> <li>The greater number of total wins, including shootouts.</li> <li>The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs. <ol><li>If two clubs are tied, and have not played an equal number of home games against each other, the points earned and available in the first game played in the city of the club that had the greater number of home games in games between the two are not included.</li> <li>If more than two clubs are tied, the higher percentage of available points earned in games among those clubs, and not including any "odd" games, are used to determine the standing. The "odd" games are identical to those mentioned in the previous paragraph, that is, the first game in the city of the club that has had more home games in games between each club in the tie. Note that, because of this procedure, if two teams in the multi team tie (also applicable in a two team tie) have only played once against each other, the points earned in that game are not included.</li></ol></li> <li>The greater differential between goals for and goals against during the entire regular season.</li> <li>The greater number of goals for (used since the <a href="/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_NHL_season" title="2019–20 NHL season">2019–20 NHL season</a>, reflected by the GF statistic).</li> <li>If two clubs are still tied on regulation wins, regulation and overtime wins, total wins, points earned between the tied clubs (excluding the points earned and available in the first game played in the city of the club that had the greater number of home games in games between the two), regular season goal differential, and regular season goal scored, a <a href="/wiki/One-game_playoff" title="One-game playoff">one-game playoff</a> is played under Stanley Cup playoff rules.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ol> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Overtime_rules">Overtime rules</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Overtime rules"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Overtime_(ice_hockey)#NHL" title="Overtime (ice hockey)">List of longest NHL overtime playoff games</a></div> <p>Unlike the regular season where a contest could eventually be decided in a <a href="/wiki/Shootout_(ice_hockey)" class="mw-redirect" title="Shootout (ice hockey)">shootout</a>, <a href="/wiki/Overtime_(ice_hockey)" title="Overtime (ice hockey)">overtime</a> in the playoffs is played in multiple sudden-death, 20-minute five-on-five periods until one team scores. Although a playoff game could theoretically last indefinitely, only two contests have reached six overtime periods, and neither of those went beyond six.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During playoff overtime periods, the only break is to shovel away the loose ice shavings at the first stoppage after the period is halfway finished.<sup id="cite_ref-NHL-rulebook-ice-cleaning_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NHL-rulebook-ice-cleaning-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Origins">Origins</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Origins"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup#History" title="Stanley Cup">Stanley Cup § History</a>, and <a href="/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_challenge_games" title="List of Stanley Cup challenge games">List of Stanley Cup challenge games</a></div> <p>The Stanley Cup was commissioned in 1892 as the <i>Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup</i> and was named after <a href="/wiki/Frederick_Stanley,_16th_Earl_of_Derby" title="Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby">Lord Stanley of Preston</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Governor_General_of_Canada" title="Governor General of Canada">Governor General of Canada</a> who donated it as an award to Canada's top-ranking amateur ice hockey club.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference nowrap"><span title="Page / location: 23–24">: 23–24 </span></sup> The entire Stanley family supported the sport, the sons and daughters all playing and promoting the game.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first Cup was then awarded in 1893 to <a href="/wiki/Montreal_Hockey_Club" title="Montreal Hockey Club">Montreal Hockey Club</a>. </p><p>During the period from 1893 to 1914, the champions held the Cup until they lost their league title to another club, or a champion from another league issued a formal challenge and subsequently defeated them in a special game or series. The competitive format of each Cup challenge was determined by negotiation between the two clubs. Furthermore, none of the leagues that played for the Cup had a formal playoff system to decide their respective champions; whichever team finished in first place after the regular season won the league title. A playoff would only be played if teams tied for first-place in their leagues at the end of the regular season. </p><p>As the prestige of winning the Cup grew, so did the need to attract top players, and thus professional teams first became eligible to challenge for the Stanley Cup in 1906. Then in 1908, the <a href="/wiki/Allan_Cup" title="Allan Cup">Allan Cup</a> was introduced as the trophy for Canada's amateurs, and the Stanley Cup became a symbol of professional hockey supremacy. In 1910, the <a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_Association" title="National Hockey Association">National Hockey Association</a> (NHA) held its inaugural season and soon emerged as the best professional hockey league in Canada, keeping the Cup for the next four years. In 1914, the <a href="/wiki/Victoria_Aristocrats" class="mw-redirect" title="Victoria Aristocrats">Victoria Aristocrats</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Pacific_Coast_Hockey_Association" title="Pacific Coast Hockey Association">Pacific Coast Hockey Association</a> (PCHA) challenged the NHA and Cup champion <a href="/wiki/Toronto_Blueshirts" title="Toronto Blueshirts">Toronto Blueshirts</a>. One year later, the NHA and the PCHA began an agreement in which their respective champions would face each other annually for the Stanley Cup, effectively ending the <a href="/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_challenge_games" title="List of Stanley Cup challenge games">Cup challenge games</a>. </p><p>After years of the NHA not having an annual playoff tournament to determine its league champion, the <a href="/wiki/1916%E2%80%9317_NHA_season" title="1916–17 NHA season">1916–17 NHA season</a> saw the league split its schedule into two halves with the top team from each half moving on to the league finals, which was a <a href="/wiki/Two-legged_tie" title="Two-legged tie">two-game total goals series</a>. The PCHA continued to award their league title to the team that finished in first place after the regular season. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Emergence_of_the_NHL">Emergence of the NHL</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Emergence of the NHL"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League" title="National Hockey League">National Hockey League</a> (NHL) was founded in November 1917 as a successor to the NHA. From the NHL's inception until 1920, both NHL and PCHA teams were eligible for the Stanley Cup. The NHL inherited the NHA's regular season system of dividing it into two halves, with the top team from each half moving on to the league finals. The NHL finals was a <a href="/wiki/Two-legged_tie" title="Two-legged tie">two-game total goals series</a> in 1918 and a best-of-seven series in 1919. In 1920, the <a href="/wiki/Ottawa_Senators_(original)" title="Ottawa Senators (original)">Ottawa Senators</a> were automatically declared the league champion when the team had won both halves of the regular season. The two halves format was abandoned the next year, and the top two teams faced off for the NHL championship in a two-game total goals series. </p><p>At the time, the NHL champion would later face the winners of the PCHA and, from 1921, the <a href="/wiki/Western_Canada_Hockey_League" title="Western Canada Hockey League">Western Canada Hockey League</a> (WCHL) in further rounds in order to determine the Stanley Cup champion. During this time, as the rules of the NHL and those of the western leagues differ (the main difference being that NHL rules allowed five skaters while the western leagues allowed six), the rules for each game in the Stanley Cup Finals alternated between those of the NHL and the western leagues. Before the WCHL competed for the Stanley Cup, the Cup championship series was a best-of-five series. Following the involvement of the WCHL, one league champion was given a bye straight to the finals (a best-of-three affair starting in 1922), while the other two competed in a best-of-three semifinal. As travel expenses were high during these times, it was often the case that the NHL champions were sent west to compete. In a dispute between the leagues in 1923 about whether to send one or both western league champions east, the winner of the PCHA/WCHL series would proceed to the Stanley Cup Finals, while the loser of the series would face the NHL champion, both series being best-of-three. </p><p>In 1924, the NHL playoffs expanded from two to three teams (with the top team getting a bye to the two-game total goal NHL finals), but because the first-place <a href="/wiki/Hamilton_Tigers" title="Hamilton Tigers">Hamilton Tigers</a> refused to play under this format, the second and third place teams played for the NHL championship in a two-game total goals affair. The Stanley Cup Finals series returned to a best-of-five format the same year.<sup id="cite_ref-Formats_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Formats-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="NHL_takes_control_of_Stanley_Cup">NHL takes control of Stanley Cup</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: NHL takes control of Stanley Cup"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>With the merger of the PCHA and WCHL in 1925 and the merged league's collapse in 1926, the NHL took de facto control of the Stanley Cup.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference nowrap"><span title="Page / location: 21">: 21 </span></sup> While the Cup would not be formally deeded to the league until 1947, from 1926 onward the NHL playoffs and the Stanley Cup playoffs are considered synonymous. The NHL was subsequently divided into the Canadian and American divisions for the 1927–28 season. For 1927, six teams qualified for the playoffs, three from each division, with the division semifinals and finals being a two-game total goals affair, and the Stanley Cup Finals becoming a best-of-five series. In 1928, the playoff format was changed so that the two teams with identical division ranking would face each other (i.e., the division winners played each other, the second place teams play each other, and likewise for the third place teams). The first place series was a best-of-five affair, with the winner proceeding to the best-of-three Stanley Cup Finals, while the others were a two-game total goals series. The winner of the second and third place series played each other in a best-of-three series, with the winner earning the other berth to the Stanley Cup Finals. This format had a slight modification the following year, where the semifinal series became a two-game total goals affair and the Stanley Cup Finals became a best-of-five series. The two-game total goals format was abolished in 1937, with those series being changed to best-of-three affairs.<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Original_Six_era_(1942–1967)"><span id="Original_Six_era_.281942.E2.80.931967.29"></span>Original Six era (1942–1967)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Original Six era (1942–1967)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The 1930s saw the reduction of teams from ten to seven, which resulted in an end to the Canadian and American divisions. The Stanley Cup playoffs saw the first- and second-place teams play against each other in a best-of-seven series for one berth in the Stanley Cup Finals, while the third- to sixth-place teams battled in a series of best-of-three matches for the other berth (with the third-place team taking on the fourth-place team, and the fifth-place team against the sixth-place team). In 1939, the Stanley Cup Finals became a best-of-seven series, the format still used today.<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/1942%E2%80%9343_NHL_season" title="1942–43 NHL season">1942–43 season</a> saw the removal of the <a href="/wiki/New_York_Americans" title="New York Americans">New York Americans</a>, leaving six remaining teams (now known as the "<a href="/wiki/Original_Six" title="Original Six">Original Six</a>"). From <a href="/wiki/1943_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1943 Stanley Cup playoffs">1943</a> to <a href="/wiki/1967_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1967 Stanley Cup playoffs">1967</a>, all playoff match ups were best-of-seven affairs. The first and third-place teams played in one semifinal, while the second and fourth-place teams played in the other semifinal, with the semifinal winners advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. During this time, <a href="/wiki/Detroit_Red_Wings" title="Detroit Red Wings">Detroit Red Wings</a> fans often threw an <a href="/wiki/Legend_of_the_Octopus" title="Legend of the Octopus">octopus</a> onto the ice as a good luck charm, as eight wins were required to win the Stanley Cup.<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Expansion_era_(1967–1993)"><span id="Expansion_era_.281967.E2.80.931993.29"></span>Expansion era (1967–1993)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Expansion era (1967–1993)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/1967_NHL_expansion" title="1967 NHL expansion">1967 expansion</a> saw the number of teams double from six to twelve for the <a href="/wiki/1967%E2%80%9368_NHL_season" title="1967–68 NHL season">1967–68 season</a>, and with it the creation of the <a href="/wiki/West_Division_(NHL)" title="West Division (NHL)">Western</a> and <a href="/wiki/East_Division_(NHL)" title="East Division (NHL)">Eastern</a> divisions. The playoff format remained largely the same, with four teams in each division qualifying for the playoffs, all series remaining best-of-seven, and the division champions battling for the Stanley Cup. The <a href="/wiki/1970%E2%80%9371_NHL_season" title="1970–71 NHL season">1970–71 season</a>, because of fan demand, brought forth the first inter-conference playoff match up outside of the Stanley Cup Finals since the pre-war expansion, which had the winner of the second-place versus fourth-place match up in one conference take on the winner of the first- versus third-place match up in the other conference for a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. The following year had one minor change to its playoff format: a stronger team would face a weaker opponent. Thus, instead of a first-place versus third-place and a second versus fourth-place match up in the first round, the first round had the first-place versus the fourth and the second versus the third-place. This practice of having stronger teams facing weaker opposition has continued to the present day.<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This change necessitated the need to reseed the winners of the quarterfinals by matching up the highest remaining seed of one division against the lowest remaining seed from the other division in the semifinals. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/1974%E2%80%9375_NHL_season" title="1974–75 NHL season">1974–75 season</a> saw another change to the playoff system to accommodate a league that had expanded to 18 teams in two conferences and four divisions. Under this system, twelve teams qualified for the playoffs. The top team from each division would earn a bye to the quarterfinal, while the second- and third-place teams from each division started their playoff run from a best-of-three preliminary round. In each round of the playoffs, the teams remaining were seeded regardless of divisional or conference alignment, with the preliminary-round series being a best-of-three affair while the remainder of the series remained best-of-seven. The <a href="/wiki/1977%E2%80%9378_NHL_season" title="1977–78 NHL season">1977–78 season</a> had one minor change in its playoff format: although the second-place finishers from each division would qualify for the preliminary round, the four playoff spots reserved for the third-place teams were replaced by four <i>wild-card</i> spots—spots for the four teams with the highest regular season point total that did not finish first or second in their divisions.<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>With the absorption of four teams from the <a href="/wiki/World_Hockey_Association" title="World Hockey Association">World Hockey Association</a> in the <a href="/wiki/1979%E2%80%9380_NHL_season" title="1979–80 NHL season">1979–80 season</a>, a new playoff system was introduced where 16 of the league's 21 teams qualified for postseason play. The four division winners qualified for the playoffs while twelve wild-card positions rounded out the sixteen teams. At the beginning of each round the teams were seeded based on their regular season point totals, with the preliminary round being a best-of-five series while all other playoff series were best-of-seven.<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/1981%E2%80%9382_NHL_season" title="1981–82 NHL season">1981–82 season</a> brought forth the return of divisional matchups, with the top four teams from each division qualifying for the playoffs. Division champions would be determined, followed by the conference champions, who would meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Division Semifinals was a best-of-five affair until the <a href="/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_NHL_season" title="1986–87 NHL season">1986–87 season</a>, when it became a best-of-seven series, while all other series remained best-of seven.<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Modern_era_(1993–present)"><span id="Modern_era_.281993.E2.80.93present.29"></span>Modern era (1993–present)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Modern era (1993–present)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Game_2_2013_Stanley_Cup_Finals.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Game_2_2013_Stanley_Cup_Finals.JPG/220px-Game_2_2013_Stanley_Cup_Finals.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="293" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Game_2_2013_Stanley_Cup_Finals.JPG/330px-Game_2_2013_Stanley_Cup_Finals.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Game_2_2013_Stanley_Cup_Finals.JPG/440px-Game_2_2013_Stanley_Cup_Finals.JPG 2x" data-file-width="2448" data-file-height="3264" /></a><figcaption>The <a href="/wiki/Boston_Bruins" title="Boston Bruins">Boston Bruins</a> and <a href="/wiki/Chicago_Blackhawks" title="Chicago Blackhawks">Chicago Blackhawks</a> warming up before Game 2 of the <a href="/wiki/2013_Stanley_Cup_Finals" title="2013 Stanley Cup Finals">2013 Stanley Cup Finals</a></figcaption></figure> <p>For the <a href="/wiki/1993%E2%80%9394_NHL_season" title="1993–94 NHL season">1993–94 season</a>, the league revamped its playoff structure to become conference-based rather than division-based. Eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs. The first-place teams in each division were seeded first and second in their respective conference playoffs; the next six best teams in each conference also qualified and were seeded third through eighth. All teams played in the conference quarterfinals: first-place versus eighth, second versus seventh, third versus sixth, and fourth versus fifth; after each round, the surviving teams were reseeded to play the conference semifinals, then a conference final, with the conference champions playing against each other in the Stanley Cup Finals. Home ice advantage was determined by higher seed in the first three rounds and by regular season points of the two teams in the Stanley Cup Finals. All series were best of seven, but the arrangement of home games was changed for Central and Pacific division teams. Instead of the normal 2–2–1–1–1 rotation, a series involving teams from both divisions was 2–3–2, with the higher-seeded team having the option of starting play at home or on the road (the format was used four times in <a href="/wiki/1994_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1994 Stanley Cup playoffs">1994</a>, between 1995 and 1998, all higher-seeded teams opted to start play at home with the 2–2–1–1–1 format).<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>For the <a href="/wiki/1998%E2%80%9399_NHL_season" title="1998–99 NHL season">1998–99 season</a>, the league re-organized into two conferences of three divisions apiece, resulting in the playoff format used through the <a href="/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_NHL_season" title="2012–13 NHL season">2012–13 season</a>. The qualifiers remained sixteen, but the seeding changed. The three first-place teams in each division qualified and were seeded first through third for the playoffs; of the other teams in each conference, the top five finishers qualified for the fourth through eighth seeds. The format otherwise remained identical to that of the 1994–1998 system.<sup id="cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The NHL realigned into a four-division, two-conference system for the <a href="/wiki/2013%E2%80%9314_NHL_season" title="2013–14 NHL season">2013–14 season</a>. Under the postseason system from 2014 to the present (excluding the seasons that were changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the top three teams in each division make the <a href="/wiki/2014_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2014 Stanley Cup playoffs">playoffs</a>, with two wild-cards in each conference (for a total of eight playoff teams from each conference). The format is division-based, similar to the 1982 system. In the First Round, the top-ranked team in the conference plays against the lowest-ranked wild-card, while the other division winner plays against the higher-ranked wild-card. The second- and third-place teams in each division play each other. The first-round winners then meet in the Second Round. The third round still consists of the Western Conference and Eastern Conference finals, with those conference winners advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.<sup id="cite_ref-2013Realignment_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2013Realignment-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Temporary_formats_during_the_COVID-19_pandemic">Temporary formats during the COVID-19 pandemic</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Temporary formats during the COVID-19 pandemic"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/2020_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2020 Stanley Cup playoffs">2020 Stanley Cup playoffs</a> and <a href="/wiki/2021_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2021 Stanley Cup playoffs">2021 Stanley Cup playoffs</a></div> <p>Special formats were used in 2020 and 2021 due to the <a href="/wiki/Impact_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_on_sports" title="Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports">COVID-19 pandemic</a>. </p><p>As a result of the pandemic prematurely ending the <a href="/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_NHL_season" title="2019–20 NHL season">2019–20 regular season</a>, a 24-team, conference-based format (with 12 from each conference) was adopted for the <a href="/wiki/2020_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2020 Stanley Cup playoffs">2020 playoffs</a>. Seeding was based on each team's points percentage at the time the regular season was suspended on March 12. The top four teams competed in a <a href="/wiki/Round-robin_tournament" title="Round-robin tournament">round-robin tournament</a> to determine final seeding in the First Round, while the bottom eight seeds in each conference played in a <a href="/wiki/Best-of-five_series" class="mw-redirect" title="Best-of-five series">best-of-five series</a> to determine who advanced to face one of the Round-Robin teams in the First Round, after which they were re-seeded 5th–8th. Teams then were reseeded after each round similar to the conference-based formats used from 1994 to 2013. </p><p>The closure of the <a href="/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_border" title="Canada–United States border">Canada–United States border</a> during the <a href="/wiki/2020%E2%80%9321_NHL_season" title="2020–21 NHL season">2020–21 regular season</a> caused the NHL to temporarily abolish both conferences and realign into four different divisions, putting all Canadian teams into one of those divisions. The top four teams in each division then made the <a href="/wiki/2021_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2021 Stanley Cup playoffs">2021 playoffs</a>. All four rounds of the playoffs remained as best-of-seven series, and the first two rounds of the playoffs featured intra-divisional matchups similar to the division-based formats previously used. The four division champions were reseeded based on regular season point total in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. The best-ranked division winner played against the worst-ranked division winner, while the other two division champions faced-off against each other, with the second-best division champion having home-ice advantage. The winners of these series advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, as before. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Traditions_and_trends">Traditions and trends</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Traditions and trends"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Compared to other major professional sports leagues, playoff upsets are relatively common in the NHL.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> According to NHL broadcaster <a href="/wiki/Darren_Eliot" title="Darren Eliot">Darren Eliot</a>, this is because the style of competition in the playoffs is different from the regular season: instead of playing different teams every night, the goal is to advance through four <a href="/wiki/Best-of-seven_playoff" class="mw-redirect" title="Best-of-seven playoff">best-of-seven playoff series</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-SI_Eliot_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-SI_Eliot-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Accuracy_dispute#Disputed_statement" title="Wikipedia:Accuracy dispute"><span title="The NBA uses the same playoff format, so it cannot be an explanation for a phenomenon unique to the NHL (January 2020)">dubious</span></a> – <a href="/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Cup_playoffs#Dubious" title="Talk:Stanley Cup playoffs">discuss</a></i>]</sup> The <a href="/wiki/Presidents%27_Trophy" title="Presidents' Trophy">Presidents' Trophy</a> winner may have to go through other playoff clubs who might have a better goaltender, a better defensive team, or other players that pose matchup problems. If the regular season champion's primary success was only outscoring others, they may be out of luck facing goaltenders that can shut them out.<sup id="cite_ref-SI_Eliot_12-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-SI_Eliot-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For the first time, during the <a href="/wiki/2019_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2019 Stanley Cup playoffs">2019 Stanley Cup playoffs</a>, all division winners were eliminated in the first round, which also saw the first instance that a <a href="/wiki/Presidents%27_Trophy" title="Presidents' Trophy">Presidents' Trophy</a> winner was swept 4–0 in the opening round.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>And although rare, another aspect is that the NHL leads the other leagues in <a href="/wiki/Game_seven#Comebacks" title="Game seven">game seven comebacks</a>. In four instances an NHL team has been able to come back from being down 0–3 to win a seven-game series: the <a href="/wiki/1941%E2%80%9342_Toronto_Maple_Leafs_season" title="1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs season">1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs</a>, the <a href="/wiki/1974%E2%80%9375_New_York_Islanders_season" title="1974–75 New York Islanders season">1974–75 New York Islanders</a>, the <a href="/wiki/2009%E2%80%9310_Philadelphia_Flyers_season" title="2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers season">2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/2013%E2%80%9314_Los_Angeles_Kings_season" title="2013–14 Los Angeles Kings season">2013–14 Los Angeles Kings</a>. There has been only one such "reverse sweep" comeback in <a href="/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_postseason" title="Major League Baseball postseason">MLB postseason</a> (the <a href="/wiki/2004_Boston_Red_Sox_season" title="2004 Boston Red Sox season">2004 Boston Red Sox</a>) and none in the <a href="/wiki/NBA_playoffs" title="NBA playoffs">NBA playoffs</a>. </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1224211176">.mw-parser-output .quotebox{background-color:#F9F9F9;border:1px solid #aaa;box-sizing:border-box;padding:10px;font-size:88%;max-width:100%}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatleft{margin:.5em 1.4em .8em 0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatright{margin:.5em 0 .8em 1.4em}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.centered{overflow:hidden;position:relative;margin:.5em auto .8em auto}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatleft span,.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatright span{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .quotebox>blockquote{margin:0;padding:0;border-left:0;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-title{text-align:center;font-size:110%;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote>:first-child{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote:last-child>:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote.quoted:before{font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:large;color:gray;content:" “ ";vertical-align:-45%;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote.quoted:after{font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:large;color:gray;content:" ” ";line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .left-aligned{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .right-aligned{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .center-aligned{text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .quote-title,.mw-parser-output .quotebox .quotebox-quote{display:block}.mw-parser-output .quotebox cite{display:block;font-style:normal}@media screen and (max-width:640px){.mw-parser-output .quotebox{width:100%!important;margin:0 0 .8em!important;float:none!important}}</style><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="width:25%; ;"> <blockquote class="quotebox-quote left-aligned" style=""> <p>It is the reality of the sport. If your particular strength happens to be that you're really good offensively, and you come up against a hot goaltender and a team that is stout defensively, it might not matter that you were good on a nightly basis scoring goals. And that one particular opponent: you'll have to beat them four times. </p> </blockquote> <p style="padding-bottom: 0;"><cite class="left-aligned" style="">NHL broadcaster <a href="/wiki/Darren_Eliot" title="Darren Eliot">Darren Eliot</a> explaining the lack of success of Presidents' Trophy winners winning the Stanley Cup.<sup id="cite_ref-SI_Eliot_12-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-SI_Eliot-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></cite></p> </div> <p>Despite having more American-based teams than Canadian-based ones throughout much of the NHL's existence (dating back to the Original Six era when it was two Canadian clubs to four American ones, and now 7 to 25 since 2021), there have been only two times in league history where none of the Canadian teams qualified for the postseason: <a href="/wiki/1970_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1970 Stanley Cup playoffs">1970</a> and <a href="/wiki/2016_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2016 Stanley Cup playoffs">2016</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, the <a href="/wiki/1992%E2%80%9393_Montreal_Canadiens_season" title="1992–93 Montreal Canadiens season">1992–93 Montreal Canadiens</a> remain the last Canadian club to win the Stanley Cup, as of 2024.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Stanley Cup playoffs MVP award, the <a href="/wiki/Conn_Smythe_Trophy" title="Conn Smythe Trophy">Conn Smythe Trophy</a> is based on the <i>entire</i> NHL postseason instead of just the championship game or series, unlike the playoff MVP awards presented in the other <a href="/wiki/Major_professional_sports_leagues_of_the_United_States_and_Canada" class="mw-redirect" title="Major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada">major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada</a> (the <a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl_Most_Valuable_Player_Award" title="Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award">Super Bowl MVP</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Bill_Russell_NBA_Finals_Most_Valuable_Player_Award" class="mw-redirect" title="Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award">NBA Finals MVP</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/World_Series_Most_Valuable_Player_Award" title="World Series Most Valuable Player Award">World Series MVP</a>), although in its history the trophy has never been given to someone that was not in the finals. <a href="/wiki/Doug_Gilmour" title="Doug Gilmour">Doug Gilmour</a> and <a href="/wiki/Peter_Forsberg" title="Peter Forsberg">Peter Forsberg</a>, in <a href="/wiki/1986_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1986 Stanley Cup playoffs">1986</a> and <a href="/wiki/1999_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1999 Stanley Cup playoffs">1999</a>, respectively, are the only players who have topped the postseason in scoring without making it to the Finals. </p><p>NHL players have often grown <a href="/wiki/Playoff_beard" title="Playoff beard">beards</a> when their team is in the playoffs, where they do not shave until their team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup. The tradition was started in the 1980s by the <a href="/wiki/New_York_Islanders" title="New York Islanders">New York Islanders</a>, and is often mirrored by the fans, as well.<sup id="cite_ref-Islanders_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Islanders-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-SabresFans_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-SabresFans-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>At the conclusion of a playoff series, players and coaches line up and exchange handshakes with their counterparts on the opposing team, and this has been described by commentators as "one of the great traditions in sports".<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, there have been rare occasions that individual players have refused to participate, such as <a href="/wiki/Gerry_Cheevers" title="Gerry Cheevers">Gerry Cheevers</a> who left the ice without shaking hands with any of the Flyers in 1978,<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and <a href="/wiki/Billy_Smith_(ice_hockey)" title="Billy Smith (ice hockey)">Billy Smith</a> who avoided handshakes as he was particularly passionate about losses.<sup id="cite_ref-Stephenson_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Stephenson-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> More recent examples of players refusing the handshake include the 1996 playoffs when several <a href="/wiki/Detroit_Red_Wings" title="Detroit Red Wings">Detroit Red Wings</a> players protested the dirty hit by the <a href="/wiki/Colorado_Avalanche" title="Colorado Avalanche">Colorado Avalanche</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Claude_Lemieux" title="Claude Lemieux">Claude Lemieux</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and in the 2008 playoffs when <a href="/wiki/Martin_Brodeur" title="Martin Brodeur">Martin Brodeur</a> refused to shake <a href="/wiki/Sean_Avery" title="Sean Avery">Sean Avery</a>'s hand after Avery screened him in an earlier game.<sup id="cite_ref-Stephenson_21-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Stephenson-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>It is common among players to never touch or hoist the <a href="/wiki/Prince_of_Wales_Trophy" title="Prince of Wales Trophy">Prince of Wales Trophy</a> (<a href="/wiki/Eastern_Conference_(NHL)" title="Eastern Conference (NHL)">Eastern Conference</a> champion) or <a href="/wiki/Clarence_S._Campbell_Bowl" title="Clarence S. Campbell Bowl">Clarence S. Campbell Bowl</a> (<a href="/wiki/Western_Conference_(NHL)" title="Western Conference (NHL)">Western Conference</a> champion) after they have won the <a href="/wiki/NHL_conference_finals" title="NHL conference finals">conference finals</a>; the players feel that the <a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup" title="Stanley Cup">Stanley Cup</a> is the true championship trophy and thus it should be the only trophy that they should be hoisting. However, there have been many exceptions to this. Nineteen of the conference champions since 1997 have touched the trophy, of which 8 teams went on to win the Stanley Cup – <a href="/wiki/Scott_Stevens" title="Scott Stevens">Scott Stevens</a> of the Devils in 2000 and 2003; <a href="/wiki/Sidney_Crosby" title="Sidney Crosby">Sidney Crosby</a> of the Penguins in 2009, 2016, and 2017; <a href="/wiki/Alexander_Ovechkin" title="Alexander Ovechkin">Alexander Ovechkin</a> of the Capitals in 2018; and <a href="/wiki/Steven_Stamkos" title="Steven Stamkos">Steven Stamkos</a> of the Lightning in 2020.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In recent years, the captain of the winning team poses (usually looking solemn) with the conference trophy, and sometimes, the entire team poses as well.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>There are many <a href="/wiki/Traditions_and_anecdotes_associated_with_the_Stanley_Cup" title="Traditions and anecdotes associated with the Stanley Cup">traditions and anecdotes associated with the championship trophy</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup" title="Stanley Cup">Stanley Cup</a>. </p><p>Because the <a href="/wiki/Ice_Hockey_World_Championships" title="Ice Hockey World Championships">Ice Hockey World Championships</a> are held in the same time period as the Stanley Cup playoffs, the only NHL players who can participate in the former are those on NHL teams that have been eliminated from Stanley Cup contention.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This policy has been in place since a 1977 agreement between the NHL and the <a href="/wiki/International_Ice_Hockey_Federation" title="International Ice Hockey Federation">International Ice Hockey Federation</a>, which allowed <a href="/wiki/Canada_men%27s_national_ice_hockey_team" title="Canada men's national ice hockey team">Team Canada</a> to field a team in the World Championships after an-eight year absence.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Postseason_appearances">Postseason appearances</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Postseason appearances"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><i>Correct as of <a href="/wiki/2024_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2024 Stanley Cup playoffs">2024 Stanley Cup playoffs</a></i> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Appearances_by_active_teams">Appearances by active teams</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Appearances by active teams"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <table class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"> <tbody><tr> <th>Team </th> <th data-sort-type="number" style="width:180px">Appearances<sup id="cite_ref-Most_Playoff_Appearances_28-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Most_Playoff_Appearances-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Montreal_Canadiens" title="Montreal Canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a><sup id="cite_ref-O6_29-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-O6-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>A<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td> <td>88<sup id="cite_ref-a_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-a-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>B<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Boston_Bruins" title="Boston Bruins">Boston Bruins</a><sup id="cite_ref-O6_29-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-O6-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>A<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td> <td>77 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Toronto_Maple_Leafs" title="Toronto Maple Leafs">Toronto Maple Leafs</a><sup id="cite_ref-O6_29-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-O6-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>A<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td> <td>73 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Detroit_Red_Wings" title="Detroit Red Wings">Detroit Red Wings</a><sup id="cite_ref-O6_29-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-O6-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>A<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td> <td>64 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Chicago_Blackhawks" title="Chicago Blackhawks">Chicago Blackhawks</a><sup id="cite_ref-O6_29-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-O6-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>A<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td> <td>63 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/New_York_Rangers" title="New York Rangers">New York Rangers</a><sup id="cite_ref-O6_29-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-O6-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>A<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td> <td>63 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/St._Louis_Blues" title="St. Louis Blues">St. Louis Blues</a> </td> <td>45 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Philadelphia_Flyers" title="Philadelphia Flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> </td> <td>40 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Pittsburgh_Penguins" title="Pittsburgh Penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> </td> <td>37 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Dallas_Stars" title="Dallas Stars">Dallas Stars</a> </td> <td>36<sup id="cite_ref-b_31-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-b-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>C<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Los_Angeles_Kings" title="Los Angeles Kings">Los Angeles Kings</a> </td> <td>33 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Washington_Capitals" title="Washington Capitals">Washington Capitals</a> </td> <td>33 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Calgary_Flames" title="Calgary Flames">Calgary Flames</a> </td> <td>31<sup id="cite_ref-c_32-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-c-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>D<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Buffalo_Sabres" title="Buffalo Sabres">Buffalo Sabres</a> </td> <td>29 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Colorado_Avalanche" title="Colorado Avalanche">Colorado Avalanche</a> </td> <td>30<sup id="cite_ref-d_33-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-d-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>E<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-e_34-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-e-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>F<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/New_York_Islanders" title="New York Islanders">New York Islanders</a> </td> <td>29 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Vancouver_Canucks" title="Vancouver Canucks">Vancouver Canucks</a> </td> <td>29 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Edmonton_Oilers" title="Edmonton Oilers">Edmonton Oilers</a> </td> <td>26<sup id="cite_ref-d_33-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-d-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>E<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/New_Jersey_Devils" title="New Jersey Devils">New Jersey Devils</a> </td> <td>24<sup id="cite_ref-f_35-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-f-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>G<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/San_Jose_Sharks" title="San Jose Sharks">San Jose Sharks</a> </td> <td>21 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Arizona_Coyotes" title="Arizona Coyotes">Arizona Coyotes</a> </td> <td>20<sup id="cite_ref-d_33-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-d-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>E<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-g_36-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-g-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>H<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Carolina_Hurricanes" title="Carolina Hurricanes">Carolina Hurricanes</a> </td> <td>19<sup id="cite_ref-d_33-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-d-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>E<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-i_37-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-i-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>I<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Ottawa_Senators" title="Ottawa Senators">Ottawa Senators</a> </td> <td>16<sup id="cite_ref-h_38-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-h-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>J<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Lightning" title="Tampa Bay Lightning">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> </td> <td>16 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Nashville_Predators" title="Nashville Predators">Nashville Predators</a> </td> <td>16 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Anaheim_Ducks" title="Anaheim Ducks">Anaheim Ducks</a> </td> <td>14 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Minnesota_Wild" title="Minnesota Wild">Minnesota Wild</a> </td> <td>13 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Florida_Panthers" title="Florida Panthers">Florida Panthers</a> </td> <td>10 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Winnipeg_Jets" title="Winnipeg Jets">Winnipeg Jets</a> </td> <td>8<sup id="cite_ref-j_39-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-j-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>K<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Columbus_Blue_Jackets" title="Columbus Blue Jackets">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> </td> <td>6 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Vegas_Golden_Knights" title="Vegas Golden Knights">Vegas Golden Knights</a> </td> <td>6 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Seattle_Kraken" title="Seattle Kraken">Seattle Kraken</a> </td> <td>1 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Utah_Hockey_Club" title="Utah Hockey Club">Utah Hockey Club</a> </td> <td>0 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-upper-alpha"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-O6-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-O6_29-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-O6_29-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-O6_29-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-O6_29-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-O6_29-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-O6_29-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Original_Six" title="Original Six">Original Six</a> team</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-a-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-a_30-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Includes the three postseason appearances in the <a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_Association" title="National Hockey Association">National Hockey Association</a> prior to the formation of the NHL in 1917. The NHA, the predecessor league of the NHL, also competed for the Stanley Cup.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-b-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-b_31-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Includes appearances for <a href="/wiki/Minnesota_North_Stars" title="Minnesota North Stars">Minnesota North Stars</a> (<a href="/wiki/1967%E2%80%9368_NHL_season" title="1967–68 NHL season">1967–68</a> through to <a href="/wiki/1992%E2%80%9393_NHL_season" title="1992–93 NHL season">1992–93</a>).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-c-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-c_32-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Includes appearances for <a href="/wiki/Atlanta_Flames" title="Atlanta Flames">Atlanta Flames</a> (<a href="/wiki/1972%E2%80%9373_NHL_season" title="1972–73 NHL season">1972–73</a> through to <a href="/wiki/1979%E2%80%9380_NHL_season" title="1979–80 NHL season">1979–80</a>).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-d-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-d_33-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-d_33-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-d_33-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-d_33-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Does not include appearances in the <a href="/wiki/World_Hockey_Association" title="World Hockey Association">World Hockey Association</a>/<a href="/wiki/Avco_World_Trophy" title="Avco World Trophy">Avco Trophy</a> playoffs. Per the conditions of the <a href="/wiki/NHL%E2%80%93WHA_merger" class="mw-redirect" title="NHL–WHA merger">NHL–WHA merger</a>, the NHL does not officially recognize the WHA history, playoffs and records. Furthermore, during its existence, no WHA champion competed for the Stanley Cup.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-e-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-e_34-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Includes appearances for <a href="/wiki/Quebec_Nordiques" title="Quebec Nordiques">Quebec Nordiques</a> (<a href="/wiki/1979%E2%80%9380_NHL_season" title="1979–80 NHL season">1979–80</a> through to <a href="/wiki/1994%E2%80%9395_NHL_season" title="1994–95 NHL season">1994–95</a>).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-f-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-f_35-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Includes appearances for <a href="/wiki/Colorado_Rockies_(NHL)" title="Colorado Rockies (NHL)">Colorado Rockies</a> (<a href="/wiki/1976%E2%80%9377_NHL_season" title="1976–77 NHL season">1976–77</a> through to <a href="/wiki/1981%E2%80%9382_NHL_season" title="1981–82 NHL season">1981–82</a>).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-g-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-g_36-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Includes appearances for the <a href="/wiki/Winnipeg_Jets_(1972%E2%80%931996)" title="Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996)">original Winnipeg Jets</a> (<a href="/wiki/1979%E2%80%9380_NHL_season" title="1979–80 NHL season">1979–80</a> through to <a href="/wiki/1995%E2%80%9396_NHL_season" title="1995–96 NHL season">1995–96</a>). Franchise suspended operations following the <a href="/wiki/2023%E2%80%9324_NHL_season" title="2023–24 NHL season">2023–24 season</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-i-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-i_37-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Includes appearances for <a href="/wiki/Hartford_Whalers" title="Hartford Whalers">Hartford Whalers</a> (<a href="/wiki/1979%E2%80%9380_NHL_season" title="1979–80 NHL season">1979–80</a> through to <a href="/wiki/1996%E2%80%9397_NHL_season" title="1996–97 NHL season">1996–97</a>).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-h-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-h_38-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">The modern Ottawa Senators (1992–present) are the namesake of the <a href="/wiki/Ottawa_Senators_(original)" title="Ottawa Senators (original)">original Senators</a> (1883–1934). The NHL officially treats them as two separate franchises.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-j-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-j_39-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Includes appearances for <a href="/wiki/Atlanta_Thrashers" title="Atlanta Thrashers">Atlanta Thrashers</a> (<a href="/wiki/1999%E2%80%932000_NHL_season" title="1999–2000 NHL season">1999–2000</a> through to <a href="/wiki/2010%E2%80%9311_NHL_season" title="2010–11 NHL season">2010–11</a>).</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_playoff_series" title="List of NHL playoff series">List of NHL playoff series</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Cup_playoffs&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626"><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-NHL_PlayoffFormat-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-NHL_PlayoffFormat_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NHL_PlayoffFormat_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NHL_PlayoffFormat_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=711015">"Stanley Cup Playoffs format, qualification system"</a>. NHL.com. March 24, 2014. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140328225039/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=711015">Archived</a> from the original on March 28, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 1,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Stanley+Cup+Playoffs+format%2C+qualification+system&rft.pub=NHL.com&rft.date=2014-03-24&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhl.com%2Fice%2Fnews.htm%3Fid%3D711015&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nhl.com/news/philadelphia-flyers-florida-panthers-could-need-play-in-game/c-297737130">"Flyers, Panthers could have play-in game to determine final playoff berth"</a>. NHL.com. April 6, 2018. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180407053645/https://www.nhl.com/news/philadelphia-flyers-florida-panthers-could-need-play-in-game/c-297737130">Archived</a> from the original on April 7, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 7,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Flyers%2C+Panthers+could+have+play-in+game+to+determine+final+playoff+berth&rft.pub=NHL.com&rft.date=2018-04-06&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhl.com%2Fnews%2Fphiladelphia-flyers-florida-panthers-could-need-play-in-game%2Fc-297737130&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation magazine cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071103141020/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/hockey/nhl/specials/playoffs/2007/04/12/OT.games/">"Oh, what a night ... and morning. Stars-Canucks ranks sixth among longest OT games"</a>. <i>Sports Illustrated</i>. April 12, 2007. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/hockey/nhl/specials/playoffs/2007/04/12/OT.games/">the original</a> on November 3, 2007<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 26,</span> 2007</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Sports+Illustrated&rft.atitle=Oh%2C+what+a+night+...+and+morning.+Stars-Canucks+ranks+sixth+among+longest+OT+games.&rft.date=2007-04-12&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated.cnn.com%2F2007%2Fhockey%2Fnhl%2Fspecials%2Fplayoffs%2F2007%2F04%2F12%2FOT.games%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-NHL-rulebook-ice-cleaning-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-NHL-rulebook-ice-cleaning_4-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://nhl.bamcontent.com/images/assets/binary/308893668/binary-file/file.pdf"><i>National Hockey League Official Rules 2019–20</i></a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. New York: NHL. 2019. Rule 1.10 (iv). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141221051822/http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26489">Archived</a> from the original on December 21, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 16,</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=National+Hockey+League+Official+Rules+2019%E2%80%9320&rft.place=New+York&rft.pages=Rule+1.10+%28iv%29&rft.pub=NHL&rft.date=2019&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fnhl.bamcontent.com%2Fimages%2Fassets%2Fbinary%2F308893668%2Fbinary-file%2Ffile.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Stan_Fischler" title="Stan Fischler">Fischler, S.</a>, <i>The Handy Hockey Answer Book</i> (<a href="/wiki/Canton,_Michigan" title="Canton, Michigan">Canton Charter Township, MI</a>: <a href="/wiki/Visible_Ink_Press" title="Visible Ink Press">Visible Ink Press</a>, 2016), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=4MCHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT23">pp. 23–24</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210309182722/https://books.google.com/books?id=4MCHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT23">Archived</a> March 9, 2021, at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=b194502&type=Builder&page=bio&list=ByName">"Lord Stanley (of Preston)"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Hockey_Hall_of_Fame" title="Hockey Hall of Fame">Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141129075507/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=b194502&type=Builder&page=bio&list=ByName">Archived</a> from the original on November 29, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 10,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Lord+Stanley+%28of+Preston%29&rft.pub=Hockey+Hall+of+Fame+and+Museum&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.legendsofhockey.net%2FLegendsOfHockey%2Fjsp%2FLegendsMember.jsp%3Fmem%3Db194502%26type%3DBuilder%26page%3Dbio%26list%3DByName&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Formats-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Formats_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=25433">"Stanley Cup Playoff Formats: 1917 to date"</a>. NHL.com. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131128153352/http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=25433">Archived</a> from the original on November 28, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 25,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Stanley+Cup+Playoff+Formats%3A+1917+to+date&rft.pub=NHL.com&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhl.com%2Fice%2Fpage.htm%3Fid%3D25433&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Diamond, D., <i>The Ultimate Prize: The Stanley Cup</i> (<a href="/wiki/Kansas_City,_Missouri" title="Kansas City, Missouri">Kansas City, MO</a>: <a href="/wiki/Andrews_McMeel_Publishing" title="Andrews McMeel Publishing">Andrews McMeel Publishing</a>, 2003), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=FQINAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA21">p. 21</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210309182722/https://books.google.com/books?id=FQINAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA21">Archived</a> March 9, 2021, at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-mccarthy-249-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mccarthy-249_9-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMcCarthy2008" class="citation book cs1">McCarthy, Dave (2008). <i>The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book</i> (2009 ed.). Dan Diamond Associates. p. 249. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-894801-14-0" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-894801-14-0"><bdi>978-1-894801-14-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+National+Hockey+League+Official+Guide+%26+Record+Book&rft.pages=249&rft.edition=2009&rft.pub=Dan+Diamond+Associates&rft.date=2008&rft.isbn=978-1-894801-14-0&rft.aulast=McCarthy&rft.aufirst=Dave&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2013Realignment-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2013Realignment_10-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDan_Rosen2013" class="citation web cs1">Dan Rosen (March 14, 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=660138">"Realignment plan approved by Board of Governors"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/NHL.com" class="mw-redirect" title="NHL.com">NHL.com</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130705141245/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=660138">Archived</a> from the original on July 5, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 17,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=NHL.com&rft.atitle=Realignment+plan+approved+by+Board+of+Governors&rft.date=2013-03-14&rft.au=Dan+Rosen&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhl.com%2Fice%2Fnews.htm%3Fid%3D660138&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKleinHackel2009" class="citation news cs1">Klein, Jeff Z.; Hackel, Stu (April 12, 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/sports/hockey/12slapshot.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper">"First-Round Upsets Common in N.H.L"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084234/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/sports/hockey/12slapshot.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper">Archived</a> from the original on February 15, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 25,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=First-Round+Upsets+Common+in+N.H.L&rft.date=2009-04-12&rft.aulast=Klein&rft.aufirst=Jeff+Z.&rft.au=Hackel%2C+Stu&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F04%2F12%2Fsports%2Fhockey%2F12slapshot.html%3F_r%3D1%26ref%3Dtodayspaper&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-SI_Eliot-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-SI_Eliot_12-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-SI_Eliot_12-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-SI_Eliot_12-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation audio-visual cs1"><a href="/wiki/Darren_Eliot" title="Darren Eliot">Darren Eliot</a> (April 7, 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100409214344/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/video/nhl/2010/04/07/040610.nhl_eliot_presidents_cup.SportsIllustrated/index.html"><i>Inside Report: Presidents' Trophy to curse Caps?</i></a>. SI.com. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/video/nhl/2010/04/07/040610.nhl_eliot_presidents_cup.SportsIllustrated/index.html">the original</a> on April 9, 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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No playoffs this year north of border"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/NHL.com" class="mw-redirect" title="NHL.com">NHL.com</a></i>. NHL Enterprises, L.P. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160415031935/https://www.nhl.com/news/no-canadian-nhl-teams-in-stanley-cup-playoffs/c-279984346">Archived</a> from the original on April 15, 2016<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 5,</span> 2012</span>. <q>The Canucks weren't going to become the first Canadian-based team since the 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup with such little production.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Bruins+win+Stanley+Cup&rft.pub=CBC+Sports&rft.date=2011-06-15&rft.au=Tim+Warnsby&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fsports%2Fhockey%2Fnhl%2Fbruins-win-stanley-cup-1.1032880&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Islanders-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Islanders_16-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRyan_Kennedy2006" class="citation web cs1">Ryan Kennedy (May 2, 2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/en/news/news.asp?idNews=20877">"Wooly Bullies"</a>. 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McClelland & Stewart. <q>Thus, the only professionals who could participate were those on NHL teams that did not make the playoffs or were eliminated quickly</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Team+Canada+1972%3A+The+Official+40th+Anniversary+Celebration+of+the+Summit+Series&rft.pub=McClelland+%26+Stewart&rft.date=2012-09-04&rft.aulast=Podnieks&rft.aufirst=Andrew&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBarnes2010" class="citation book cs1">Barnes, John (2010). <i>The Law of Hockey</i>. Butterworths & Company. p. 83. <q>Since 1977, Canada has competed at the annual IIHF competition mainly using players from teams that have been eliminated from the NHL play-offs</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Law+of+Hockey&rft.pages=83&rft.pub=Butterworths+%26+Company&rft.date=2010&rft.aulast=Barnes&rft.aufirst=John&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDuplacey1998" class="citation book cs1">Duplacey, James (1998). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/totalhockeyoffic0000unse/page/506"><i>Total Hockey: The official encyclopedia of the National Hockey League</i></a></span>. Total Sports. pp. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/totalhockeyoffic0000unse/page/506">506</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8362-7114-9" title="Special:BookSources/0-8362-7114-9"><bdi>0-8362-7114-9</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Total+Hockey%3A+The+official+encyclopedia+of+the+National+Hockey+League&rft.pages=506&rft.pub=Total+Sports&rft.date=1998&rft.isbn=0-8362-7114-9&rft.aulast=Duplacey&rft.aufirst=James&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Ftotalhockeyoffic0000unse%2Fpage%2F506&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Most_Playoff_Appearances-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Most_Playoff_Appearances_28-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://records.nhl.com/records/playoff-team-records/appearances/most-seasons-playoff">"Most Playoff Appearances"</a>. <i>records.nhl.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190408072458/https://records.nhl.com/records/playoff-team-records/appearances/most-seasons-playoff">Archived</a> from the original on April 8, 2019<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 8,</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=records.nhl.com&rft.atitle=Most+Playoff+Appearances&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Frecords.nhl.com%2Frecords%2Fplayoff-team-records%2Fappearances%2Fmost-seasons-playoff&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStanley+Cup+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist 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colspan="2"><div> <dl><dd><a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup" title="Stanley Cup">Stanley Cup</a> <dl><dd><a href="/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_champions" title="List of Stanley Cup champions">Champions</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup_Finals" title="Stanley Cup Finals">Finals</a></dd></dl></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/NHL_conference_finals" title="NHL conference finals">Conference finals</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_challenge_games" title="List of Stanley Cup challenge games">Challenge games</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_playoff_series" title="List of NHL playoff series">List of playoff series</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/NHL_playoff_ties" title="NHL playoff ties">Tied games</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Conn_Smythe_Trophy" title="Conn Smythe Trophy">Conn Smythe Trophy</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_game_sevens" title="List of NHL game sevens">Game seven</a></dd></dl> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1910s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1914_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1914 Stanley Cup playoffs">1914</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1915_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1915 Stanley Cup playoffs">1915</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1916_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1916 Stanley Cup playoffs">1916</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1917_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1917 Stanley Cup playoffs">1917</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1918_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1918 Stanley Cup playoffs">1918</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1919_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1919 Stanley Cup playoffs">1919</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1920s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1920_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1920 Stanley Cup playoffs">1920</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1921_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1921 Stanley Cup playoffs">1921</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1922_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1922 Stanley Cup playoffs">1922</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1923_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1923 Stanley Cup playoffs">1923</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1924_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1924 Stanley Cup playoffs">1924</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1925_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1925 Stanley Cup playoffs">1925</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1926_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1926 Stanley Cup playoffs">1926</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1927_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1927 Stanley Cup playoffs">1927</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1928_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1928 Stanley Cup playoffs">1928</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1929_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1929 Stanley Cup playoffs">1929</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1930s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1930_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1930 Stanley Cup playoffs">1930</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1931_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1931 Stanley Cup playoffs">1931</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1932_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1932 Stanley Cup playoffs">1932</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1933_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1933 Stanley Cup playoffs">1933</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1934_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1934 Stanley Cup playoffs">1934</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1935_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1935 Stanley Cup playoffs">1935</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1936_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1936 Stanley Cup playoffs">1936</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1937_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1937 Stanley Cup playoffs">1937</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1938_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1938 Stanley Cup playoffs">1938</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1939_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1939 Stanley Cup playoffs">1939</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1940s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1940_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1940 Stanley Cup playoffs">1940</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1941_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1941 Stanley Cup playoffs">1941</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1942_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1942 Stanley Cup playoffs">1942</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1943_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1943 Stanley Cup playoffs">1943</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1944_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1944 Stanley Cup playoffs">1944</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1945_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1945 Stanley Cup playoffs">1945</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1946_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1946 Stanley Cup playoffs">1946</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1947_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1947 Stanley Cup playoffs">1947</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1948_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1948 Stanley Cup playoffs">1948</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1949_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1949 Stanley Cup playoffs">1949</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1950s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1950_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1950 Stanley Cup playoffs">1950</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1951_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1951 Stanley Cup playoffs">1951</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1952_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1952 Stanley Cup playoffs">1952</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1953_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1953 Stanley Cup playoffs">1953</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1954_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1954 Stanley Cup playoffs">1954</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1955_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1955 Stanley Cup playoffs">1955</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1956_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1956 Stanley Cup playoffs">1956</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1957_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1957 Stanley Cup playoffs">1957</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1958_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1958 Stanley Cup playoffs">1958</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1959_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1959 Stanley Cup playoffs">1959</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1960s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1960_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1960 Stanley Cup playoffs">1960</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1961_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1961 Stanley Cup playoffs">1961</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1962_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1962 Stanley Cup playoffs">1962</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1963_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1963 Stanley Cup playoffs">1963</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1964_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1964 Stanley Cup playoffs">1964</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1965_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1965 Stanley Cup playoffs">1965</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1966_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1966 Stanley Cup playoffs">1966</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1967_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1967 Stanley Cup playoffs">1967</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1968_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1968 Stanley Cup playoffs">1968</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1969_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1969 Stanley Cup playoffs">1969</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1970s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1970_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1970 Stanley Cup playoffs">1970</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1971_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1971 Stanley Cup playoffs">1971</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1972_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1972 Stanley Cup playoffs">1972</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1973_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1973 Stanley Cup playoffs">1973</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1974_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1974 Stanley Cup playoffs">1974</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1975_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1975 Stanley Cup playoffs">1975</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1976_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1976 Stanley Cup playoffs">1976</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1977_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1977 Stanley Cup playoffs">1977</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1978_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="1978 Stanley Cup playoffs">1978</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1979_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1979 Stanley Cup playoffs">1979</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1980s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1980_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1980 Stanley Cup playoffs">1980</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1981_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1981 Stanley Cup playoffs">1981</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1982_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1982 Stanley Cup playoffs">1982</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1983_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1983 Stanley Cup playoffs">1983</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1984_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1984 Stanley Cup playoffs">1984</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1985_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1985 Stanley Cup playoffs">1985</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1986_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1986 Stanley Cup playoffs">1986</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1987_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1987 Stanley Cup playoffs">1987</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1988_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1988 Stanley Cup playoffs">1988</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1989_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1989 Stanley Cup playoffs">1989</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">1990s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1990_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1990 Stanley Cup playoffs">1990</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1991_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1991 Stanley Cup playoffs">1991</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1992_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1992 Stanley Cup playoffs">1992</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1993_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1993 Stanley Cup playoffs">1993</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1994_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1994 Stanley Cup playoffs">1994</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1995_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1995 Stanley Cup playoffs">1995</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1996_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1996 Stanley Cup playoffs">1996</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1997_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1997 Stanley Cup playoffs">1997</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1998_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1998 Stanley Cup playoffs">1998</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/1999_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="1999 Stanley Cup playoffs">1999</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">2000s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2000_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2000 Stanley Cup playoffs">2000</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2001_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2001 Stanley Cup playoffs">2001</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2002_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2002 Stanley Cup playoffs">2002</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2003_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2003 Stanley Cup playoffs">2003</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2004_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2004 Stanley Cup playoffs">2004</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><span class="tmp-color" style="color:#aaa">2005</span></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2006_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2006 Stanley Cup playoffs">2006</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2007_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2007 Stanley Cup playoffs">2007</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2008_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2008 Stanley Cup playoffs">2008</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2009_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2009 Stanley Cup playoffs">2009</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">2010s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2010_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2010 Stanley Cup playoffs">2010</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2011_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2011 Stanley Cup playoffs">2011</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2012_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2012 Stanley Cup playoffs">2012</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2013_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2013 Stanley Cup playoffs">2013</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2014_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2014 Stanley Cup playoffs">2014</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2015_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2015 Stanley Cup playoffs">2015</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2016_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2016 Stanley Cup playoffs">2016</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2017_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2017 Stanley Cup playoffs">2017</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2018_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2018 Stanley Cup playoffs">2018</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2019_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2019 Stanley Cup playoffs">2019</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">2020s</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><table style="width:100%;padding:0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2020_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2020 Stanley Cup playoffs">2020</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2021_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2021 Stanley Cup playoffs">2021</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2022_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2022 Stanley Cup playoffs">2022</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2023_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2023 Stanley Cup playoffs">2023</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"><a href="/wiki/2024_Stanley_Cup_playoffs" title="2024 Stanley Cup playoffs">2024</a></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td> <td style="text-align:center;width:10%"></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">Playoffs not held in 2005 due to <a href="/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_NHL_lockout" title="2004–05 NHL lockout">an unresolved lockout</a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <dl><dd><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Category"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" 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Senators</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Lightning" title="Tampa Bay Lightning">Tampa Bay Lightning</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/Toronto_Maple_Leafs" title="Toronto Maple Leafs">Toronto Maple Leafs</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td><td class="navbox-list" style="border-left:2px solid #fdfdfd;padding:0px;width:25%;"><div> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background:#FFCCCC;"><div id="Metropolitan_Division" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Metropolitan_Division" title="Metropolitan Division">Metropolitan Division</a></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/Carolina_Hurricanes" title="Carolina Hurricanes">Carolina Hurricanes</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/Columbus_Blue_Jackets" title="Columbus Blue Jackets">Columbus Blue Jackets</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/New_Jersey_Devils" title="New Jersey Devils">New Jersey Devils</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/New_York_Islanders" title="New York Islanders">New York Islanders</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/New_York_Rangers" title="New York Rangers">New York Rangers</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/Philadelphia_Flyers" title="Philadelphia Flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/Pittsburgh_Penguins" title="Pittsburgh Penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#FFCCCC;text-align:center;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><a href="/wiki/Washington_Capitals" title="Washington Capitals">Washington Capitals</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background:#eee;">Events</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#eee;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_seasons" title="List of NHL seasons">Seasons</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Season_structure_of_the_NHL" title="Season structure of the NHL">structure</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup" title="Stanley Cup">Stanley Cup</a> <ul><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">playoffs</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/NHL_playoff_ties" title="NHL playoff ties">tied games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_conference_finals" title="NHL conference finals">conference finals</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup_Finals" title="Stanley Cup Finals">Finals</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Stanley_Cup_champions" title="List of Stanley Cup champions">champions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stanley_Cup_winning_players" title="Stanley Cup winning players">winning players</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Traditions_and_anecdotes_associated_with_the_Stanley_Cup" title="Traditions and anecdotes associated with the Stanley Cup">traditions and anecdotes</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Presidents%27_Trophy" title="Presidents' Trophy">Presidents' Trophy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League_All-Star_Game" class="mw-redirect" title="National Hockey League All-Star Game">All-Star Game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_Entry_Draft" class="mw-redirect" title="NHL Entry Draft">Draft</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players" title="List of NHL players">Players</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League_Players%27_Association" title="National Hockey League Players' Association">Association</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_retired_numbers" title="List of National Hockey League retired numbers">retired jersey numbers</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_All-Star_team" title="NHL All-Star team">All-Star teams</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/NHL_All-Decade_team" title="NHL All-Decade team">All-Decade teams</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_awards" class="mw-redirect" title="List of National Hockey League awards">Awards</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_current_NHL_captains_and_alternate_captains" title="List of current NHL captains and alternate captains">Captains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_outdoor_games" title="NHL outdoor games">Outdoor games</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/NHL_Winter_Classic" title="NHL Winter Classic">Winter Classic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_Heritage_Classic" title="NHL Heritage Classic">Heritage Classic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_Stadium_Series" title="NHL Stadium Series">Stadium Series</a></li></ul></li> <li>Hockey Day <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hockey_Day_in_America" class="mw-redirect" title="Hockey Day in America">America</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hockey_Day_in_Canada" class="mw-redirect" title="Hockey Day in Canada">Canada</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_international_games_played_by_NHL_teams" title="List of international games played by NHL teams">International games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kraft_Hockeyville" title="Kraft Hockeyville">Kraft Hockeyville</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_Big_City_Greens_Classic" class="mw-redirect" title="NHL Big City Greens Classic">Big City Greens Classic</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background:#eee;"><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League" title="History of the National Hockey League">History</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#eee;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Eras <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_pre-NHL_seasons" title="List of pre-NHL seasons">pre-NHL (1883–1926)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_Association" title="National Hockey Association">NHA (1910–1917)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1917%E2%80%931942)" title="History of the National Hockey League (1917–1942)">1917–1942</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1942%E2%80%931967)" title="History of the National Hockey League (1942–1967)">1942–1967</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1967%E2%80%931992)" title="History of the National Hockey League (1967–1992)">1967–1992</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1992%E2%80%932017)" title="History of the National Hockey League (1992–2017)">1992–2017</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(2017%E2%80%93present)" title="History of the National Hockey League (2017–present)">Since 2017</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_all-time_NHL_standings" title="List of all-time NHL standings">All-time standings</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_playoff_series" title="List of NHL playoff series">All-time playoff series</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_organizational_changes_in_the_NHL" title="History of organizational changes in the NHL">Organizational changes</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_defunct_and_relocated_National_Hockey_League_teams" title="List of defunct and relocated National Hockey League teams">defunct and relocated teams</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Original_Six" title="Original Six">Original Six</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1967_NHL_expansion" title="1967 NHL expansion">1967 expansion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Hockey_Association" title="World Hockey Association">WHA</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/NHL%E2%80%93WHA_merger" class="mw-redirect" title="NHL–WHA merger">merger</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Potential_National_Hockey_League_expansion" title="Potential National Hockey League expansion">potential expansion</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background:#eee;">Others</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:#eee;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_franchise_post-season_appearance_streaks" title="List of NHL franchise post-season appearance streaks">Streaks</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_longest_winning_streaks" class="mw-redirect" title="List of National Hockey League longest winning streaks">wins</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_longest_losing_streaks" class="mw-redirect" title="List of National Hockey League longest losing streaks">losses</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_franchise_post-season_droughts" title="List of NHL franchise post-season droughts">Droughts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hockey_Hall_of_Fame" title="Hockey Hall of Fame">Hall of Fame</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_Hockey_Hall_of_Fame" title="List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame">members</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League_rivalries" class="mw-redirect" title="National Hockey League rivalries">Rivalries</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_arenas" title="List of National Hockey League arenas">Arenas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League_rules" title="National Hockey League rules">Rules</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fighting_in_ice_hockey" title="Fighting in ice hockey">Fighting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Violence_in_ice_hockey" title="Violence in ice hockey">Violence</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_uniform" title="NHL uniform">Uniforms</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ice_hockey_in_Canada" title="Ice hockey in Canada">Ice hockey in Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ice_hockey_in_the_United_States" title="Ice hockey in the United States">Ice hockey in the United States</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_teams_by_valuation" class="mw-redirect" title="List of NHL teams by valuation">Valuations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_Collective_Bargaining_Agreement" title="NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement">Collective bargaining agreement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_lockout" title="NHL lockout">Lockouts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League_on_television" title="National Hockey League on television">Television</a> and <a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League_on_the_radio" title="National Hockey League on the radio">radio coverage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_attendance_figures" title="List of National Hockey League attendance figures">Attendance figures</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Category"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/23px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/31px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></span></span> <b><a href="/wiki/Category:National_Hockey_League" title="Category:National Hockey League">Category</a></b></li> <li><b><a href="/wiki/2024%E2%80%9325_NHL_season" title="2024–25 NHL season">2024–25 season</a></b></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="National_Hockey_League-related_lists_and_topics" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:NHL_topics" title="Template:NHL topics"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:NHL_topics" title="Template talk:NHL topics"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:NHL_topics" title="Special:EditPage/Template:NHL topics"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="National_Hockey_League-related_lists_and_topics" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League" title="National Hockey League">National Hockey League</a>-related lists and topics</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League" title="History of the National Hockey League">History</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_pre-NHL_seasons" title="List of pre-NHL seasons">Pre-NHL seasons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_Association" title="National Hockey Association">National Hockey Association</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1917%E2%80%931942)" title="History of the National Hockey League (1917–1942)">1917–1942</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1942%E2%80%931967)" title="History of the National Hockey League (1942–1967)">1942–1967</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1967%E2%80%931992)" title="History of the National Hockey League (1967–1992)">1967–1992</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(1992%E2%80%932017)" title="History of the National Hockey League (1992–2017)">1992–2017</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_National_Hockey_League_(2017%E2%80%93present)" title="History of the National Hockey League (2017–present)">2017–present</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_all-time_NHL_standings" title="List of all-time NHL standings">All-time standings</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_seasons" title="List of NHL seasons">Seasons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_playoff_series" title="List of NHL playoff series">Playoff series</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_playoff_ties" title="NHL playoff ties">Tied games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_franchise_post-season_appearance_streaks" title="List of NHL franchise post-season appearance streaks">Streaks</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_franchise_post-season_droughts" title="List of NHL franchise post-season droughts">Droughts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_retired_numbers" title="List of National Hockey League retired numbers">Retired numbers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_countries_with_their_first_National_Hockey_League_player" class="mw-redirect" title="List of countries with their first National Hockey League player">First NHL player by country</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ice_hockey_in_Canada" title="Ice hockey in Canada">Ice hockey in Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ice_hockey_in_the_United_States" title="Ice hockey in the United States">Ice hockey in the United States</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Personnel</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_ice_hockey_line_nicknames" title="List of ice hockey line nicknames">Famous linemates</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_current_NHL_captains_and_alternate_captains" title="List of current NHL captains and alternate captains">Captains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players_who_spent_their_entire_career_with_one_franchise" title="List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise">Careers with one franchise</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_head_coaches" title="List of NHL head coaches">Head coaches</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_current_NHL_general_managers" title="List of current NHL general managers">General managers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_franchise_owners" class="mw-redirect" title="List of NHL franchise owners">Owners</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_family_relations_in_the_NHL" title="List of family relations in the NHL">Notable families</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_commissioner" title="NHL commissioner">Presidents and Commissioners</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_on-ice_officials" title="List of NHL on-ice officials">Referees and linesmen</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Records</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:NHL_statistical_records" title="Category:NHL statistical records">League records</a> (<a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_records_(individual)" title="List of NHL records (individual)">individual</a>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_records_(team)" title="List of NHL records (team)">team</a>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_statistical_leaders" title="List of NHL statistical leaders">Statistical leaders</a> (<a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_statistical_leaders_by_country" class="mw-redirect" title="List of NHL statistical leaders by country">by country of birth</a>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players_with_1,000_points" title="List of NHL players with 1,000 points">Points, career (min. 1,000)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_career_assists_leaders" title="List of NHL career assists leaders">Assists, career (min. 600)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players_with_500_goals" title="List of NHL players with 500 goals">Goals, career (min. 500)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players_with_100-point_seasons" title="List of NHL players with 100-point seasons">Points, season (min. 100)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players_with_50-goal_seasons" title="List of NHL players with 50-goal seasons">Goals, season (min. 50)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/50_goals_in_50_games" title="50 goals in 50 games">50 goals in 50 games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players_with_1,000_games_played" title="List of NHL players with 1,000 games played">Games, career (min. 1,000)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players_with_500_consecutive_games_played" title="List of NHL players with 500 consecutive games played">Consecutive games, career (min. 500)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_players_with_2,000_career_penalty_minutes" title="List of NHL players with 2,000 career penalty minutes">PIMs, career (min. 2,000)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_players_with_five_or_more_goals_in_an_NHL_game" title="List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game">5+ goals, game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_players_with_eight_or_more_points_in_an_NHL_game" title="List of players with eight or more points in an NHL game">8+ points, game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_goaltenders_with_300_wins" title="List of NHL goaltenders with 300 wins">Goaltender wins, career (min. 300)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_goalscoring_NHL_goaltenders" title="List of goalscoring NHL goaltenders">Goaltenders who have scored</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Wayne_Gretzky" title="List of career achievements by Wayne Gretzky">Wayne Gretzky's records</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gordie_Howe#Records" title="Gordie Howe">Gordie Howe's records</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_longest_winning_streaks" title="List of NHL longest winning streaks">Longest winning streaks</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_longest_losing_streaks" title="List of NHL longest losing streaks">Longest losing streaks</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_international_games_played_by_NHL_teams" title="List of international games played by NHL teams">International games with NHL teams</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_international_ice_hockey_competitions_featuring_NHL_players" title="List of international ice hockey competitions featuring NHL players">International games with NHL players</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_4_Nations_Face-Off" title="NHL 4 Nations Face-Off">4 Nations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Cup_of_Hockey" title="World Cup of Hockey">World Cup of Hockey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hockey_Fights_Cancer" title="Hockey Fights Cancer">Hockey Fights Cancer</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_attendance_figures" title="List of National Hockey League attendance figures">Attendance totals</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trade_(sports)#NHL_2" title="Trade (sports)">Trade deadline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Waivers_(NHL)" title="Waivers (NHL)">Waivers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_player_salaries_in_the_NHL" class="mw-redirect" title="List of player salaries in the NHL">Player salaries</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Hockey_League_Players%27_Association" title="National Hockey League Players' Association">NHLPA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_Collective_Bargaining_Agreement" title="NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement">CBA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_ice_hockey_video_games" title="List of ice hockey video games">Video games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NHL_mascots" title="List of NHL mascots">Mascots</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Analytics_(ice_hockey)" title="Analytics (ice hockey)">Advanced statistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NHL_uniform" title="NHL uniform">NHL uniform</a></li></ul> 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