The NHL has quite a history of teams and in the very beginning there were only six teams that made up what would eventually come up to 30 now. And soon there will be another team in Las Vegas to make 31. If there is one element of the NHL that changes a lot over the years, it is the team's. Players come and go, get traded, new players come up and some older ones retire. It’s an ever evolving process of growing one of the biggest professional sports leagues in North America. Trading players to different teams can cost millions of dollars and affect the player’s career and impact the team they join. On a team there are about 20 players that will make up the team. During a game there are 5 players and the goalie will make up 6. To start there are 18 skaters and two goaltenders – for any given game, but those 20 must come from the 23-player active roster. Both the 23-player active roster and 20-player game roster can change day-to-day and game-to-game. Currently, teams are only allowed to have up to 90 players on its reserve list. The rule is, every player on the 23-person active NHL roster, plus any player on the injured reserve list, must be under contract (and count toward the 50 contract maximum) and every team must have at least 24 players and three goaltenders. The schedules for all the teams are a complicated process that will involve all 30 teams and the impact thousands of staff around the National Hockey league and in the cities where they play host other teams. Each team will benefit economically over the season when the really popular players come to town like Sidney Crosby. The scheduling matrix ensures that all 30 teams play in all 30 arenas at least once each. The season structure of the National Hockey League (NHL) is divided into the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the regular season, which generally runs from early October through early April, teams play 82 games which determine their standings. The three highest-placed teams in each division and two wild card teams per conference enter the playoff elimination tournament to determine the Stanley Cup champion. Over the season when teams play, they will get two points for winning a game, one point if they go all three periods and it ends up in a tie. They will keep collecting points until they dominate their division and will get home ice advantage going into the playoffs giving them the advantage. The entry draft which brings new players into the NHL, making it overal an exciting and truly an international process. The annual NHL Entry Draft consists of a seven-round off-season draft held in late June. Amateur players from junior, collegiate, or European leagues are eligible to enter the Entry Draft. Players come from Sweden, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Canada, US and other countries. Who knows when the next big star will be made? Come to Team NHL to get all your latest hockey teams, players, information and schedules.
