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
Player of the Year Trophy (IHJUK) Player of the Year Trophy (IHJUK) The Player of the Year Trophy is an award given by Ice Hockey Journalists UK (formally the British Ice Hockey Writers Association) to the MVP in the Elite League and the English Premier League at the end of each season. In previous seasons it has been awarded to players in the British Hockey League's Premier and First Divisions, the Super League and the British National League. The trophy was first awarded in 1985. Tony Hand has won the trophy the most times, with a total of six awards. Steve Moria has won three times.