Where Are The Canadian NHL Teams Playing?

The Canadian NHL teams are playing all over the place this season! Check out our handy guide to find out where your favourite team is playing.

Introduction

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams, 23 in the United States and 7 in Canada. From its inception in 1917 until 1926, the NHL only had Canadian teams. With the addition of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1925 and expansion into the United States, the league grew to its current size.

As of the 2019-20 season, there are seven Canadian teams in the NHL: Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets. Each team plays an 82-game regular season schedule from October through early April, followed by a Stanley Cup playoff tournament.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is owned by Nathan Klemm and are currently coached by Brent Sutter.

The Flames played their first three seasons in Atlanta (1972–73 to 1974–75), before relocating to Calgary in 1980 to take advantage of the city’s newly constructed Olympic Saddledome (now Scotiabank Saddledome). In 1985–86, the Flames became the first Calgary-based sports franchise to win a championship when they brought home the Stanley Cup.

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers were founded in 1972, joining the NHL as one of 14 expansion teams, when the league doubled in size.

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club’s official name is le Club de hockey Canadien. The team is frequently referred to in English and French as the Habs. French nicknames for the team include Les Canadiens (or Le Canadien), Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, La Sainte-Flanelle, Le Tricolore, Les Glorieux (or Nos Glorieux), and Les Habitants (or Les Habs).

Founded in 1909 as a charter member of the NHL, the Canadiens are one of the “Original Six” teams that made up the league from 1942 until 1967.

Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators play their home games at the 18,652-seat Canadian Tire Centre which opened in 1996. They are nicknamed “the Sens”, “the Sens Army” or “Le Sens”.

The Ottawa Senators were established on December 6, 1990, when the NHL awarded an expansion franchise to real estate developer Bruce Firestone’s group for $50 million. The team is named after the old Ottawa Senators, a successful early 1900s NHL franchise. It has been suggested that Chief mechanism designer David Tait modeled said wheel Capitol after that of Montreal’s Wheeler-Oxford rink from 1896 to 1897. In 1992, the club was financially backed by Rod Bryden, who would later own and operate the Charlotte Hornets NBA franchise from 1993 to 2002. Bryden’s minority ownership stake was bought out by Firestone and Resources Development International (RDI) owner Marcel Aubut in 1993.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Ltd. and are represented by Chairman Larry Tanenbaum. The Maple Leafs’ broadcasting rights are split between CBC Sports, Sportsnet, and TSN.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly General Motors Place, which has an official capacity of 18,910.

The Canucks joined the league in 1970 as an expansion team along with the Buffalo Sabres. In its NHL history, the team has advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals three times, losing to the New York Islanders in 1982, the New York Rangers in 1994 and the Boston Bruins in 2011. They have won the Presidents’ Trophy twice as league regular season champions and are sixth overall with fourteen division titles.

Canucks is a common name for Canadian teams and athletes. All seven Canadian teams use it or its derivatives as one of their nicknames or primary logos. The origin of the name is unclear; one theory is that it refers to Johnny Canuck, a fictional character created during World War I.

In 1950, Doug Bentley and his brother Max were awarded an NHL franchise for Chicago. However, by 1959, changes in business interests forced them to relocate to Vancouver

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets are a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment and plays its home games at Bell MTS Place. Wikipedia
Founded: 1972
Arena/Stadium: Bell MTS Place
Head coach: Paul Maurice
Conference: Western Conference
Division: Central Division