National Hockey League is an ice hockey tournament in North America, including 31 teams: 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada.

NHL is considered the top ice hockey tournament in the world, and one of the major professional sports tournaments in the United States and Canada. Stanley Cup, the oldest sports title in North America, was awarded to the champions of the playoff series at the end of the season.

The National Hockey League was first held on November 26, 1917, at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal after the shutdown of its predecessor, the National Hockey Association (NHA), established in 1909 in Renfrew, Ontario.

NHL immediately replaced NHA as one of the Stanley Cup title competitions (a tournament of many teams from different tournaments) before the merger and dissolution made NHL the only one. competed for the Stanley Cup in 1926.

Initially, NHL had four teams all from Canada, so the new tournament had the adjective “National” in the name. The tournament was extended to American teams in 1924, with the entry of Boston Bruins. From 1942 to 1967, there were only 6 teams in the tournament, called “Original Six”.

NHL added after the new team in the 1967 season. The tournament then increased to 18 teams in 1974 and 21 teams in 1979. From 1991 to 2000, NHL expanded to 30 teams. Winning the 31st team in 2017 and preparing for the 32nd team in 2021. Its headquarters has been located in New York City since 1989 instead of Montreal.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considers the Stanley Cup one of the “important championships for this sport”. NHL attracts many athletes from around the world with about 20 countries having players competing in the tournament. Canadians account for a large number of players, while the rate of American and European players increases.

The current NHL champion is St. Louis Blues, the team overtook the Boston Bruins with four wins and one loss at the Stanley Cup Final 2019.