Ice Hockey: Difference between revisions

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The [[Useful Notes/National Hockey League|National Hockey League]] (one of the oldest still-running leagues in sports) is currently the largest hockey league in the world, which as of 2011 consists of 30 teams across North America (seven from Canada, 23 from the United States). There are also many important leagues in Europe, such as Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Sweden's Elitserien and Russia's <s> Superleague</s> Kontinental Hockey League, but they usually sit in the NHL's humongous shadow. The dream of many, but not all, European players is to join the NHL, and if an NHL player is sent to a European league [[Unfortunate Implications|it's considered a demotion.]]

The NHL was formed in 1917 with five teams<ref>Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Montréal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Quebec Bulldogs</ref>. Three of these teams -- and four of the seven expansion teams to come in the '20s -- dissipated and by 1942, there were officially six NHL teams (commonly referred to as [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|The Original Six]]<ref>though it's something of a misnomer, since the only teams in that group who were part of the ''original'' NHL were the Montréal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs (who were called the Arenas at the time)</ref>: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montréal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Following the 1966-67 season, the league expanded to twelve teams and over several decades reached the thirty-team mark that stands today.

The NHL was formed in 1917 with five teams<ref>Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Montréal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Quebec Bulldogs</ref>. Three of these teams -- and four of the seven expansion teams to come in the '20s -- dissipated and by 1942, there were officially six NHL teams (commonly referred to as [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|The Original Six]]<ref>though it's something of a misnomer, since the only teams in that group who were part of the ''original'' NHL were the Montréal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs (who were called the Arenas at the time)</ref>: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montréal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Following the 1966-67 season, the league expanded to twelve teams and over several decades reached the thirty-team mark that stands today.

The NHL championship trophy is the [[Stanley Cup]], one of the oldest and most prestigious trophies in all of sports. In the Cup's early days (starting from 1915 until the Original Six era) any team could challenge the current champions to a showdown for the Cup, provided the opposing team could make the trip there of course. Once the league began to form, however, a playoff structure was planned out. A modern NHL regular season lasts 82 games, with a sixteen-team playoff season that is very similar to basketball. The league is divided into two divisions (Eastern and Western Conferences) and the top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. A "seed" system is used (like basketball) to determine playoff rounds; i.e., the top seed in a conference would play the eighth seed, the second and seventh seed would play, etc. Each round is a best-of-seven miniseries, with teams competing exclusively in their respective conferences. After the Eastern and Western Conference champions have been determined, the two teams play one last best-of-seven round for the Stanley Cup.

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** Rare is a hockey player who's never seen the movie... fewer than five times.

* ''Youngblood''

* ''[[The Mighty Ducks (~~Film~~)|The Mighty Ducks]]''

* ''[[The Mighty Ducks (film)|The Mighty Ducks]]''

* ''[[~~Miracle (Film)|~~Miracle]]'': About the [[Truth in Television|1980 US Olympic hockey team]].

* ''[[Miracle]]'': About the [[Truth in Television|1980 US Olympic hockey team]].

* Director [[Kevin Smith]] is a big time hockey fan and usually hides at least one hockey reference in his movies. He also currently plans a movie called ''Hit Somebody'' based on the [[Warren Zevon]] song of the same tile.

* [[~~Goon (Film)|~~Goon]]: A sort of [[Spiritual Successor]] to [[Slap Shot]], focusing on the gritty world of enforcers in pro hockey.

* [[Goon]]: A sort of [[Spiritual Successor]] to [[Slap Shot]], focusing on the gritty world of enforcers in pro hockey.

{{smallcaps|[[Live Action Television]]}}}

* Rent-A-Goalie: An Italian-Canadian man runs a service in Toronto where pick-up hockey teams can [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|rent a goalie]].

* Rent-A-Goalie: An Italian-Canadian man runs a service in Toronto where pick-up hockey teams can [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|rent a goalie]].

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* ''[[The Mighty Ducks (~~Animation~~)|The Mighty Ducks]]'': Though only tangentially related to the movie franchise.

* ''[[The Mighty Ducks (animation)|The Mighty Ducks]]'': Though only tangentially related to the movie franchise.

* "The Hockey Champ": [[Donald Duck]] plays hockey against his nephews in this 1938 [[Classic Disney Short]].

* "Hockey Homicide": A 1945 [[Classic Disney Short]] in which hockey is explained by Goofs.