For over 120 years, the Stanley Cup has been awarded as the culmination of a championship hockey season. The NHL provides a comprehensive list of those teams here.

The NHL reported in the book "Stanley Cup Champions" that the first winner of the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (AAA), champions of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada for 1893. “Ironically, Lord Stanley never witnessed a championship game nor attended a presentation of his trophy, having returned to his native England during the 1893 season. Nevertheless, the quest for the trophy he donated has become one of the world's most prestigious sporting competitions.”

“Beginning with the 1926–1927 season, the Stanley Cup has been awarded to the NHL's playoff champion.”

Key Stats

Source: Vintage 2021 Population Estimates.

Infographic: National Hockey League (NHL): 22 Metro Areas in the United States and Seven in Canada Have Hockey Teams

Note: The table above is cropped at the bottom. Click on the image for the full table.

More Stats

From the National Hockey League, NHL.com, Teams:

Note: With the addition of the Seattle Kraken last season, the NHL now has 32 teams, eight in each of the four divisions shown below, west to east (as they would appear on a map): Pacific, Central, Atlantic and Metropolitan. The seven Canadian teams are marked with *.

Western Conference

Pacific
Anaheim Ducks
*Calgary Flames
*Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
*Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights

Central
Arizona Coyotes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
*Winnipeg Jets

Eastern Conference

Atlantic
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Panthers
*Montréal Canadiens
*Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
*Toronto Maple Leafs

Metropolitan
Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Blue Jackets
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals

From Census.gov > QuickFacts: statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.

Listed below are the 32 NHL teams in four divisions: 25 U.S. and seven Canadian (marked with *):

Pacific Division

Central Division

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

*Source for Canadian teams is Statistics Canada, 2021 Population Estimates.

From Business and Economy > International Trade Data:

USA Trade Online — The Official Source of Trade Statistics

Note: After you create an account, select options for Harmonized System (HS) or HS, select Exports or Imports, type HOCKEY or ICE SKATES in the Commodity search box, then select options for geography and time. Select Report for data. More information can be found in the Quick Start Guide.

Outside Links

Page Last Revised - April 12, 2023

Some content on this site is available in several different electronic formats. Some of the files may require a plug-in or additional software to view.

The content on this page includes a link to a non-government website. Our linking to these sites does not constitute an endorsement of any products, services or the information found on them. Once you link to another site you are subject to the policies of the new site.

Is this page helpful?
Thumbs Up Image

Yes

NO THANKS

255 characters maximum

255 characters maximum reached

Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?

Top