It is the most famous organization that players from all over the world strive to join. NHL clubs have their own logos, traditions and history. Some of those who were part of this league in the last century have already become legends, and instead of them, new applicants have appeared to join this hockey league.

The beginning of the story

The history of the emergence of the most prestigious league, uniting hockey clubs from America and Canada, dates back to 1917. After controversy and disagreement arose in the National Hockey Association on a number of key issues, it was replaced by the NHL. The NHL hockey clubs that took part in the first season of 1917/1918 represented only 4 cities. They were Montreal, Quebec, Toronto and Ottawa.

The owner of the team from Toronto, because of which the need for reorganization arose, did not believe until recently that the members of the organizing committee had decided to expel him and the Blueshirts team from the association. After lengthy negotiations, Edward Livingstone finally agreed not to expel the team from hockey league, however, promised to sell the club within 5 days.

This was followed by the resignation of NHA President Charles Robinson, and the association ceased to exist. The owner of the first one was the same team from Toronto, albeit renamed and placed in the care of the local stadium. Later, Livingston did not lose hope of regaining the club and filed lawsuits against the hockey league, which he failed to win.

The first difficult years

For the first decade of its existence, the league was simply fighting for its survival in the business. Despite this precarious position of the new organization, the teams that joined the national league won the Stanley Cup 7 times over 9 years. Later, it was possible to raise player salaries to a level that the Pacific Coast Hockey Association could not even dream of. NHL clubs, starting in 1925, only increased, and by 1930 there were already 10 of them.

Truth Second World War made its own adjustments to the holding of the Stanley Cup, then there were only 6 teams left in the NHL. And the Great Depression forced some owners to simply disband their clubs.

Overseas league expansion

Starting from the mid-60s, more and more teams from the lower divisions began to join the National Hockey League, which were able to adequately compete with the clubs that had been part of the NHL from the very beginning. Another hockey association, the WHA, that emerged in those years could compete with the NHL, and therefore a decision was made to further expand the league.

They were in a more advantageous financial position, and at the end of the 70s the WHA ceased to exist, having lost more than half of its teams.

The final composition of the NHL was fully formed by 2001, it included 30 teams from Canada and the United States.

NHL rookies

Due to the fact that in last years As the popularity of hockey declined and baseball and basketball took first place, the NHL management decided to accept several more newcomers into its ranks. Of those teams that applied to the NHL, only one club has been decided so far. In the 2017/2018 season, a team from Las Vegas will join the ranks of the National Hockey League. The application from Quebec has been postponed for now, and a decision on this club will apparently be made by the end of 2017.

NHL clubs are becoming more and more desirable every year for hockey players from other countries, since the salaries an NHL player receives are several times higher than in other leagues.

NHL clubs: list of the most titled

Among the NHL clubs representing Canadian cities, the most titled is the Montreal Canadiens, with 24 Stanley Cups in the club's history. Among the teams playing in the USA, the closest pursuer, the Montreal club, is almost half behind. The Detroit Red Wings have won 11 Stanley Cups.

Who are all these people whose greed was not accused except by the lazy? Let's take a look at all NHL club owners.

East Coast

Buffalo Sabers
Owner: Terrence "Terry" Pegula

Information: at one time, Mr. Pegula founded the gas company East Resources, which in 2010 he successfully sold to the oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion. It is clear that Terry did not simply put so much money in his pocket, but tried to invest and diversify into various projects as efficiently as possible.

One of these projects was the purchase of Blades for $189 million. After purchasing the club, Pegula immediately promised to win the Stanley Cup. Let's see what he can do. There are certain doubts, although results in the NHL are so difficult to predict.

Interesting fact : Pegula's daughter, Jessica, is a professional tennis player and is ranked 159 in the ITF rankings. The 18-year-old girl's prospects for achieving big victories are vague. There is still much more confidence regarding Buffalo.

Boston Bruins

Owner: Delaware North Companies

Information: the company is a giant in such a specific field as catering, providing slot machines, holding various entertainment events, etc. Annual revenue reaches almost $2 billion. Main man in the company and in the Bruins - Jeremy Jacobs, who represents the interests of club owners in negotiations with the union during the current lockout in the NHL, which, however, he did 8 years ago.

She is also a business shark with a personal capital of $2.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine. The hockey world would clearly be different without Jacobs. Perhaps not so mercantile. Although…

Interesting fact: by the way, the company's headquarters are located in Buffalo, New York. In the same place as the Buffalo Sabers team of the same name - the Bears' principal rival.

Washington Capitals

Owner: Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Information: Another management company headed by an ethnic Greek, Theodore "Theo" Leonsis. Monumental Sports & Entertainment owns the Capitals, basketball Wizards, the WNBA Mystics and, in fact, the sports palace in the US capital - Verizon Center.

Interesting fact: here, rather, we need to talk about an interesting personality. Theo Leonsis is a rather extraordinary person. Internet mogul, documentary film producer, passionate sports fan, active user of all kinds of social networks, a famous philanthropist - this is only a fraction of the achievements and interests of the odious Leonsis.

Winnipeg Jets

Owner: True North Sports and Entertainment Limited (TNSE)

Information: Residents of Winnipeg, by and large, should bow deeply to TNSE and personally to Mark Chipman, the company's chairman of the board. It was this company that built the MTS Center ice palace, worth $133.5 million, and in 2011 returned big-time hockey to the city. Mark Chipman, it seems, deserves some kind of monument for his vigorous hockey activities.

So far, his labors have been rewarded “only” with the Order of Manitoba, an honorary insignia from the Canadian province of the same name.

Interesting fact: the new owners of the hockey franchise clearly made the right choice. Already in the first days after the start of sales, season tickets for the 2011/2012 season were sold out. Coveted tickets for the opening game of the revived Winnipeg reached prices of $1,700 apiece. The team's debut itself took place with great pomp and was accompanied by a military orchestra. Throughout last season, the team and its fans lived in mild euphoria, which only benefited TNSE. Atlanta could only have dreamed of such an attitude.

Carolina Hurricanes

Owner: Peter Karmanos

Information: a person with such a flashy surname probably a priori could not be poor. Having earned a large fortune in the development of computer technology, Mr. Karmanos devoted a huge part of his life to investing in the hockey he loved so much. It all started in Detroit in the 70s with the creation of an amateur league, and ended with the purchase of an NHL club from Hartford and moving to North Carolina. Peter has enough money - his Compuware Corporation is valued at a billion dollars.

Interesting fact: Until now, Peter, again, an ethnic Greek, like Leonsis, generously helps the development of children's and youth hockey, apparently understanding the key to the success and popularity of this sport in North America.

New York Islanders

Owner: Charles Wang

Information: Mr. Wang, although born in Shanghai, immigrated to the United States (specifically to Queens, New York) at the age of 8 years. The talented young man eventually built an entire IT empire - CA Technologies, a company specializing in the development of various computer software. Last year, for example, the company declared more than $5 billion in revenue. Wang acquired a large stake in the Islanders back in 2000, and 4 years later he bought the remaining shares from his partner Sanjay Kumar.

Interesting fact: one of the reasons why Kumar got rid of part of the club was the charges of fraud and securities fraud brought against him in 2004. And Wang himself recently complained that, if he could turn back time, he would never buy a hockey club in his life. Thus, the ethnic Chinese drew a line under all the misadventures of the Islanders that occurred over the last decade.

New Jersey Devils

Owner: Jeffrey Vanderbeek

Information: The passionate Devils fan has long dreamed of one day leading his favorite club. But this opportunity came to Jeffrey only after a long journey and hard work in various positions in the American financial titan - Lehman Brothers bank. Having risen to the position of executive vice president (and along the way collecting excellent bonuses and salary - in the best times, about 30 million a year), Jeffrey spat on his career as a financier and fulfilled his childhood dream by buying shares of the Devils.

Interesting fact: Remember the 2008 financial crisis. One of the main “bubble bursts” was the Lehman Brothers bank. As a result, this financial institution suffered a sad fate. By the way, one of the reasons for the bankruptcy of a large bank was said to be huge bonuses (including compensation, so-called “golden parachutes”) to its top managers! In a word, at the right time, Vanderbeek switched to hockey, as if he sensed something. Or did he know?

New York Rangers

Owner: Madison Square Garden, Inc.

Information: A company created to manage assets in the entertainment industry. In fact, it consists of three divisions: MSG Sports, MSG Media, MSG Entertainment. The Rangers, like the New York Knicks, are directly managed by MSG Sports. If we talk about specific people, then we need to highlight the head of the company’s board, an experienced manager and functionary, James Dolan. Dolan is one of those people who actively participates in the affairs of the team and enters into heated debates with the press, managers, and coaches of “their” teams. Whether this is right or wrong is up to you to judge.

Interesting fact: Once, after a string of victories, Dolan mentioned winning the Stanley Cup, to which John Tortorella, in his style, angrily muttered that “some presidents tend to talk complete nonsense.”

Montreal Canadiens

Owner: Molson family

Information: a respected and successful Montreal family, which dates back to the end of the 18th century. The family's sphere of interests is not limited to hockey and includes banking (Bank of Montreal), charity and, most importantly, brewing, on which the Molsons made their considerable fortune. The affairs of the Hubs are directly managed by 41-year-old Jeff Molson, a native, of course, of Montreal.

Interesting fact: the first beer was brewed by the Molson family, namely the patriarch of the family, John Molson, back in 1786, which makes today the Molson beer company the second oldest in Canada.

Ottawa Senators

Owner: Eugene Melnik

Information: finally the most interesting. The owner of the hockey senators is an ethnic Ukrainian, Evgeniy Melnik. Eugene/Eugene earned his billions in the field of pharmaceuticals and medicine, and then successfully invested part of his free resources in a hockey club. The connoisseur of horses and equestrian sports, philanthropist and citizen of Barbados at one time literally saved an Ottawa franchise that was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Interesting information: We will immediately answer burning questions - according to media reports, Eugene owns Ukrainian language and visited his ethnic homeland several times. By the way, his ancestors are from near Chernivtsi. And in Canada, Eugene is an active member of the Ukrainian community and acts as a philanthropist in various cultural and educational projects, one way or another connected with Ukraine.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Owner: Mario Lemieux/Ronald Burkle

Information: We see a fascinating combination of PR and business in the Penguin board. Mario Lemieux is a hockey legend and a local god, and is there anyone who hasn't heard of Super Mario? Burkle is an established entrepreneur with a net worth of approximately $3.2 billion. A successful symbiosis, judging by the recent quite good seasons of the Penguins.

Interesting fact: Ron Burkle, who began his career as an errand boy in a grocery store and earned a lot of money, has a reputation as a lucky man, a rake and a playboy. Burkle is famous for its love of parties, celebrities and girls. And besides, Ron is friends with former president USA by Bill Clinton, also seen in a piquant leisure time.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Owner: Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment

Information: in fact, the club is controlled by Jeffrey Vinnik through Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment. A businessman who has been investing in the sports field for a long time and owns, in addition to the Lightning, the Tampa Bay Storm football team. Mr. Vinnik also has a small stake in the legendary Boston Red Sox baseball club and is on the board of directors of Liverpool Football Club.

Interesting fact: because there is nothing interesting about Vinnik, other than the boring names of investment funds and achievements in the market valuable papers, there is nothing to say, we note that one of the founders of the franchise in Tampa was the great and terrible Phil Esposito, the main hater of Soviet hockey.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Owner: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE)

Information: another management company, which, however, is valued at $2.25 billion. In addition to hockey, the company's interests include basketball (local Raptors) and football (MLS club from Toronto). The company itself is controlled by a group of investors, among which, for example, is the Canadian leader in the field of telecommunications - Bell. Let's call the key manager in MLSE Larry Tannenbaum, the head of the board and owner of 25% of MLSE shares through the holding company Kilmer Sports Inc.

Interesting fact: the father of the modern Leafs and the most important figure in the history of the Canadian team should be considered the legend of legends - practically a celestial being in the mythology of the NHL - Conn Smythe. Old Smythe is such a unique personality that he clearly deserves more than a few lines in this article. For the Leafs, finding a more iconic figure in franchise history is nearly impossible.

Philadelphia Flyers

Owner: Comcast Spectacor

Information: As in the case of the Rangers, the club is managed by the company that also owns the local ice palace - Wells Fargo Center. The company is headed by its main shareholder and one of the founders of Flyers, Edward Snyder. Comcast Spectacor is a fairly large player in the Pennsylvania and even American market for entertainment and sports management services. They own dozens of stadiums and skating rinks in the USA and Canada; in addition, until 2011, the company’s balance sheet included the 76ers basketball club, which was later sold to a group of investors (including, by the way, actor Will Smith).

Interesting fact: Ed Snyder, the actual owner of the Pilots, is one of the adherents of the philosophical movement of objectivism - a movement based on the books of the Russian emigrant Ayn Rand "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead". Objectivism is based on the unity of the world and language, being and thinking, and presupposes the existence of an objective reality independent of people. Mr. Snyder generously funded various institutes and research centers studying this philosophical trend.

Florida Panthers

Owner: Sunrise Sports and Entertainment

Information: Another property management company that operates in South Florida. It is clear that in addition to the club, the company also owns the ice arena - BB&T Center. The company is headed by a certain Cliff Weiner. Last year's income was $30 million. That's all, I guess.

Interesting fact: Mr. Weiner, before hockey, was quite successfully involved in real estate transactions, and after purchasing Florida he managed to slightly quarrel with the former shareholders of the club and divorce his wife.

This is such a special form of childhood.

You start skating at three or four years old, skate in the yard, play hockey with the neighborhood boys, after which you are entered into one of a thousand children's leagues. For the next 8-10 years you travel all over the country by bus, playing with your peers. Those who have ever driven along Canadian highways probably remember the countless number of buses running back and forth. These are, for the most part, carriers of children's teams. You're not only playing with peers from Ontario and Quebec, not at all, you're covering huge distances to get to the Northwest Territories, Nunavut or Yukon. This is your childhood, and it is dedicated to hockey - just as your whole life will be dedicated to it.

In 2013, one of the famous North American personal growth motivators held a series of meetings with young players from minor leagues. He offered to take a simple test - you had to write on a piece of paper your 5 main goals in life. It's easy, right? However, there was only one condition - you couldn’t enter anything related to hockey, family or friends.

Most hockey players sat with blank sheets of paper until the end of the test.

Hockey is incredibly popular in Canada. They talk about hockey at work, in diners, even on first dates, to avoid awkward silence, they start talking about hockey specifically - fortunately, everyone watches it. Hockey is the oldest and most deeply ingrained Canadian disease. But why are the rich Canadian clubs, which the entire population of the country supports, in such a deplorable sporting situation?

Where the Canadian teams (all seven) did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs were considered. It was about the sports component of this minor process. But besides this, there are also everyday reasons, so to speak, things that are not too commonly discussed: in general, Canadian clubs are less attractive to NHL players (regardless of nationality) than American ones.

Why is this happening?

There are three main reasons.

1. Winternipeg instead of the Big Apple.

In 2015, thanks to the efforts of ESPN, agents compiled a list of the most undesirable clubs for hockey players in the League. There were 4 Canadian clubs in the top five (according to the ranking: 1. Edmonton, 2. Winnipeg, 4-5. Ottawa and Toronto), and all seven were in the top ten. To sign a free agent, Edmonton or Winnipeg will have to overpay significantly, and the player will demand a completely different amount than, for example, from the conditional Rangers.

Canada is a beautiful country with amazing nature, clean air, the highest quality of life and the highest paid middle class on the globe. But small (compared to American) Canadian cities aren't very attractive if you're in your 20s or 30s, like the vast majority of NHL players, and want some adventure. Player Shaw is not middle class, and the calm, measured life in the country of the maple leaf, by and large, annoys him. All hockey players love to stay in New York or Los Angeles, but no one would ever dream of spending an extra night in Winnipeg.

On top of that, some Canadian cities are too specific. Montreal is located in the province of Quebec, and there is a completely different mentality and way of life - mostly European, not North American. Coming to Montreal, a hockey player not only has to restructure himself, but also get used to the French language. Okay, Montreal, they at least communicate more or less in English, but what if Quebec joins the NHL? A city where no one wanted to go before, except true Francophones.

In general, Winnipeg is small and has a terrible climate, Edmonton is a real hellish wilderness, there is absolutely nothing to do in Calgary in your spare time, and Ottawa is too close to Toronto: each has its drawbacks.

1. Pressure.

Canada lives by hockey, and stick masters in this country are treated like gods who, due to some misunderstanding, came to earth. But this sick form of adoration also has its dark side - the level of expectations is always very high, as a result of which any Canadian team is subject to intense pressure. If we rate the level of pressure in American teams as equal to one on a scale of ten (Boston and Detroit can reach three in a good season), then in Canadian clubs it will be at least five, in Montreal eight (and nine, if the Habs woke up and became a contender), and in Toronto - a top ten, independent of anything - neither the coach, nor the GM, nor the roster.

Canada lives by hockey, everyone knows the players by sight, so they are constantly under pressure. Going to a bar with club partners is a common occurrence in large US cities, where there are many sports clubs and hockey is not the most popular game. But in Canada, everything is different: the same trip to the bar the next day will end in defeat in the media with a detailed report: how much the hockey player drank, how much he paid for it, how he was rowdy, who he hooked up with, and at the end there will also be a note of moralizing - but I thought is he talking about the club and its fans, drinking with a girl on his lap and bawling songs at karaoke? And this applies to all Canadian cities - both small and large, the player must always take care of himself, relaxation is like death.

The press presses all the time. If in the USA after a match a hockey player answers ten usual questions with cliches (“Why did you lose today?” - “The opponent was good, they beat us, but we will pull ourselves together and fight in the next game”) and goes home, then in Canada these questions there are much more, and they are much deeper; you can’t get away with simple excuses from local journalists. The unspoken code of communication with journalists was first adopted precisely Canadian clubs(“Don’t be rude; don’t dare hurt someone’s feelings; try to remember the name of the journalist and address him by name, this will increase your level of trust; never lie, even if the question is uncomfortable, it’s better to just remain silent; never speak on behalf club; don’t raise your voice,” etc.), and hockey players must under no circumstances violate it.

Pressure only from an everyday point of view seems to be an insignificant reason, but it runs like a red line through the entire life of a professional athlete living in Canada. Your neighbors are filming your departure for training, you can’t go to the store, you are always the number one target, because you are a hockey player in the most hockey country.

Canadian hockey players who grew up with posters of Toronto and Montreal players on their walls will never directly say that they do not want to go to their dream clubs. But they understand too well what awaits them there.

As a result, a situation often arises when a player comes to a Canadian club after an American one, and after only one season in the country of the maple leaf asks to be traded with the only wording: “Just let it not be a Canadian team!”

1. Taxes and other financial components.

We live in a mercantile world in which a person can withstand a lot - both Zimnipeg with its two bars and the eternal cold, and French, and press pressure - but only if they pay very well for it. However, from this side, Canada is less attractive for life. The country has three levels of taxes (!!!) - federal, provincial or territorial, and local. The primary tax rate for hockey players starts at 29%, and that's just the beginning. Together with all required fees at the expense of the state and depending on the province in which the player lives, the amount of tax deductions reaches 54.2% (the province of British Columbia, where Vancouver is located) - this is a normal figure for Western Europe, for example, but much more than in the USA. In Canada you have to pay for everything - income tax, sales tax, income tax, excise taxes, social security, registration and licensing fees, only health insurance is free, and it would still be paid with such and such taxation. It is the government tax system that helps Canada maintain a stable economic environment and put the urban middle class on a pedestal, but what is good for the middle class is not always good for those with a lot of money. And hockey players usually have a lot of them. But how much will remain on the card after paying all taxes and the traditional 18% escrow for the NHL (this 18% can come back at the end of the season, which is far from a fact)?

Among other things, if in the USA, for example, the purchase of real estate is encouraged - there is an immediate tax relief - then Canadian legislation does not provide for such a scheme. Food is more expensive, clothing is more expensive, Montreal is more expensive than New York in everything except luxury restaurants, all real estate transactions are more expensive, especially after housing prices collapsed in the American market in 2009. A conventional million in the USA and Canada are different things.

Any Canadian boy dreams of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens, clubs with great history and traditions, but life takes its toll, and in the end it turns out that in a modest team from the USA he will simply have more money.

Of course, for any hockey player, the main thing is not money, but titles. If the clubs in the country of the maple leaf were true contenders, then they would still want to go to them, as was the case in the eighties with the Oilers: Gretzky played there, which means there was always a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and it doesn’t matter that the city of Edmonton is a hole - hole, and the legislation is bothering you like crazy. But the fact is that the last time the Stanley Cup came to Canada was 23 years ago (1993, Habs), and now the situation with Canadian clubs is like a vicious circle. Hockey players do not want to go to Canada for all of the above reasons, as a result of which clubs are forced to develop, in fact, only through the draft, and not by signing free agents and making high-profile trades. Draft development is a complex and long journey, and if you don't believe me, then ask the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has a huge number of first picks, but is consistently at the bottom.

The words of the Canadian anthem do not lie - it truly is “The True North, strong and free!”

But it doesn’t say how difficult it is for hockey players to build their lives in the cold house of the True Northwoman.

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How the famous sports organization structures its teams, who among them are bluesmen, killer whales and fighters, why its participants do not come to the championships, who the Mascons are and why the NHL has unused player numbers - the article will try to display all this.

What does NHL mean?

The abbreviation NHL stands for National North American Sports Official Community, uniting hockey clubs in the United States and Canada. NHL teams are recognized as some of the best in the world because of the athletes who play on them.

The main award of the League is played in the playoffs, which coincides with the time of the World Hockey Championship. Therefore, many players sacrifice participation in the global competition for the more prestigious Cup. In addition to it, both teams and individual players are given individual awards: the best scorer, the best club divisions, etc.

NHL teams

All NHL teams are divided into two conferences: Western and Eastern. Conferences are divided into divisions. So, the Western divisions include the Central and Pacific divisions, and the Eastern divisions include the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions.

Now let's look at the NHL teams by division and at the same time find out how their names are translated:

• Atlantic: Ottawa Senators, Boston Bears, Montreal Canadians, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Blades, " Maple leaves Toronto".
• Metropolitan: "New York Rangers", "Columbus Bluecoats", "New Jersey Devils", "Pittsburgh Penguins", "Carolina Hurricanes", "New York Islanders", "Washington Capitals" , "Pilots from Philadelphia."
• Pacific: “Los Angeles Kings”, “Anaheim Ducks”, “San Jose Sharks”, “Arizona Coyotes”, “Calgary Lights”, “Edmonton Oilers”.
• Central: St. Louis Bluesmen, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Savages, Winnipeg Fighters, Nashville Tigers, Colorado Avalanches, Vancouver Killer Whales, Chicago Black Hawks ".

The club must play 36-38 games per season within its conference and 4 matches with teams from another (2 away, 2 home). Three make it to the playoffs best teams each division, and with them the pair of teams with the most points.

About the teams

It is known that 33 players from Russia were included in the rosters of NHL teams for the 2016-2017 season. The largest number of Russians - four - are in clubs in Colorado, Montreal and Tampa. Last year, 41 Russians took part in the North Atlantic League matches.

Which NHL team has which mascot is most often determined by its emblem. After all, a mascot, in other words, is a team mascot. For the Wild Wing it is a duck, for the Carolina Hurricanes it is a hog, for the Washington Capitals it is an eagle, for the Pittsburgh Penguins it is a penguin, etc.

NHL teams also sacredly honor the tradition of removing the numbers of dead or deceased players from circulation within the club.