AMOTM

more on goals/points: the average number of goals scored by a player in a season is 20. the average points is 35-50.

shane and ilya are obviously of the best in the league, so they’re above the average. this does not mean that they are getting 100+ goals per season, though! that has never happened!

the highest number of goals in a single season is 92, by wayne gretzky in the 1981-82 season with the edmonton oilers. he had 212 points that season.

top players such as connor mcdavid or nathan mackinnon, of whom shane and ilya would be on the same level as, get consistent 100+ point seasons with nearly 40 goals per.

mcdavid and mackinnon are literally 2 of the best players in the league. shane and ilya, as described, are not nearly as dominant as gretzky. they are most likely getting 50 to 60 goals as a career highlight in a season! meaning that 50-60 is a one-time thing

scheduling

in september, 8 pre-season games are played by each team. this is to determine standings before the season officially begins in october. (this year there are only 4, with regulation starting late september)

during the regular season, there are 82 games played by each team. (this year there are 84 for the first time ever) teams play 26 (28 games as of the 2026-27 season) games against teams in their own division, and 24 against teams in their conference.

note that there are 32 teams active in the nhl

divisional(26): 4 games against the same 5 teams, and 3 against the same 2

divisional(28): 4 games against the same 7 teams

conference: 3 games against the same 8 teams

the remaining 32 games are inter-conference.

games against the same division/conference matter more in terms of playoff spots; they are trying to get more points to qualify for round 1.

red = original 6 team

EASTERN atlantic: boston, montreal, buffalo, detroit, florida, toronto, ottawa, tampa bay

EASTERN metropolitan: carolina, new york I, new york R, columbus, philadelphia, pittsburgh, washington

WESTERN central: chicago, colorado, nashville, dallas, utah, st. louis, minnesota, winnipeg

WESTERN pacific: edmonton, seattle, san jose, calgary, vancouver, las vegas, anaheim, los angeles

teams from the same division/conference cannot play each other in the cup final!!!!!

i see people have ottawa and montreal or montreal and boston face each other in the finals for their fics… that is in fact impossible! the furthest they can make it to face each other is the third round (conference finals)

atlantic-metropolitan final is not possible

central-pacific final is not possible

central-central is not possible… you get it

matchups are determined by points as well!

*playoffs are rounds that are best of 4 games, playing up to 7 games if necessary to advance

*the team with more points in each matchup gets home-ice advantage for the first two games before switching

*if there are more than 4 games, host cities alternate until the round is concluded

*there are usually 1-day breaks between games

first round: 16 teams (half of the league)

the division leader faces a wildcard from their conference.

second place vs. third place

second round: 8 teams

points leaders of the winning teams face each other

third round: 4 teams (conference finals)

the 2 remaining teams from each conference play

fourth round: 2 teams (Stanley Cup Final)

inter-conference

roles and lines

captains are not a requirement for every team to have. alternates (who wears the A) have the exact same role as a captain (C) when one is not available. there are usually 2-3 A’s on a team, with only 2 of them wearing the letter during games.

a captain is not always the team’s best player. although it usually is, they also can be the most influential or motivational. a goalie is unable to be an official captain

lines are groups of 5 players who each play different positions.

forwards (F): (offensive) centre (C), left wing (LW), right wing (RW)

defensemen (D): left and right, provides support to protect the net

you want your strongest (compatible!) players on the first line. it wouldn’t make sense for shane and ilya to both be on the first line when they play the same position. why put them both on the same line when you could instead have 2 powerful centres on the ice at different times?

i know that shane centred ilya at all-stars, but that’s a skills competition for fun. realistically they would not be on the ice at the same time for anything other than a power play.

it is different in the case of a power play (the opposition has at least one penalty). with 4-on-5, you put out all of your strongest players no matter their position. this is still practiced, players do have a specific position on power plays, which could differ from their usual position

time-outs/pulling the goalie

time outs are called by the coach during play stoppage. it allows 30 seconds for play to be paused, dedicated to speaking with the team and planning out new strategies in real time

each team gets 1 per game

is almost always called in the last few minutes of the third period by the losing team

pulling the goalie allows for there to 6 players active on the ice. it gives an offensive advantage, but leaves the net defenceless.

almost always happens in the last few minutes (2 or less, too risky otherwise) of play in the third period by the losing team

officials call commercial breaks 3 times per 20-minute period. they have set times (14:00, 10:00, and 6:00 marks) but are not called during power plays, after icing, or a goal

challenging/arguing

the head coach is able to challenge a goal if they feel it shouldn’t have counted. the officials are required to review the footage when this happens.

goals are immediately disallowed if the goalie’s movement was restricted by another player

C’s and A’s are permitted to speak to the officials to try and calmly reason with them when a player is given a penalty or misconduct.

penalties:

2-minute minors are given for: if a goal is scored, the penalty is immediately over and the player returns to the ice

slashing striking with a stick

high-sticking hitting above the shoulder with the stick

delay-of-game intentionally delaying the game

boarding/charging checking violently

tripping/hooking obstructing movement with stick

interference obstructing a player without the puck

goalie interference obstructing the goalie

5-minute-majors are given for: the player must sit out until their penalty is timed out

fighting both/all players get 5 minutes

checking from behind hitting an unsuspecting player from behind

boarding " " from a dangerous distance

charging multiple strides prior to checking

stick infractions using your stick with a clear intent to hurt

10-minute misconduct: player leaves the ice, team is able to send out another player so they’re not short-handed

unsportsmanlike conduct

verbal abuse of officials

participating in multiple scrums

persistent arguing with officals

a 2-minute-minor must be played out by the offending player (or substituted for a different player if unable to serve the time themselves) prior to the 10 minutes to provide the opponent a 1-man advantage

game misconduct: ejected from the rest of the game

video-reviewed majors if the play must be reviewed to determine the penalty

multiple penalties two 10-minute-misconducts in 1 game is an automatic ejection

thresholds 2 game misconducts gets a one game suspension

suspensions

players are not allowed to play in a number of games, participate in practice, or team meetings and are forfeited their salary during this period.

repeat offenders forfeit a much larger portion of their salary.

standard: player’s salary/195 x suspension length

repeat offenders: player’s salary/82 x suspension length

leaving the bench player leaves the bench or penalty box in favour of starting/participating in an altercation

physical abuse of officials

instigator penalties 3 during regular season, 2 during play offs, or any during the final 5 minutes of regulation/overtime

multiple game misconducts (see the end of penalties)

if suspended for 5 or less games, the player is required to an over-the-phone disciplinary hearing. if for 6 or more, they are required for an in-person hearing.

fines

players pay $10000 to the league for their first offence, and $15000 for subsequent offences, within a 12-month period. fines for coaches or other members of the franchise are unrestricted.

offences:

cross-checking

diving/embellishment

high-sticking

unsportsmanlike conduct

slashing

elbowing

inappropriate off-ice behaviour

inappropriate social media conduct

fun fact: brad marchand, #63 of the florida panthers and formerly C of the boston bruins, was fined $5000 by the league for licking other players (filed under unsportsmanlike conduct) — things can be as ridiculous as you want, but keep them ‘reasonable’

embellishment fines:

first offence: warning

second: $2000

third: $3000

fourth: $4000

fifth-seventh: $5000

eighth+: $5000 per violation

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small things to keep in mind while writing:

stadiums and arenas are not the same thing! hockey is played in an arena. (people will argue it doesn’t matter, but this is true)

montreal and boston/ottawa cannot be in the cup finals together

the A on a jersey officially stands for alternate, not assistant. (this also is argued to not matter)

goalies are not included in time-outs. their role is purely to block the puck, they do not need to know what play their team is planning on. they stay at the net while their team meets at the bench

the general rule followed by everyone is that you don’t touch the goalie. if you interfere, players will start fights over it.

handshake lines do not happen after every game, and not at all during regulation! they only happen after the elimination game of each round of the playoffs! even then, it is only customary/tradition for it to take place after the final game of round 4

thank you for reading:)