Hockey 101
NHL rules and basics, explained
Hockey 101 is our set of short, plain-English guides for new and returning NHL fans. A game is three 20-minute periods, and in the 2026-27 season each of the 32 teams plays 84 games, from September 29, 2026 to April 10, 2027. Start with the basics, then the rules, the season and the league.
- Games per team
- 84
- Games in all
- 1,344
- Opening night
- Sep 29, 2026
- Final day
- Apr 10, 2027
Counted from the official NHL schedule.
The basics
What the game is, how long it lasts and where it came from.
What is hockey?Ice hockey is a fast team sport played on ice: two teams of six skate with sticks and try to shoot a rubber puck into the other team's net. How the game works, what the NHL is, and how a season runs.ReadHow long is a hockey game?An NHL game is three 20-minute periods, 60 minutes of play, and usually takes about two and a half hours in real time. How many periods there are, how long intermissions last, and what overtime adds.ReadHistory of hockeyModern ice hockey took shape in Canada in the 1870s, with the first recorded indoor game in Montréal in 1875. How the sport was created, how the NHL began in 1917, and how it grew to 32 teams.ReadWhat is a hat trick?A hat trick is three goals by one player in a single game. Why fans throw hats on the ice, what a natural hat trick and a Gordie Howe hat trick are, and the NHL records.Read
Rules
The whistles that confuse new fans, explained in plain words.
Icing, explainedIcing is called when a player shoots the puck from his own half across the opponent's goal line untouched. How hybrid icing works, the exceptions, and why the tired team can't change.ReadOffside, explainedA hockey player is offside when he enters the attacking zone before the puck. How the blue line works, why skates decide it, delayed offside and tagging up, and when coaches can challenge.ReadPower plays and penaltiesA power play happens when one team has more skaters because the other team took a penalty. Minor, double minor and major penalties, how the penalty kill works, and what penalty minutes mean.ReadOvertime and shootout rulesRegular-season NHL overtime is 5 minutes of 3-on-3 sudden death, then a three-round shootout. Playoff overtime is 20-minute 5-on-5 periods until someone scores. Points, penalties and records explained.ReadFighting in hockeyFighting is not legal in the NHL, but it is penalized with a five-minute major rather than an automatic ejection. Why the league tolerates fights, the rules that limit them, what a fight strap is, and how fighting has declined.Read
The season
Schedule, standings, playoffs and how to watch.
How many games in a season?Each NHL team plays 84 regular-season games in 2026-27, 1,344 games in all, plus up to 28 playoff games. How the schedule splits and how many wins it takes to lift the Stanley Cup.ReadNHL season datesThe 2026-27 NHL regular season runs from September 29, 2026 to April 10, 2027. Preseason, opening night, special games, the playoffs and the offseason calendar, from the official schedule.ReadHow NHL standings workNHL teams get 2 points for a win and 1 for an overtime or shootout loss. What every standings column means, why regulation wins matter, the tiebreaker order, and how wild cards fit in.ReadHow the NHL playoffs workSixteen teams make the NHL playoffs: the top three in each division plus two wild cards per conference. How the bracket is set, home ice, best-of-seven series and the road to the Stanley Cup.ReadHow to watch the NHLWhere to watch NHL games in 2026-27: national TV and streaming in the US and Canada, regional channels for your local team, out-of-market streaming and how to find tonight's channel.Read
The league
Teams, rosters, money and the Stanley Cup.
All NHL teamsThere are 32 NHL teams in 2026-27: 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada, split into two conferences and four divisions. The full list, the Canadian teams and the newest clubs.ReadNHL roster rulesAn NHL team can carry up to 23 players on its active roster and dresses 20 for a game: 18 skaters and 2 goalies, with six on the ice at once. Roster limits, the 50-contract limit, call-ups, waivers and emergency goalies.ReadThe NHL salary capThe NHL salary cap for 2026-27 is $104.0 million, with a $76.9 million floor. How the hard cap works, what players make, cap hits, LTIR, buyouts and where to track cap space now that CapFriendly is gone.ReadStanley Cup historyThe Carolina Hurricanes won the 2026 Stanley Cup. Every recent champion, which teams have won the most Cups, who Lord Stanley was, and when the next Final is played.Read
Know the rules? Follow the race.
Every team’s playoff odds from 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season, updated each morning, plus who to root for tonight.
Follow your team
Tonight’s gamesGame time, TV channel, likely goalies and live playoff odds for every club.
Atlantic
Metropolitan
Central
Pacific
