Today In NHL History - Good Friday Brawl

On April 20th in 1984, divisional rivals Montreal Canadiens and Quebec Nordiques engaged in a now famous fight known simply by its calendar namesake emanating from the perfect storm of NHL playoffs, politics and provincial pride.

The Good Friday Brawl fisticuffs ensued at the end of the second period of Game 6 of the Adams Division Finals and lasted for ten minutes before teams retreated to their respective dressing rooms. Upon surveying the damage to teammate Jean Hamel from a Louis Sleigher sucker punch, the Canadiens returned to settle the score in the final frame.

Montreal beat Quebec that night to seal the series by a margin of 4-2.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Gary Bettman

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:

• elimination of traditionally named divisions (Adams, Patrick, Norris, Smythe) and conferences (Clarence Campbell, Prince of Wales) in favor of vaguely geographically identifiable divisions (Northeast, Atlantic, Central, Pacific) and conferences (Western, Eastern) (1993);
• realignment of teams into unbalanced divisions (Metropolitan, Atlantic, Central, Pacific) and conferences (Western, Eastern) (2013); 
• expansion of six teams - Anaheim Ducks (1993), Florida Panthers (1993), Nashville Predators (1998), Atlanta Thrashers (1999), Minnesota Wild (2000), Columbus Blue Jackets (2000);
• relocation of five teams - Minnesota North Stars to Dallas (1993), Quebec Nordiques to Denver (1995), Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix (1996), Hartford Whalers to Raleigh (1997), Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg (2011);
• introduction of NHL players in Winter Olympic Games (1995);
• preventing NHL players from participating in Winter Olympics for 2018 and 2022;
• introduction of regular season games overseas (1997);
• addition of two divisions - Southeast, Northwest (1998);
• 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);
• introduction of regular season outdoor games in the form of the Heritage Classic (2003), Winter Classic (2008) and Stadium Series (2014);
• introduction of a salary cap tied to league revenues (2005);
• introduction of a shootout to resolve games tied at the end of overtime guaranteeing 2pts for a regulation game and 3pts for an overtime game (2005);
• banishment of the lion's share of nationally televised games to the Versus network (presently known as the NBC Sports Network) (2005);
• drastic reduction of inter-conference games in favor of 24 divisional games each season (2008);
• explosion of player salaries and ticket prices (1993-present); and
• three work stoppages (104 days during the 1994-1995 season, entire 2004-2005 season, 119 days during the 2012-2013 season).

When not working to improve the game and line owners pockets with increased revenues, he can be found being booed in arenas league-wide.

That's today in NHL history.

NHL League Size And Regular Season Length

With this week's release of the regular season schedule for the NHL's 108th season of operation (107th season of actual play), it's a good time to consider this season's offering in the historical context of the number of participating teams and regular season games played since the league's inception 108 years ago.

Years	Games	Teams		Years	Games	Teams
1917-1918	22	4		1978-1979	80	17
1918-1919	18	3		1979-1991	80	21
1919-1924	24	4		1991-1992	80	22
1924-1925	30	6		1992-1993	84	24
1925-1926	36	7		1993-1994	84	26
1926-1931	44	10		1994-1995	48	26
1931-1932	48	8		1995-1998	82	26
1932-1935	48	9		1998-2000	82	28
1935-1938	48	8		2000-2004	82	30
1938-1942	48	7		2004-2005	0	30
1942-1946	50	6		2005-2012	82	30
1946-1949	60	6		2012-2013	48	30
1949-1967	70	6		2013-2017	82	30
1967-1968	74	12		2017-2020	82	31
1968-1970	76	12		2020-2021	56	31
1970-1972	78	14		2021-2025	82	32
1972-1974	78	16
1974-1978	80	18

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.

* See also Fewest And Most Games Needed to Win Stanley Cup.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Length By Days And Games.
* See also History of NHL Expansion.
* See also History of NHL Relocation.
* See also History of NHL Contraction.
* See also History of NHL Team Renaming.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Game 7 History

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.

Of the 191 Game 7s, 35 times a team trailing their series 3-1 won Game 7 and 4 times a team down 3-0 in their series won Game 7.  The most Game 7s in single playoff season is seven (1994, 2011, 2014). Only three times has a postseason gone without (1970, 1973, 1977).

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.

Year: Game 7s (Round)	Year: Game 7s (Round)
1987: 5 (1P, 3Q, F)	2010: 4 (2P, 2Q)
1988: 3 (1P, 1Q, 1S)	2011: 7 (4P, 1Q, 1S, F)
1989: 3 (2P, 1Q)	2012: 4 (3P, 1Q)
1990: 4 (3P, 1Q)	2013: 5 (3P, 2Q)
1991: 4 (3P, 1Q)	2014: 7 (3P, 3Q, 1S)
1992: 6 (6P)	2015: 5 (2P, 1Q, 2S)
1993: 4 (1P, 2Q, 1S)	2016: 5 (2P, 2Q, 1S)
1994: 7 (4P, 1Q, 1S, F)	2017: 3 (2Q, 1S)
1995: 4 (4P)	2018: 3 (1P, 1Q, 1S)
1996: 2 (1Q, 1S)	2019: 6 (3P, 2Q, F)
1997: 3 (3P)	2020: 3 (3Q)
1998: 1 (1Q)	2021: 3 (2P, 1S)
1999: 3 (2P, 1S)	2022: 6 (5P, 1Q)
2000: 3 (1P, 2S)	2023: 4 (1P, 1Q
2001: 4 (3Q, F)
2002: 5 (2P, 2Q, 1S)
2003: 6 (3P, 1Q, 1S, F)
2004: 5 (3P, 1S, F)
2006: 3 (1P, 1S, F)
2007: 1 (1P)
2008: 3 (3P)
2009: 6 (2P, 3Q, F)

(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)

The 2023 postseason featured four Game 7s, with the team that scores first going 4-0, home teams holding a 2-2 record, and one recovering from a 3-1 series deficit.
Game 7 ... kill or be killed.

* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-0.
* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-1.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff First Round Upsets.
* See also Canucks Game 7 Overtime & Stanley Cup Finals.

2013-2014 NHL Regular Season Mileage

Have you ever wondered how many miles each team will travel during the 2013-14 NHL Regular Season? Once again statistical wizard Dirk Hoag has calculated the mileage for all 30 NHL teams this season.  His figures are presented below by conference and division.

                                    WESTERN CONFERENCE

Pacific	2013-14		Central	2013-14
San Jose Sharks	57,612		Colorado Avalanche	49,007
Phoenix Coyotes	52,633		Dallas Stars	46,660
Calgary Flames	48,970		Winnipeg Jets	46,477
Anaheim Ducks	48,568		Minnesota Wild	44,273
Vancouver Canucks	48,510		Nashville Predators	39,810
Los Angeles Kings	48,432		St. Louis Blues	39,328
Edmonton Oilers	45,192		Chicago Blackhawks	38,680
Average	49,988		Average	43,462

                                    EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic	2013-14		Metropolitan	2013-14
Florida Panthers	45,136		Carolina Hurricanes	38,879
Tampa Bay Lightning	43,102		Pittsburgh Penguins	37,061
Boston Bruins	42,389		Columbus Blue Jackets	36,597
Montreal Canadiens	39,327		Washington Capitals	36,250
Toronto Maple Leafs	35,975		Philadelphia Flyers	34,929
Detroit Red Wings	35,324		New Jersey Devils	33,151
Ottawa Senators	34,850		New York Islanders	29,933
Buffalo Sabres	34,812		New York Rangers	29,839
Average	38,864		Average	34,580

With an eye towards reduced travel and pairing teams with their time zone neighbors, this season's NHL realignment has resulted in the reshuffling of teams from six divisions in to four divisions, including the disappearance of the Northeast, Southeast and Northwest, addition of the Metropolitan, and retooling of the Pacific, Central and Atlantic.

This year the most traveled team (San Jose Sharks) nearly doubles the mileage of the least traveled team (New York Rangers), with the average Western team logging 46,725 miles to the Eastern's 36,722 miles for a NHL average of 41,387 miles.  Breaking it down by division, the Pacific leads all others averaging 49,988 miles, followed by the Central (43,462), Atlantic (38,864) and Metropolitan (34,580).

The chart below sorts teams by most mileage to least for 2013-14 showing their total travel for the last 82 game season (2011-12) and the differential between miles traveled before and after realignment.

                                                 SUMMARY

Team	Division	2013-14	2011-12	+/-
Sharks	Pacific	57,617	43,994	+13,623
Coyotes	Pacific	52,633	49,192	+3,441
Avalanche	Central	49,007	48,945	+62
Flames	Pacific	48,970	49,104	-134
Ducks	Pacific	48,568	50,296	-1,728
Canucks	Pacific	48,510	46,826	+1,684
Kings	Pacific	48,432	55,591	-7,159
Stars	Central	46,660	49,622	-2,962
Jets	Central	46,477	44,627	-1,850
Oilers	Pacific	45,192	50,006	-4,814
Panthers	Atlantic	45,136	52,751	-7,615
Wild	Central	44,273	42,860	+1,413
Lightning	Atlantic	43,102	43,717	-615
Bruins	Atlantic	42,389	33,770	+8,619
Predators	Central	39,810	39,534	+276
Blues	Central	39,328	38,781	+547
Canadiens	Atlantic	39,327	39,174	+152
Hurricanes	Metropolitan	38,879	38,114	+765
Blackhawks	Central	38,680	39,288	-608
Penguins	Metropolitan	37,061	33,439	+3,622
Blue Jackets	Metropolitan	36,597	42,831	-6,234
Capitals	Metropolitan	36,250	37,969	-1,719
Maple Leafs	Atlantic	35,975	32,239	-3,736
Red Wings	Atlantic	35,234	42,865	-7,631
Flyers	Metropolitan	34,929	34,193	+736
Senators	Atlantic	34,850	33,915	+935
Sabres	Atlantic	34,812	35,911	-1,099
Devils	Metropolitan	33,151	28,597	-4,554
Islanders	Metropolitan	29,933	32,410	-2,477
Rangers	Metropolitan	29,839	36,385	-6,546
	Average	41,387	41,565	-178

Interestingly, NHL realignment has yielded an average savings of 178 miles per team, for a total league-wide savings of 5,340 miles. The San Jose Sharks (+13,623) and the Boston Bruins (+8,619) lead their respective conferences in terms of increased travel as against their pre-realignment 2011-12 mileage. Ten teams (1/3) have been impacted by less than 1,000 miles as compared to their 2011-12 mileage.

The NHL's new season structure calls for each team in each rink every year. Thus, the mileage savings achieved through pairing teams by proximity have been spent to afford improvements in the schedule. While most teams are now aligned with their geographic neighbors, there are still some peculiarities. Most notably, the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have been paired with six teams in the northeast under the ambiguous Metropolitan namesake.

In addition to counting clicks, Hoag's Schedule tallies each team's number of back-to-back games showing an average of 15 such occurrences per club, the New Jersey Devils (22) leading all others and the Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets playing the least (10).
NHL life is indeed a highway, flying thousands of miles all season long.