The NHL is one of the most prestigious sports league in the entire universe. It's fascinating and exciting which makes it a worldwide hit among sports enthusiasts. Some people think that this sport is exclusive only for Americans and Canadians but that is not the case. There are many Europeans who have embraced the sport and there are non-American and non-Canadian players currently in the NHL. This league has many foreign players; in fact, coming from twenty different countries. The NHL is filled with greatness and magnificence. It has in its history outstanding moments and wonderful experiences. There are facts that every hockey fan should know about the NHL and here are some of those facts about this exciting league. • The NHL is the predecessor of the ice hockey league known as NHA, the National Hockey Association which was created in 1909. NHL was formed in Montreal, Canada in 1917. During this time, it was only composed of four teams. • The league is made up of 30 teams and is composed of 24 teams from the US and 6 teams from Canada. Its expansion is very remarkable, knowing that they only started with four teams and a very small competition. • The Conn Smythe trophy is awarded to the player that excels in the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs; it could often be referred to as the award for the Playoff MVP. The trophy was named after Conn Smythe, the former owner and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The trophy was first introduced in 1964 and it was a player named Jean Béliveau who won the first award because of his performance during the 1965 playoffs. There are four players who have won this award twice but only Patrick Roy won it thrice. • Wayne Gretzky was often called as “The Great One.” He was also labeled as the greatest player of all time by Total Hockey which is the official encyclopedia of the NHL. His jersey number of 99 was retired by all teams in the NHL; he is just one of the two athletes who have ever earned such an honor. The other athlete who has received such an honor was Jackie Robinson of the MLB who wore the number 42. • The Hart memorial trophy is awarded to the most valuable player for his team. It is also the most prestigious and oldest individual award in the field of ice hockey. This trophy was named after Cecil Hart, the former GM and coach of the Montreal Canadiens. The first recipient of such an award was Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators during the end of the 1923-1924 season. • Wayne Gretzky holds the record for most won MVP awards in all North American Major Sports leagues which include the NBA, NFL and MLB. He has won nine MVP awards and eight consecutively. His accomplishments in the professional sport are yet to be paralleled and that's the reason why he is the best player to have ever played hockey. • Ice Hockey was developed in Canada; however, its original idea came from Europe particularly in England and Ireland. The immigrants from England were the ones who introduced the hockey like games to the Canadians, but it was the Canadians who truly developed and cultured the sport. • The league had three stoppages between 1992 to 2005. | 
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