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Professional ice hockey leagues exist in many
nations, most prominently Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia,
Sweden, and the United States. The National Hockey League (NHL), with 21
teams in the United States and 6 in Canada, is considered the world’s
top league.
NHL teams compete in two conferences, the Eastern and Western, which in
turn are divided into three divisions. From October to April, the teams
play an 82-game schedule. Midway through the season the NHL holds an
All-Star Game that features the league’s top players.
After the regular NHL season concludes in mid-April, the top eight teams
in each conference play in the postseason. Within each conference, three
rounds of playoff elimination series are held. Each series is played
under a best-of-seven format, meaning that the first team to win four
games advances to the next series. The champions of the Eastern and
Western conferences play for the Stanley Cup, the oldest team
championship trophy in North America.
The NHL, the Pro Hockey Writers’ Association, the NHL Broadcasters
Association, franchise general managers, and the NHL Players’
Association give several awards each year to recognize outstanding
individual achievements. The Art Ross Trophy goes to the leading scorer;
the Hart Memorial Trophy to the most valuable player (MVP); the James
Norris Memorial Trophy to the best defenseman; the Vezina Trophy to the
leading goaltender; the Calder Memorial Trophy to the best rookie; and
the Conn Smythe Trophy to the MVP in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In
addition, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is given to the player who
demonstrates great sportsmanship, the Lester Patrick Trophy is given
annually for service to the sport in the United States, and the Adams
Award is presented to the league’s top coach.
Each summer the NHL conducts an amateur draft, in which each team
obtains the rights to the professional services of the best amateur and
minor league players. Some players advance from a junior or college team
directly to the NHL, but most develop their skills in a minor league,
such as the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League, and
the East Coast Hockey League. Several teams in these leagues have
agreements and affiliations with NHL teams. Other minor league
professional franchises operate independently. No single governing body
oversees the various minor leagues.
We are an independently owned ticket agency, not
affiliated with ticketmaster, NHL, or any box office. We specialize in
"sold out" events and premium seating for NHL Hockey and other
sporting events. We generally do not sell tickets for face value.
Our prices reflect the difficulty of obtaining premium seating for major
events. If you do not see the event you are looking for, you may send us
an email with the event you are looking for and we will send you a
quote. Email us at info@tickets-nhl-hockey.com
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