The 2021-2022 NHL Championship is the 105th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season kicked off on October 12, 2021 and will run through April 2022, followed by the Stanley Cup playoff series.

This season, the NHL has added a new Seattle club, the Seattle Kraken, bringing 32 clubs to the 2021-2022 Championship - 7 from Canada and 25 from the United States. The Seattle Kraken play in the Pacific Division of the Eastern Conference and the Arizona Coyotes have moved to the Central Division.

Thus, this season, the league returned to its usual divisions, each of which now has 8 teams and a division into the Western and Eastern Conferences (due to restrictions last season, there were virtually no conferences and the Canadian Division was created).

During the regular season 2021-2022, all clubs play 82 matches (last season only 56), each team will play each at least twice. The match calendar includes a break for the 2022 Olympics from February 4th to 22nd.

Bemorepanda collected some funny memes about the new season.

1.The Islanders have fans

2.All I want

3.Like a boss

The National Hockey League is a professional sports organization that brings together the hockey teams of the United States and Canada. Nowadays, most experts recognize the NHL as one of the strongest on the planet. It should be noted that at the moment it is one of the main sports leagues in North America, along with the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball. The league was formed on November 26, 1917, and on December 19, 1917, the first season began, uniting only 4 teams.

   By the end of the 1930/1931 season, a total of 10 teams were playing in the NHL, vying each year for the league's top prize, the Stanley Cup. Originally, the Stanley Cup was played between the winner of the NHL and the winner of the Western professional hockey leagues, and since 1926 the Cup has become the full property of the NHL. However, the Great Depression, and various financial difficulties after it, dealt a severe blow to the league and the NHL was reduced to six teams. These teams, which have played in the league for 25 years since 1942, are still known as the "Big Six" (Original Six) - "Montreal Canadiens", "Toronto Maple Leafs", "Detroit Red Wings", "Boston Bruins", New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.

4.A 5 dollar

5.Only Patrick here

6.Every time I make a save

7.I become anything

In the mid-1960s, teams began to emerge in the minor leagues, especially from the western United States, that could compete with the NHL teams. The strengthening of the Western Hockey League, which experts predicted its transformation into a league equal in strength to the NHL, as well as financial considerations prompted the NHL in 1967 to undertake the first expansion since the 1920s. Six more teams were admitted to the league, which formed a new division. They were the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Oakland Seals and Pittsburgh Penguins. Three years later, the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabers joined the league.

   In 1972, the World Hockey Association (WHA) was formed. Although the WHA never submitted a proposal to the NHL for a joint Stanley Cup, everyone recognized the league's strength and considered it a worthy competitor to the NHL. In this regard, the NHL decided to urgently continue its expansion policy and added the New York Islanders and Atlanta Flames to the league in 1972, and the Kansas City Scouts and Washington Capitals two years later.

8.Pulling 2 teeth

9.For sure

10.French girls

However, the increase in the number of teams in the league caused a decrease in the overall level of the game. These leagues fought for strong players until the collapse of the WHA in 1979. Four WHA teams have joined the NHL: Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordics, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. The Edmonton Oilers are currently the last team from the WHA to continue to be based in the same city where they were based. Quebec Nordics, Winnipeg Jets and Hartford Whalers have now changed their name and moved to other cities.

   The NHL has continued to expand, and since the 2000/2001 season, the number of teams in the league has increased to its current maximum of 30 teams from 29 cities in the United States and Canada. Of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League, 7 are in Canada and 23 are in the United States. All NHL clubs have their own "farm clubs" - the so-called subsidiary teams, where hockey players who have failed to break into the main team play.

11.So funny

12.Snipes

13.Hey Patrick

14.Roberto

At the moment, the NHL has the following structure: there are two conferences in the NHL, each with three divisions, and each division with five teams. In the regular season, each team plays 82 games - 41 home and 41 away, each team playing at least one game with every other team in the league. The team gets two points for winning, the team gets one point for losing in overtime or in shootouts, and none for losing in regular time. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points in its division becomes the division champion (points from games with all teams are taken into account, not just the teams of its division). Division winners and top 5 other teams from each conference advance to the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup.

15.Rangers Candle

16.Sabres fans

17.Mike Smith

18.The floor is lava

19.Puck

20.Back

21.Dear Basketball

22.Glass case

23.Grinds my gear

24.Glamouros 

25.I play hockey

26.I got a cup

27.Brain on check

28.Lakers Parade

29.I have an army

30.Elf power

31.The sea creators

32.Underfeated

33.Goalies

34.Penalty box

35.For the record

36.Three rules

37.Social distancing

38.Leafs

39.Dollar beer night

40.The rangers

41.Steve Dangle

42.Rangers fans

43.Coffee

44.NHL games

45.Four to one

46.Toronto

47.Cover tution

48.Everywhere I go

49.McDavid

50.Kraken are in the metagame

The 2022 NHL Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild took place on January 1, 2022 at the Minnesota Twins' Target Field, Major League Baseball team, in Minneapolis. The match, originally scheduled for the first day of 2021, will continue the tradition of outdoor play begun in 2008. 2022 will mark the 14th anniversary of the first "Winter Classic" in Buffalo.

The 2022 Honda All-Star NHL Weekend will take place in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena on February 4-5. Skill contests will take place on Friday, February 4, and the next day will be the "All-Star Game".

On February 26, as part of the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series, the Nashville Predators will play Tampa at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, home of the NFL Tennessee Titans. This will be the second open-air match for the Predators and the first for the Lightning, who will be the 27th team to play outdoors.

Each team in the 2021-22 season will play 82 matches, and there will be a total of 1,312 matches. The last day of the regular season will be Friday, April 29, when 30 out of 32 teams will take to the ice.

Bemorepanda prepared some interesting facts about NHL.

1. Olympic Break: To date, no final decision has been made on the participation of NHL hockey players in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Negotiations are ongoing. If the players' union and the International Ice Hockey Federation agree to resolve all issues, including insurance for hockey players on COVID-19, as agreed in the collective agreement, then the calendar will provide a pause between February 7 and 22. 

2. If conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic deteriorate or the health and safety of players is threatened, the NHL and the players' union will refuse to participate in the Games. If NHL players compete in the 2022 Olympics, the regular season will resume on February 23rd. If, for any reason, hockey players do not play at the Olympics, the NHL will publish a revised regular season schedule.

3. The National Hockey League is considered the most prestigious, popular and professional league in the world of ice hockey. The most loyal fans, the most spectacular matches and the most prestigious awards are directly related to the NHL. 

4. The history of the league is very long, because during its existence there have been many truly significant events, let alone the number of really talented athletes who have made their careers in the NHL. We have already talked about the strongest players in the NHL, talked about the best clubs and even recalled the history of the main hockey attributes, but now we want to talk about a few interesting facts that will help you learn hockey even better. 

5. The history of the league dates back to the late 19th century, when in 1892 the Governor General of Canada, Lord Frederick Arthur Stanley, established the country's main hockey trophy - the Challenge Hockey Cup. 

6. The devoted fans of Canada fought for the cup. Any team could challenge the current trophy holder, and he had to accept it. After the death of the Governor-General, the prize was named in his honor - the Stanley Cup. 

7. Now  the Stanley Cup is considered the most prestigious of those that a professional hockey player can win in his career, which is why many athletes tag in the NHL in order to try their luck in the championships. It is worth noting that we talked about the history of hockey in more detail in one of our previous articles.

8. As for the first official goal, which marked the beginning of professional hockey, it was scored by Dave Ritchie, who was a player of the Montreal Wanderers. The puck flew into the net on December 19, 1917, and it was the first official match in NHL history, followed by a huge number of sports fans. Then on the ice against "Montreal" came "Toronto Arenas", which conceded the same goal.

9. Many will wonder why the Stanley Cup was established almost at the very beginning of the 20th century, and the first puck was hammered only 20 years later? The fact is that the NHL was just beginning to develop, many teams did not immediately reach the professional level, and the championships were not held as cool as we see in this picture now. It is difficult to say at what point it is worth starting a report on the existence of the National League, but here everyone decides for himself.

10. Selling and buying players is quite a fun process. Of course, now popular players cost a lot of money, and many clubs go broke just to take possession of the legend of big sports. But in the history of the NHL there was a case when a player was bought for only one dollar. 

11. We are talking about one Canadian ice hockey player, Chris Draper, who was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 1993 under the general number 62. The athlete had practically no playing practice and had zero experience in the NHL, which is why he was sold to the famous Detroit for just one American dollar.

12. Moving to a new team, Chris was not left without an inverse nickname - "man for one dollar." But the nickname did not humiliate the athlete at all, and even brought its own benefit. Perhaps it's all about motivation and the desire to prove to the majority of his worth, but Draper was able to quickly advance to the main team, and then take the post of the leader of Krasnye Krylia. He became one of the club's top players at the time, significantly increasing his value in professional sports. It is worth noting that Draper played 1137 games for Detroit, scored 128 goals in them and helped the team win four Stanley Cups.

13. We have already talked about the origin of this trophy, but the award deserves special attention for several more reasons. Interestingly, the original height of the Stanley Cup was 18 centimeters, now it is much larger. It is also worth noting that there is a certain tradition according to which each member of the team that won the Stanley Cup has the right to personally own the cup for one day in the summer off-season after the victory. This happened for the first time in 1997, after the victory of the Detroit Red Wings, where the Russian Five played. 

14. Often the practice of giving away the cup for a day to the players led to curiosities. In 1996, Colorado defender Sylvain Lefebvre christened his little daughter Alexanna in a cup. Now Aleksanna Lefebvre plays for the university's hockey team. In 2008, the Stanley Cup was again used as a cup for infant baptism: Thomas Holmstrom baptized his nephew in it. In general, they didn’t fill the cup with anything during the celebrations. Ice cream, melted chocolate, soup, chili sauce, applesauce, and even dog food. 

15. Goalkeeper Martin Brodeur, after winning the New Jersey Devils in 2003, went to the cinema with the kids and took a goblet with him to fill it with popcorn. Here is such an interesting trophy.

16. The best hockey player in the history of the National Hockey League! Wayne became the leader in almost all offense-related indicators: points (2857), goals (894), assists (1963), points in equal squads (1818), majority (890), minority (149) and goals in an empty net (57). 

17. Wayne also became the only NHL player to score more than 200 points per season in 1982 (212 points), 1984 (205), 1985 and 1986 (208 and 215 points, respectively). It's hard to find a hockey fan who hasn't heard of this athlete. This hockey player is truly unique and is a legend in the National Hockey League. 

18. Despite the unique records, the athlete did not differ in versatility, often lost in speed indicators to his rivals and did not always demonstrate decent defense. But he could always competently choose his position on the court, defeating the opponent with perfect technique and a strong throw. Interestingly, many note the fact that even if Wayne had not scored a single goal, he would still have been the leader in terms of the number of points scored in his career. Here is such an interesting character, famous all over the world.

19. The first goalkeeper to score an unusual goal against an opponent was New York Islanders goalkeeper Billy Smith. 

20. Philadelphia Flyers goalkeeper Ron Hextall became the second goalkeeper to score, and the first to score. Most of the goals against rivals are on the personal account of Martin Brodeur. He was able to score as many as three goals. In general, a rather unusual situation when the puck flies into the goal from the goalkeeper of another team, but often this is due to the unpredictability of hockey. 

21. There are times when the goalkeeper repels a strong attack from the opponent, and then the incomprehensible force of the rebound comes into play, and it happens that the goalkeeper himself wants to take the initiative into his own hands, like the above-described hockey players.

22. This interesting fact can be noted in as many as two matches in the history of the National Hockey League. The first happened in the third season of the NHL, when the Montreal players were able to beat their age-old opponents from Toronto with a score of 14-7. The second-highest scoring match in league history came in 1985 when the aforementioned Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton fired on Chicago. 

23. In this meeting, "Edmonton" was able to win with a score of 12-9, while the legendary Gretzky, without scoring a single goal, gave his teammates seven assists. It is worth noting that in each season of the NHL you can see many interesting, spectacular and memorable matches that make the history of the league unique.

24. Theoren Fleury is a truly great ice hockey player from Canada, born in 1968. His height was only 168 cm, but this did not stop him from achieving unprecedented heights in sports. The hockey player scored 1,088 points in the NHL, won the Stanley Cup, became a gold medalist at the Olympic Games, a silver medalist in the World Championship and received the honorary title of "Player of the Year" in the NHL.

25. And the tallest player in the history of the NHL was born in Slovakia. In his 44 years, Zdeno has also broken a large number of prejudices. With a height of 206 cm, the defender continues to play for the Washington Capitals to this day. The good news is that such a truly unique player does not lose heart and does not even think about the end of his career. On account of his 1608 games in the NHL, for which he was able to score 207 goals. 

26. Zdeno Hara, which we wrote about above, also set another record worthy of attention. The hockey player has one of the most powerful shots in NHL history. Zdeno Hara was able to throw the puck at 105.4 mph (169.6 km / h) in 2009. By the way, Hara liked to break records - and he did it a couple more times, reaching 107 mph (172.2 km / h) in 2012. But here it is worth noting another athlete who achieved higher numbers. 

27. The incredible Bobby Hull was able to break absolutely all the records of big sport, accelerating the hockey puck to 193 km / h with his powerful click. Experts also say that the athlete could make a throw with a maximum puck speed of 169 km / h using a wrist technique. 

28. Bobby Hull was one of the best strikers in the NHL in the 1960s. The player was awarded the title of best sniper of the regular season between 1959 and 1969 as many as seven times, making him the second strongest hockey player in this indicator. Bobby Hull was able to score 54 goals in 1965/66, making him the only player to score over 50 goals in the NHL regular season. Throughout his career, the athlete took part in 1,063 matches of the regular season and in 119 playoffs. But now the legend of world hockey is already 82 years old, and it is simply impossible to check or refute his records. 

29. Thus, the National Hockey League contains in its history many unique moments that will be of interest to every fan of big sport. It is these facts and records that are the basis of interesting hockey, a professional sport that has a huge number of fans. Important events are remembered by many, making hockey even more popular and even more spectacular, which is why this sport quickly gained worldwide popularity and annually indulges us with legendary events.

30. On November 26, 1917, representatives of four Canadian clubs (Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs) decided to create the National Hockey League. A little later, Toronto Arenas joined the organizers.

31. The first NHL matches took place on December 19, 1917. There are currently 30 teams in the world's strongest professional hockey league.

32. In 1943, the Hockey Hall of Fame was opened in Toronto, where the names of the best hockey players on the planet were entered. Currently, more than 300 world hockey legends have been awarded this honor, including 6 of our compatriots: Anatoly Tarasov, Vladislav Tretyak, Vyacheslav Fetisov, Valery Kharlamov, Igor Larionov and Pavel Bure.

33. On February 14, 1934, the Toronto Maple Leafs permanently assigned the number 6 jersey to team star Ace Bailey. Later, the tradition of removing the numbers of great hockey players from circulation gained wide popularity in the NHL. Pavel Bure was the only Russian to be awarded such an honor. In 2013, the Vancouver Canucks secured form with number 10.

34. In 1959, the Montreal Canadiens goalkeeper Jacques Plant began wearing a mask. Not everyone liked this novelty, and many even called Plant a coward. But after a few years, the mask became a common attribute of the goalkeeper's uniform.

35. According to statistics, 68% of professional hockey players lost at least one tooth during a match.

36. The legendary Gordie Howe was distinguished not only by high performance, but also by an aggressive game. Therefore, if one hockey player manages to throw the puck in a match, make an assist and take part in a fight, then such a result is called "Gordie Howe's hat-trick."

37. Since 1993, every hockey player who has won the Stanley Cup, the NHL's premier trophy, can take it home for a day. But there is one secret: the athletes are given a copy of the prize, and the original is kept in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

38. April 16, 1999 ended the sports career of the most famous hockey player in the history of the NHL - Wayne Gretzky. In NHL games, Gretzky has scored 894 goals and made 1,963 assists. Its result has not been surpassed so far.

39. Bobby Hull had the most powerful shot among the pros. After his impact, the puck flew at a speed of 190.4 kilometers per hour.

40. In the entire long history of the NHL, the Stanley Cup has not been played twice. In 1919, the tournament was stopped due to the flu epidemic, and in 2005 the championship was canceled due to a hockey strike.

41. In the first month of the 2017-18 season, 212 matches were played. On average, the teams scored 6.1 goals in them (excluding 18 goals in shootouts). This is significantly more than the figure for the same period of the last championship - 5.6. On average, NHL teams scored 5.45 goals per game that season.

42. The last time NHL clubs managed to cross the line of six goals per game in the 2005-06 championship was 6.05 in 1230 games. And the level of 6.1 goals per game was exceeded for the last time in the regular championship of 1995-96 - 6.29.

43. This figure may be impressive, but it is still significantly less than 25 years ago, when NHL clubs averaged 7.25 goals per game.

44. There is another indicator of the increased performance: all 24 top scorers in the league (as of Saturday) are gaining an average of points per match. Last season, only eight of the top 24 played as effectively.

45. Pittsburgh have won all four games between Crosby and McDavid: two in regulation, one in overtime and one in shootouts. Now they can meet again at best only in the playoffs. Or next season.

46. “Islanders” figured out the game in the majority: “New York Islanders” for three weeks to establish the game in the majority and, apparently, the team was able to find the cause of failure and draw the right conclusions.

47. The first took place during the third season of the NHL - Montreal beat Toronto (St. Patrick's) with a score of 14-7, but then such a score was the norm.

48. The second such a productive match had to wait for more than 60 years - until the end of 1985, when Edmonton, led by the inimitable Gretzky, staged a shootout with Chicago and won 12-9. At the same time, Wayne did not score a single (!) Washer, but he helped his partners as much as seven (!) Times, which became a record for transfers in one game.

49. Andrew Hammond, who defended the gates of Ottawa and Colorado, got his nickname "The Hamburglar" (ie "Burgervor") long before the NHL during one of the varsity games for Bowling Green State University (NCAA). First, one of his teammates, Wade Finegan, began calling Hammond "Robber" for his ability to "steal" victories for his team. Then the nickname evolved into "Burglar" ("Thief"), then simply "Burgs". The result of this chain is the nickname "The Hamburglar", which is the name of a friend of Ronald McDonald, and this friend, as you might guess, loves to steal burgers on the sly. It was he who was depicted on the mask of the Canadian when he played for Ottawa.

50.Eighteen-year-old Alec Regula was selected by Detroit in the third round of the 2018 NBA Draft pick as # 67.

The Stanley Cup is the most famous sports trophy in the world. The goblet is a huge silver vase with a massive cylindrical base 89.54 centimeters (35.25 inches) high and weighs 15.5 kilograms. No trophy in professional sports, other than the Stanley Cup, is engraved with the names of all the players, coaches, managers, and technical staff of the team that won the title.

 

Originally, the Cup was a decorative bowl made of silver, 18.5 centimeters (7.28 inches) high and 29 centimeters (11.42 inches) in diameter. Until 1924, the appearance of additional rings to the bowl and their filling proceeded in a "chaotic" mode. At first, additional rings appeared on the bowl with the engraved name of the team and the year of its championship. In 1907, the Montreal Wanderers were the first club to have their team's name printed on the inside of the ball, as well as engraving the names of all of their team's players. 

 

For unknown reasons, many clubs simply did not engrave their team names on the bowl, and in three cases the names were incorrectly recorded - this was in 1915, 1916 and 1918, when teams winning their championships put their names on the Cup despite the fact that it has already been played under the new system between the champions of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA).

 

Bemorepanda collected more interesting facts about Stanley Cup Finals

 

 

1. The cup was also a prize for the winner of the league in which the champion team played.

 

2. The cup does not become the property of the champion team, but was only transferred to it for a while.

 

3. The trustees of the Cup have the right of the last word in any dispute related to the presentation of the Cup.

 

4. Contenders for the Cup must win the championship of their league.

 

5. Series of matches for the possession of the Stanley Cup must consist of one-, two- or three-match series by mutual agreement of the contenders.

 

  Since 1924, it has become an annual tradition for teams to put on their names and the names of all their players. As a result, the cup became too bulky and, due to its similarity to a chimney, was called the "Chimney Cup" (Stovepipe Cup). In 1948, it was decided to redesign the Cup and take into account all the mistakes and shortcomings made in the early years. In 1958, the Cup underwent minor changes and since that time has a modern design. In 1991, when there was no room for names on the Cup hoops, they were removed and placed in the Hall of Fame, replaced with clean ones. All of the old tapes are in the Hall except for one: the tape with the names of the Boston players of the 1928/1929 season is missing.

 

     Prior to 1977, only players who played in the Stanley Cup playoffs were eligible to have their name immortalized on the Cup. Currently, in order for a player's name to be engraved on the Stanley Cup, they must have played at least 41 games in the NHL regular season (and must be on the team when it wins the Cup) or play at least one game in the Stanley Cup Finals . However, since 1994, teams have been allowed to petition the NHL commissioner to be allowed to engrave a player's name, who reviews various specific cases and circumstances that prevented players from being immortalized on the Stanley Cup. So in 1998, the Detroit Red Wings received special permission from the NHL to engrave the name of Vladimir Konstantinov, whose career ended after a car accident on June 13, 1997.

 

 

6. All matches were to be played at the applicants' home arenas, although the Cup custodians had the right to set the date and time of the matches.

 

7. If the applicants for the Cup do not agree with the appointment of judges for the series, then the guardians have the right to appoint any referee.

 

8. Tickets for matches must be equally distributed among the applicant teams.

 

9. The league cannot qualify for the Cup twice in a season.

 

10. The champion team is obliged to return the Cup to the guardians in good condition and when they request it.

 

11. The champion team has the right to add a commemorative inscription about their victory to the silver circle of the Cup.

 

   It is also worth noting that an interesting fact is that 12 women were honored to engrave their names on the Stanley Cup, and it takes 13 years to fill in the teams of champions of each Cup ring. The Stanley Cup winning team has the right to take the trophy for 100 days at its disposal. Since 1994, each of the hockey players who won the Cup has the right to take it to his home for one day and dispose of it at his own discretion within 24 hours.

 

     Unknown to many, there are actually three versions of the Stanley Cup - the original Cup, a certified replica of the Stanley Cup, and a replica of the Stanley Cup. The original Bowl, bought by Lord Stanley and awarded to the champion until 1970, is kept in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. In 1963, one of the walls of the original was worn out and damaged, then NHL President Clarence Campbell decided to get a certified copy of the Cup, the production of which was kept secret and the copy of the Cup was not known until three years later. A certified copy of the Stanley Cup is also called a presentation or "Presentation Cup" (Presentation Cup), since it is this version that is used at ceremonies and handed over to hockey players after the final series of the playoffs. A certified copy is stored in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, being an exhibition exhibit only, and the Cup holders have the right only to touch it. Traveling is a replica of the Stanley Cup, which was created in 1993 and is used as an inductee in the Hockey Hall of Fame whenever the "Performance Cup" is used at any celebrations and is not available for display. An exact copy can be distinguished from a certified copy only by the seal of the Hall of Fame, which is located on the underside of the base of the Cup. There is another difference: there are no grammatical errors on an exact copy of the Cup, unlike a certified copy, on which errors were made, both grammatical in the spelling of player names and team names, and curious ones - in 1984, Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington includes to the list of winners of his father Basil, who is not connected with the team in any way and his name is engraved on the Cup.

 

 

12. In 1896 "Winnipeg Victorias" for the first time drinking champagne from the Stanley Cup won - a century-old tradition that has preserved to this day.

 

13. In 1920, victory celebrations end with a brawl between the Ottawa Senators and the Stanley Cup players lying in the gutter all night.

 

14. In 1932, the Stanley Cup was first awarded immediately after the end of the final on the ice hockey rink.

 

15. On March 24, 1936, the match between the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Maroons took place, which became the longest match in the history of the Stanley Cup.

 

16. The first and only puck in this match was abandoned by the players, “Detroit” only in the 17th minute of the sixth (!) Additional period.

 

17. The match began at half past nine in the evening and ended at half past three in the night. The meeting lasted 176 minutes 30 seconds of pure time.

 

18. In 1950, for the first time, Detroit Red Wings captain Ted Lindsey lifted the Stanley Cup over his head and swept it around the rink.

 

 

19. So another tradition appeared - each member of the team, starting with the captain, makes a circle of honor around the site, holding the Cup over his head.

 

 

20. In 1961, a Montreal fan wanted to steal the Cup from a display case in a stadium in Chicago. He broke the glass, but was captured by security.

Then in court he said: "Your Honor, I just wanted to return the Cup back to Montreal, where it belongs."

 

21. In 1962, celebrating their victory, the Toronto players dropped the Stanley Cup into the fire, the Cup was badly damaged and restored at the expense of the team.

 

22. In 1968, after the assassination of prominent black rights activist Martin Luther King, three 1/4 playoff series were canceled at once.

 

23. The pause caused by mourning lasted 2 days.

 

24. In 1970, one of the rings of the stand disappeared from the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was found later in the yard of the nearest dry cleaners.

 

 

25. In 1980, after the presentation of the first Stanley Cup by the New York Islanders, Brian Trottier took the trophy home and settled into bed with it.

He later told a reporter, "I just wanted to wake up and see him around."

 

26. In 1982, Clark Gillies filled the Cup with dog food so that his dog could celebrate the New York Islanders' third consecutive championship.

 

27. In 1984, Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington included his father, Basil, who had nothing to do with the team, as one of the winners.

His name is engraved on the Cup, and when the NHL notices a "mistake", they are ordered to replace the ring, but the "error" is not corrected on the certified copy of the Cup.

 

28. In 1986, the Cup sinks into the pond of Patrick Roy, from where one of the fans got it.

 

29. In 1987, Edmonton Oilers players take the Stanley Cup with them to a strip bar.

 

30. In 1991, the legendary Mario Lemieux tied a heavy Cup to his leg and threw it into the pool.

Of course, the athlete, like a tugboat, flies after him. As a result, the trophy is torn into two parts and then restored for a long time.

 

31. In 1992, for the first time in the history of Stanley Cup matches, the result was determined by watching a video replay.

 

 

32. Doubt caused a throw, as it turned out to assist, the Russian striker “Detroit” Sergei Fedorov, who shook the gates of “Minnesota” in overtime.

 

33. In 1993, for the first time, the captain of the team did not raise the Stanley Cup first from the team, but passed it to another member of the team.

Thus, the captain of “Montreal” Guy Karbanno honored the merits of Denis Savard, who during his career did not even have a chance to play in the Cup final.

 

34. None of the 7 free throws awarded in the history of the Cup finals were taken.

Last on the list is Pavel Bure, who failed to outplay New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter in 1994.

 

35.In 1996, Sylvain Lefevre christens his daughter in the cup.

 

36. In 1998, the Cup receives some recognition from prime-time TV: in the television series The Simpsons, Krusty the Clown vomits into it.

 

37. In 1998, the captain of “Detroit” Steve Yzerman did not lift the Cup over his head, but passes it to Vladimir Konstantinov, whose career was cut short.

 

 

38. The Detroit Red Wings received special permission from the NHL to engrave the name of Vladimir Konstantinov, who was involved in a car accident, on the Stanley Cup.

 

39. In 1999, Finn Jere Lehtinen decides to attach the trophy to his national traditions and takes a steam bath with it.

 

40. In 2000, New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur takes the Stanley Cup to the movies, where he fills it with popcorn.

 

41. In 2001, Colorado's captain won the Cup and captain Joe Sakic passed it on to Ray Burke.

For Bourque, this was the last game of his 22-year NHL career and the only Stanley Cup to be won.

 

42. Not a single "dry" series in the 2002 playoffs - 16 teams participated in the Cup, which played 90 matches.

This happened only once - in 1959, when the Cup was contested by 4 teams who played a total of 18 matches.

 

43. In 2002, the Cup came to Asia for the first time. Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk brings him to his native Yekaterinburg.

 

44. Only 2 times in history, in 1919 and in 2005, the Stanley Cup did not find its owner - in 1919, due to the flu epidemic, the final series was interrupted.

And in 2005, the Stanley Cup was not played due to the lockout, because the players' association (NHLPA) did not agree with the pay cut proposed by the NHL.

 

 

45. Toronto Maple Leafs (1942 - final), New York Islanders (1975 - 1/4 finals), Philadelphia Flyers (2010 - 1/4 finals).

Three teams losing 0-3 in the National Hockey League playoffs and eventually winning the series 4-3.

Moreover, “Philadelphia” failed “double comeback” – in the seventh match of the series, she bounced back from a score of 0-3, set by the 15th minute of the first period.

 

46. In 1915, the Cup began to bear its usual name for us - the Stanley Cup. The fight for the trophy was now between the champions of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). The meetings took place in March after the end of the regular seasons of both leagues, and the venue for the decisive matches changed from year to year - one season in the East, the other in the West. Moreover, due to the differences in the rules of the NHA and PCHA, it was decided that the game rules would alternate from game to game.

 

47. On November 26, 1916, the National Hockey League (NHL) was formed to replace the National Hockey Association (NHA). The purpose of the formation, the NHL, was to get rid of the team from Toronto, or rather from its owner, who was pretty annoying to everyone. The following entered the league: Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanders, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas (the owner of the team had already changed by that time) and the Quebec Bulldogs club, which took part in the league only two seasons later due to his financial problems in 1917-1918.

 

 

48. Back in 1914, the first American team "Portland Rosebuds" was accepted into the PCHA, since then the organizers have made a statement that the Stanley Cup is a trophy for the best professional team not only in Canada, but in the whole World. Two years later, the Portland Rosebuds played in the finals, but lost to the Montreal Canadiens. And in 1917, the first American team won the Stanley Cup - "Seattle Metropolitans" beat the same "Montreal Canadiens" in the final.

 

49. In 1919, the Stanley Cup was left without its owner for the first time, as the final series of the Seattle Metropolitans - Montreal Canadiens was stopped due to the Spanish flu epidemic. The series was tied after five games played (the teams had two wins and one draw), there was one playoff game left, which was eventually canceled, as a large number of Montreal Canadiens players and their manager were hospitalized with the flu, four days after the canceled game, one of the players died...

 

50. From the 1921-1922 season, another league appeared in the West, the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). In 1922, the winners of the PCHA and WCHL faced each other, after which the Western champion met in the Stanley Cup final with the champion of the National Hockey League (NHL).