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The National Hockey League (NHL) is the top ice hockey league in North America, and is made up of teams from both the United States and Canada. The association is unincorporated, is not run for profit, and has been functioning since its establishment in 1917. While many other countries can claim popularity in their own domestic leagues, none can compare to the international status of the NHL.

Over the past four decades, the competition has seen many new franchises come into existence, as well as a large percentage of highly skilled European players from Scandinavia and the Eastern nations. With the inclusion of so many European professionals, ice hockey as a sport has been able to reach into every corner of the world, and the NHL could even be said to be responsible for several rivalries between international teams during the Olympic Ice Hockey games.

There are currently 30 teams that participate in each season of the NHL, and while most clubs are several decades old, there are some that have only been added to the league in the past decade. Both the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators joined the competition 10 years ago, while the Nashville Predators became NHL contenders just two years earlier in 1998.

Despite the fact that there are only six Canadian teams in the competition, two of them are at the top of the all-time Stanley Cup championship rankings. The Montreal Canadiens hold the record for the most Cup wins with 24, while the Toronto Maple Leaves sit in second with 13. Detroit are the most successful team from the United States, boasting 11 championships, while one-off Stanley Cup winners include the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The NHL is home to some of the biggest names in ice hockey. Past and present, you will doubtless find that every ice hockey superstar has at some point made his mark on the NHL. Current talents include the likes of Carolina Hurricanes' captain Eric Stahl, Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier, and the Vancouver Canucks' Henrik Sedin. Just some of the stars of yesteryear include Sergei Federov, Joe Sakic, and of course The Great One, Wayne Gretzky.

The National Hockey League is undoubtedly the leader in domestic ice hockey competitions, but if you are looking for resources on the international game be sure to check out our page on Olympic ice hockey here. And for all the information on ice hockey betting, including the different types of bets and which online sportsbooks to select, simply click on the relevant link.