National Hockey League - NHL
The National Hockey League is an association of professional ice hockey teams, total of of 30 franchised member clubs. 24 of the teams are located in the USA and 6 teams are located in Canada. The NHL is widely considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world.
At the end of each season the Stanley Cup which is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded to the league playoff champion.
In 1917, the NHL was organized in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with 4 teams only. During the 2004-2005 season, due to a labor dispute the hockey league was cancelled that season all together and had a great comeback afterwards with profit growth and record high sponsorships deals, crowds and tv viewers.
The hockey season is divided into 3 sub seasons:
During September - an exhibition season
October till April - a regular season in which the teams plays against each other.
April till June - a postseason the Stanley Cup playoffs which is an elimination tournament where teams play against each other to win a best of 7 series in order to advance.