NHL
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This NHL hockey trivia quiz has 122 free questions with answers and covers the league from its 1917 beginnings to the newest franchises: the Original Six and the 1967 doubling, the Canadiens' record Stanley Cup haul, the year the Cup was not awarded, Gretzky's league-wide retired 99, the Nordiques, Whalers, North Stars and Thrashers moves, the Golden Knights' debut run, the draft lottery, the Calder, Hart and Conn Smythe trophies and the season that never happened. The early questions suit anyone who watches a game now and then, such as what the C on a jersey means or where the Rangers play; the later ones ask about the Lindros trade, the Cleveland Barons and the first salary cap figure. It works for a hockey night, a sports bar round or a solo test before the playoffs. Every answer has been checked against Wikipedia and NHL records, and each question shows its source once you have answered.
30 of 122 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which of these teams is NOT one of the NHL's "Original Six" franchises?
Philadelphia Flyers
The Original Six are the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Bruins, Red Wings, Black Hawks and Rangers, the only clubs in the league for a quarter-century. The Flyers arrived in the six-team expansion that doubled the league.
Q 02How many teams competed in the NHL in the 2024-25 season?
32
The NHL iced 32 teams in 2024-25, a total first reached with the 2021-22 expansion; the Arizona franchise's 2024 move to Utah swapped one club for another and left the count at 32.
Q 03Which Connecticut-based NHL team relocated in 1997 to become the Carolina Hurricanes?
Whalers
The Hartford Whalers played in the NHL from 1979 to 1997 before relocating to Raleigh, North Carolina, and becoming the Carolina Hurricanes.
Q 04The NHL is divided into two conferences. What are they called?
Eastern and Western
The NHL is split into the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. Each conference contains two divisions.
Q 05Which NHL team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden?
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have played at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan since 1968. It is one of the most iconic arenas in all of professional sports.
Q 06Which NHL team began play as the league's 32nd franchise in 2021?
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken became the NHL's 32nd franchise, beginning play in the 2021-22 season at Climate Pledge Arena.
Q 07How many NHL teams are based in Canada?
7
Canada's 7 clubs are Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver; the other 25 of the 32 teams play in the United States.
Q 08When the NHL doubled to twelve teams in 1967, all six new clubs were placed in which new division?
West
All six 1967 expansion clubs were placed in the new West Division, which guaranteed one of them a Stanley Cup Final berth, while the Original Six formed the East Division.
Q 09Which division did the Tampa Bay Lightning play in during the 2024-25 season?
Atlantic Division
The Tampa Bay Lightning played in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, alongside the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.
Q 10What is the name of the arena where the Toronto Maple Leafs play their home games?
Scotiabank Arena
The Toronto Maple Leafs play at Scotiabank Arena (formerly the Air Canada Centre), which also hosts the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. It opened in 1999.
Q 11In its inaugural 2017-18 season, the NHL's new Las Vegas expansion team made history by doing what?
Reaching the Stanley Cup Final
The team went to the Final in its very first season, an unprecedented run for an expansion franchise, and won 13 postseason games along the way, a record for an expansion team's first playoff appearance.
Q 12Which team did the Quebec Nordiques become after relocating in 1995?
Colorado Avalanche
The Quebec Nordiques relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. They won the Stanley Cup in their very first season in Colorado.
Q 13How many spokes does the Boston Bruins' wheel logo have?
8
Q 21When the NHL's salary cap system began, what was the per-team limit set at?
$39 million
The cap debuted at $39 million per team under the collective agreement that ended the season-long lockout; it is tied to league revenue and paired with a spending floor every club must reach.
Q 22To which city did the Minnesota North Stars relocate in 1993?
Dallas
The North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993 and became the Dallas Stars; Minnesota returned to the NHL with the expansion Wild in 2000.
Q 23What is the name of the Montreal Canadiens' home arena?
Bell Centre
The Bell Centre opened in March 1996 as the Molson Centre, replacing the Forum; with roughly 21,000 seats it is the largest hockey arena in Canada.
The Bruins' spoked-B logo has eight spokes, a nod to Boston's nickname 'The Hub'; the design debuted for the club's 25th anniversary in the 1948-49 season.
Q 14What is the name of the annual event where NHL teams select amateur players?
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft (commonly called the NHL Draft) is held annually, usually in late June or early July. Teams select eligible amateur players in seven rounds.
Q 15Which team relocated from Atlanta to become the Winnipeg Jets in 2011?
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers played in the NHL from 1999 to 2011 before being sold and relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where they became the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets.
Q 16How many divisions did the NHL have in the 2024-25 season?
4
In 2024-25 the NHL had four divisions: Atlantic and Metropolitan in the Eastern Conference, and Central and Pacific in the Western Conference.
Q 17In what year were the Montreal Canadiens, pro hockey's oldest continuous team, founded?
1909
The Canadiens were founded on 4 December 1909 as a charter member of the National Hockey Association, making them the only current NHL club older than the league itself.
Q 18What does the "C" on a player's jersey signify in the NHL?
Captain
The "C" on a jersey designates the team captain. Each NHL team has one captain who serves as the primary liaison between players and officials on the ice.
Q 19Connor McDavid was selected 1st overall in the 2015 NHL Draft by which team?
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers won the 2015 draft lottery and selected Connor McDavid first overall. He quickly became one of the most dominant players in the league.
Q 20Which jersey number did the NHL retire league-wide in 2000?
99
The NHL retired No. 99 across the whole league at the 2000 All-Star Game in Toronto, honouring Wayne Gretzky, who had retired the previous spring.
Q 24Sidney Crosby was drafted 1st overall in 2005 by which NHL team?
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2005 draft lottery and selected Sidney Crosby first overall. He went on to captain the team to three Stanley Cup championships.
Q 25Which team won the 1967 Stanley Cup, the last Final of the six-team era?
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs won the 1967 Stanley Cup, beating Montreal in six games in the last Final before expansion; it was the franchise's 13th championship.
Q 26What trophy is awarded annually to the NHL's most valuable player during the regular season?
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player judged most valuable to his team during the regular season, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.
Q 27The Buffalo Sabres' classic primary logo shows a bison standing above what?
Two crossed sabers
The classic crest shows a bison above two crossed sabers; used from 1970 to 1996, it was restored in 2020 after the club's 50th-anniversary season.
Q 28What became of the Cleveland Barons, the former Oakland Seals franchise, in 1978?
They merged with another NHL club
The Seals franchise moved to Cleveland in 1976 and two years later merged into the Minnesota North Stars, the only merger of two clubs in NHL history.
Q 29What year did the NHL introduce the salary cap?
2005
The cap came out of the collective bargaining agreement that ended a season-long labor dispute, and it rises and falls with league revenue.
Q 30The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the most valuable player during which part of the NHL season?
Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the former coach and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.