A look at “NHL Schedule Release: When Does The NHL Season Start 2023-24?” NHL season 2023-24 begins on 23 September 2023 and ends on June 2024.
A prominent tournament in the world, the National Hockey League dates back to 1917, more than a century ago.
Unlike other leagues, it has a dedicated fan base and intense competition among the teams. People are always excited to watch their favorite teams and players in action.
In each season, players and their fans look forward to enhancing their skills and creating history.
They also get excited about upcoming achievements, matchups, and so on. The 2023-24 season is just around the corner, and people are already planning their schedules for watching NHL games.
NHL Schedule Release: When Does The NHL Season Start 2023-24?
NHL Preseason 2023-24 will begin on 23 September 2023 if everything goes as planned. It will be held in Australia for the first time in the league’s history.
National Hockey League will organize a series of exhibition matches during this time. The Coyotes and Kings are set to play the first games in Melbourne.
Preseason is the preparatory time for the players to amp up till the regular season. It is a great time for rookies to claim their names on the roster. It also provides time and space for the established players to practice.
Besides coaches get extra time to evaluate their teams and players. Also, they have an opportunity to make and test strategies that might be helpful in the actual play.
Each NHL franchise participates in about six to eight exhibition games. The plays can be held in the NHL arenas or other venues. The wins, losses, goals, assists, and so on of the early season do not count except for the suspensions.
How Long Is The NHL Season?
The NHL season is 9 months long. It begins with preseason and ends with playoffs with a regular season in between.
The structure and approximate length of the NHL season are given below:
- Preseason: September To October
- Regular Season: October/November To April
- Playoff or Postseason: April To June
The preseason of the NHL begins in late September and ends in two to three weeks. The regular season starts in late October or early November.
For the 2023-24, the regular season will begin on 16 November 2023. Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators will compete in the first round in Sweden.
Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs will also join them for 2 matches at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm. They will return back to the USA and the game will be held in the NHL arenas.
Following that, a playoff or the postseason will begin in April and end in June. It marks the end of the current season and the beginning of the off-season.
Offseason is a time period between the end of playoffs and starting of the preseason. It is a crucial time for the teams and players since many key activities take place.
How Many Games In NHL Season Per Team?
In the regular NHL season, each team plays 82 games. The teams play 41 games at the home arena and 41 games away.
The match between Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators will mark the beginning of the 2023-23 regular season. They will play the game in Sweden, miles away from their home arena.
The games of the regular season are structured carefully. Each team gets to compete against every other team twice. Also, each one of them gets a chance to play in all NHL arenas.
In the middle of the regular season, there is a bye week for the players to rest. During that time, NHL All-Star Game is organized to generate some revenue and entertain fans.
The regular season of the NHL also facilitates 3 days off during Christmas. Also, the league does not schedule any game on the night of the Super Bowl.
How Many Rounds Are In The Stanley Cup Playoffs?
There are four rounds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The games in the rounds are played in a best-of-seven format.
Each round consists of seven games each having three 20-minute periods. If the game ends in a tie, a sudden-death overtime of 20 minutes is added until a team scores a goal.
Playoffs is an elimination tournament and the team who wins the 4 rounds altogether wins the trophy.
First Round
The initial round of the postseason features 16 teams: 8 teams from Eastern Conference and 8 teams from Western Conference. They are categorized on the basis of regular-season standings.
The highest-ranked teams are matched up against the lowest-ranked team and the game continues. Only eight winners(4 from each conference) will advance to the next round.
Second Round
The advanced teams are re-seeded based on the regular season performance. They are matched up in a similar way and the winners(2-2 teams from each conference) from each conference will compete in the third round.
Conference Finals
The third round is named Conference Finals since each conference has only two teams that will compete. The competition will get tough in this round and both the team will fight vigorously to get to the finals of the playoff.
Stanley Cup Finals
It is the ultimate round that determines the winner of the trophy. The winners from each conference battle on the ice to secure the Stanley Cup. The one team who wins four games first will be the winner of the title.
2023 Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket And Results
The 2023 NHL playoffs have reached the third round and the competing teams are Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, and Vegas Golden Knights.
The teams who were selected for the 2023 playoff match are:
- Boston Bruins
- Florida Panthers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Carolina Hurricanes
- New York Islanders
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Rangers
- Colorado Avalanche
- Seattle Kraken
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Winnipeg Jets
- Edmonton Oilers
- Los Angeles Kings
Teams that won the first round and advanced to the second round are as follows:
- Florida Panthers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Carolina Hurricanes
- New Jersey Devils
- Seattle Kraken
- Dallas Stars
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Edmonton Oilers
Teams that won the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs are listed below:
- Florida Panthers
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Dallas Stars
- Vegas Golden Knights
These four teams are set to compete in the third round aka Conference Finals in 2023. The winners will reach the finals and finally compete for the Stanley Cup.
How Long Has The Stanley Cup Been Around?
Stanley Cup has been around for over 130 years. It is the oldest trophy named after Frederick Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston, and Governor General of Canada.
Frederick and his family loved and supported ice hockey. As a result, Stanley donated the cup to the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup in 1892.
Montreal Hockey Club was the first team to be awarded the trophy. 14 years later, in 1906, professional teams became eligible to claim the trophy.
National Hockey Association and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association came to an agreement in 1915. It mentioned that they would face another year for the Stanley Cup.
Stanley Cup has been the championship trophy of the National Hockey League since 1926. The leagues use the trophy in an agreement with the two Canadian trustees of the trophy.
Previously, the winner could keep it until a new one was crowned. As of now, they can keep the trophy in the summer and a few other days during the season.
How Long Has It Been Since A Canadian Team Won The Stanley Cup?
It has almost been 20 years since a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup. Montreal Canadiens secured the trophy for Canada back in 1993.
After the last victory by Montreal, no Canadian team has secured the playoff title. In the span of 2 decades, several teams from Canada reached the finals.
In 1994, Vancouver Canucks made up to the finals but were defeated by New York Rangers. Likewise, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oiler, and Ottawa Senators came close to claiming the trophy.
Montreal Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021 but they lost to Tampa Bay Lightning. In the 2022-23 season, none of the teams from Canada made it to the finals.
Canada is the pioneer of modern hockey. Despite that, their constant loss in the playoffs has left the fans in an unsatisfactory condition. Hopefully, they will come prepared for the next postseason.
When Does The Hockey Season End?
The hockey season ends in July when the Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally over. When the active season ends, the offseason begins.
Offseason is a time for the players to relax. They take a break from the physically challenging sports of ice hockey and engage themselves elsewhere.
Besides, it is also a time when key activities occur. NHL Entry Draft is organized at the beginning of the offseason where teams select amateur athletes or professionals from European leagues.
The teams launch development and training camps to assess players’ abilities and enhance their performance. They sign undrafted free agents or players who have expired contracts.
Moreover, the franchises negotiate deals with the players or renew contracts with existing members. When the entry draft is over, the team can also engage in trade and transfers of the athletes.
