Season structure of the NHL Season structure of the NHL The season structure of the National Hockey League (NHL) is divided into the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the regular season, which generally runs from early October through early April, teams play 82 games which determine their standings. The three highest-placed teams in each division and two wild card teams per conference enter the playoff elimination tournament to determine the Stanley Cup champion. Since the 1995–96 season, each team in the NHL plays 82 regular season games, 41 each of home and road. In all, 1,271 games are scheduled (480 of them
Edinburgh Trophy of Canada. On the sides of the base, there were small plaques to inscribe the winning team's name. The winners were to be considered the "World's Minor Professional Champions". At the same time, the terms of the championship were announced. The two leagues would play off annually, alternating in the east and the west. The first playoff would be held in the city of the champion of the Western Hockey League. All contested series were best-of-nine format. Edinburgh Trophy The Edinburgh Trophy was a trophy given to the winners of a series played between the champions of the Western Hockey