The NHLHistoryThe National Hockey League was founded in 1917. It began in Montreal and Quebec in Canada. There are thirty teams from the United States and Canada. Although the teams are based in Canada and the United States, players come from around twenty different countries around the world. During the NHL's first decade, the NHL competed with different leagues for the Stanley Cup. The NHL had virtually no competition to win the Stanley Cup. Only once has a non-NHL team won the Stanley Cup, in 1925. The following year (1926), the NHL was the only league to compete for the Stanley Cup. The NHL then began to grow. They added the Boston Bruins. The Bruins were the first NHL team based in the United States. Six other teams entered later. They were the Maroons, New York Americans, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Cougars. There were now ten teams in the NHL. Then the Great Depression happened. The Great Depression had a huge effect on the NHL. After the depression (1942), only six teams remained in the league. These six teams are known as the Original Six. They are the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. The Original Six were the only six teams in the NHL over the next five years. On January 18, 1958, an important milestone was reached in the NHL. The first black player joined the NHL. His name was Willie O'Ree. He joined the Boston Bruins. He was a left winger and played for six years. He played 45 matches and scored a total of six goals. The Western Hockey League was an important factor for the NHL. They were planning to compete for the Stanley Cup. This caused the NHL to react quickly. The NHL has decided... middle of paper ...... a shootout (minimum three rounds). There are no shootouts in the playoffs. Instead, play a twenty-minute period of five-on-five. The first goal wins. If the game is tied after the first overtime, a second overtime continues. This will continue until a goal is scored. In the NHL, eight teams from each conference make the playoffs. The three division winners automatically occupy the top three spots in the division. The other five are for the teams with the most points. You earn two points for each victory and one point for each overtime defeat. When the playoffs begin, the highest seed in the conference will face the lowest seed. Then the second seed will play the seventh seed. The two winners from each conference will face each other in the Stanley Cup game. A best-of-seven series and whoever wins four of the seven games wins the Stanley Cup..