On February 1st in 1993, former NBA senior vice-president and general counsel Gary Bettman was appointed Commissioner of the NHL. As clever as he is unpopular, Bettman has brought tremendous change to the game introducing and alienating fans alike.
During his 33 year tenure, Bettman has presided over the:
massive team realignment extinguishing historic divisional rivalries (1993-2000);
overhaul of the playoff system mandating that teams play out of their conference rather than their division (1993);
awarding of each division winner with one of the top three spots in the conference for playoff match-up purposes regardless of where their points would otherwise place them in the standings (1998);
awarding of one point to teams losing in sudden death overtime thereby extending differing point values to games depending on their duration (2pts for regulation games, 3pts for overtime games)(1999);
Surviving years of expansion, contraction, franchise relocation and renaming in its infancy, the NHL eventually settled into a six team structure in 1942 before ultimately filling out into its current 30 team, four division and two conference structure in 2013.
That's today in NHL history.
Rising from 3 to 32 teams and 18 to 84 games since 1918, the NHL regular season now sits at 32 teams playing a 82 times a piece for a total of 1,312 games. Aside from three work stoppages - abbreviating, canceling and abbreviating the proceedings respectively (1994-1995, 2004-2005, 2012-2013), a fire finishing a team (Montreal Wanderers) part-way through the year (1917-1918), and COVID-19 suspending the 2019-2020 season and abbreviating the 2020-2021 season, most NHL regular season schedules have been played as planned with few, if any, interruptions. Amidst endless stories of financially troubled clubs, the league has done well to mitigate NHL relocation, embracing NHL expansion in Las Vegas (2017-2018) and Seattle (2021-2022) to achieve a 32 team league with division and conference balance. On the heels of 2013's NHL realignment, expect regular season length to remain at 82 games for the foreseeable future in order to preserve their commitment to extended divisional play, every team visiting every rink each year, and the pursuit of the all-mighty dollar which directly influences player salaries.
The footnotes above show, chronologically, the renaming and/or relocation of contracted teams prior to their demise. The number of NHL teams and regular season games played by year may be found here.
The first team to fold was the Montreal Wanderers. Formed in 1903 prior to joining the NHL in 1917, the Wanderers skated in only four NHL games (winning only one) before their home rink Montreal Arenaburned down on January 2, 1918 ending their existence.
Erected in 1924 to satisfy Montreal's anglophone hockey fans after losing the Wanderers in 1918, the Montreal Maroons fell victim to the Great Depression, playing their final game in 1938 and ultimately contracted in 1947 after several unsuccessful attempts to move.
Today's NHL frowns upon contracting and relocating teams. Despite financial difficulties plaguing several franchises over the years, the league elects to keep clubs in their current location whenever possible.
As indicated by the footnotes above, several teams have endured change in the form of renaming, relocation and contraction. The ordering of the symbols indicates the chronology of these events. The number of NHL teams and regular season games played by year may be found here.
The first five members of the NHL in 1917 gained admission without having to pay an expansion fee. Since then, all teams have paid a fee to join the league. Hovering between $12,000 and $15,000 in the 1920s, expansions fees jumped to $2 million in 1967 and tripled three years later in 1970 to $6 million where they remained (save surcharges to other teams and leagues) through the remainder of the decade.
After a twelve year span of a 21 team NHL, expansion began again in 1991 with fees 7.5 times higher than those paid by teams entering in the 1970s, ultimately ending up over 13.3 times by 2000. Current franchise valuations estimate the value of NHL teams ranging from $290 million (Arizona Coyotes) to $1.5 billion (New York Rangers).
When two teams split the first six games of a best-of-seven playoff series, a 'winner take all' Game 7 is staged. Heroes are born and victors crowned in this high-stakes affair. Not surprisingly, Game 7s have produced some of the most memorable moments in NHL postseason history.
Once reserved solely for the Semifinal and Final rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the best-of-seven format was expanded to include the Quarterfinals in 1968 and Preliminary round in 1987. Of the 756 best-of-seven NHL playoff series played through 2023, 191 (25%) have resulted in a Game 7 with the home team holding a healthy 111-80 (58%) edge. The team that scores first has a 145-46 (75%) edge, including a 4-0 record in the 2023 postseason. 47 of the 191 (25%) Game 7s have gone to overtime, with the home side surviving 23 times and the visitors stealing 24.
Over the past 36 postseasons since the 1987 expansion of all series to best-of-seven, a Game 7 has been played in 147 of the 540 series. Put another way, 27% or approximately every 1 in 3.6 playoff series have gone to seven games. The chart below describes Game 7s by year, noting the number and round in which a seventh game(s) occurred.
(P = Preliminary, Q = Quarterfinal, S = Semifinal, F = Final)
Breaking it down by round, the most Game 7s over the past 36 seasons on a percentage basis have occurred in the Quarterfinal (42/144 = 29%), Preliminary (80/288 = 27%), Semifinal (19/72 = 26%), followed by the Stanley Cup Final (9/36 = 25%) round. Interestingly, 7 of the past 22 Finals and 7 of the past 18 Semifinals have been decided by a seventh game. In sum, the likelihood of a Game 7 in a NHL playoff series since 1987 is 1 in 3.4 for the Quarterfinal with a slight decrease to roughly 1 in 3.6 for the Preliminary round and Semifinal, and 1 in 4 for the Final.
The charts below show the total number of Game 7s played by each NHL team along with their win/loss records, with all-time statistics on the lefthand side and data since 1987 on the righthand side.
NHL Game 7s All-Time
NHL Game 7s Since 1987
Team: Series (Record)
Team: Series (Record)
Boston: 30 (15-15)
Boston: 19 (10-9)
Toronto: 26 (12-14)
Pittsburgh: 17 (10-7)
Detroit: 25 (14-11)
New Jersey: 16 (8-8)
Montreal: 24 (15-9)
Washington: 16 (4-12)
New York*: 18 (11-7)
Toronto: 15 (6-9)
Pittsburgh: 18 (10-8)
New York*: 14 (11-3)
St. Louis: 18 (10-8)
Detroit: 14 (7-7)
Philadelphia: 17 (9-8)
Colorado: 13 (4-9)
New Jersey: 16 (8-8)
San Jose: 12 (8-4)
Washington: 16 (4-12)
Philadelphia: 12 (6-6)
Chicago: 14 (7-7)
St. Louis: 12 (6-6)
Calgary: 13 (6-7)
Montreal: 11 (8-3)
Colorado: 13 (4-9)
Vancouver: 11 (6-5)
San Jose: 12 (8-4)
Tampa Bay: 10 (7-3)
Los Angeles: 12 (7-5)
Edmonton: 9 (6-3)
Edmonton: 11 (7-4)
Los Angeles: 9 (6-3)
Vancouver: 11 (6-5)
Dallas: 9 (4-5)
Tampa Bay: 10 (7-3)
Anaheim: 9 (3-6)
Dallas: 9 (4-5)
Calgary: 9 (3-6)
New York**: 9 (4-5)
Chicago: 8 (5-3)
Anaheim: 9 (3-6)
Carolina: 7 (6-1)
Carolina: 7 (6-1)
New York**: 7 (3-4)
Minnesota^: 7 (3-4)
Buffalo: 6 (1-5)
Buffalo: 7 (1-6)
Ottawa: 6 (0-6)
Ottawa: 6 (0-6)
Minnesota^^: 4 (3-1)
Minnesota^^: 4 (3-1)
Florida: 3 (2-1)
Florida: 3 (2-1)
Vegas: 3 (2-1)
Quebec: 3 (2-1)
Nashville: 2 (1-2)
Vegas: 3 (2-1)
Arizona: 3 (0-3)
Nashville: 3 (1-2)
Seattle: 2 (1-1)
Arizona: 3 (0-3)
Hartford: 2 (0-2)
Hartford: 3 (0-3)
Minnesota^: 2 (0-2)
Seattle: 2 (1-1)
Winnipeg~: 2 (0-2)
Winnipeg~: 2 (0-2)
Winnipeg+: 1 (1-0)
Winnipeg+: 1 (1-0)
Quebec: 1 (0-1)
Oakland: 1 (0-1)
* New York Rangers ** New York Islanders ^ Minnesota North Stars ^^ Minnesota Wild ~ Winnipeg Jets (1979-1996) + Winnipeg Jets (2011-Present)
Boston has skated in the most Game 7s (30) in NHL history with Boston and Montreal winning the most (15). Over the past 36 seasons, Boston has played more Game 7s (19) than anyone else but the New York Rangers have won the most (11). The Winnipeg Jets (2011-Present) have never lost a Game 7; Ottawa, Arizona, Hartford, Winnipeg (1979-1996) and Oakland have never won a Game 7; and Columbus has never skated in one.
In terms of winning more than one Game 7 in a single postseason, 25 teams have done it twice with only two teams winning three best-of-seven series in a Game 7 in a single playoff (Boston 2011, Los Angeles 2014). The chart below lists all NHL teams that have ever won two or more Game 7s in a single postseason, indicating year and rounds in which they turned the trick.
NHL Game 7s Won Same Year Year: Team (Round) 1950: Detroit (S, F)* 1964: Toronto (S, F)* 1968: St. Louis (Q, S) 1990: Chicago (P, Q) 1993: Toronto (P, Q) 1994: New York^ (S, F)* 2001: Colorado (Q, F)* 2002: Colorado (P, Q), Toronto (P, Q) 2003: Minnesota (P, Q), New Jersey (S, F)* 2004: Tampa Bay (S, F)* 2006: Carolina (S, F)* 2009: Carolina (P, Q), PIT (Q, F)* 2010: Montreal (P, Q) 2011: Boston (P, S, F)* 2012: New York^ (P, Q) 2014: Los Angeles (P, Q, S)* 2015: Tampa Bay (P, S) 2016: St. Louis (P, Q) 2017: Pittsburgh (Q, S)* 2019: San Jose (P, Q), St. Louis (Q, F)* 2022: Carolina (P, Q), New York^ (P, Q)
* Stanley Cup Champion ^ New York Rangers
(P = Preliminary, Q = Quarterfinal, S = Semifinal, F = Final)
Tonight the puck drops on the NHL's 107 game preseason schedule. In addition to the handful of home games that season's ticketholders love paying for, 18 clubs will skate in 14 non-NHL cities in 9 countries matching up with 7 non-NHL teams en route. Here's a closer look at these out-of-town pairings and places.
London, Saskatoon, and Las Vegas enjoy a repeat of last year's preseason matchups, with the Lightning and Islanders returning to Quebec City and Winnipeg, respectively. No coincident that the financially troubled twosome are back in leading markets for league expansion and relocation.
Interestingly, the team most likely to move is staying put in Phoenix for the preseason. Perhaps a trip north for the Coyotes might be a bit much for local fans to handle. Sadly, Hamilton was again omitted from the exhibition offering. One can't help but wonder if Bettman has forever banned NHL hockey from this town owing to Balsillie's aggressive bid.
The preseason schedule lasts for 14 days. The games start counting on October 7th when regular season play begins. Game on!
This year's NHL preseason schedule has half the league facing off in eleven non-NHL North American cities. Of these fifteen traveling teams, one has four such games (NYI), two play thrice (LAK, TBL), three play twice (OTT, EDM, PHO), and nine play once (VAN, FLA, PHI, TOR, SJS, CGY, BOS, MTL, COL). Here's a closer look at the pairings and places.
Throwing a bone to some undersized markets while test driving a selection of expansion and relocation possibilities, the league has conveniently sent a few financially troubled teams (NYI, TBL, PHO) on a beauty contest to venues that may one day be home.
No surprise that Hamilton didn't make the cut this year. Perhaps next season they'll have a team of their own.
On February 1st in 1993, former NBA senior vice-president and general counsel Gary Bettman was appointed Commissioner of the NHL. As clever as he is unpopular, Bettman has brought tremendous change to the game introducing and alienating fans alike.
