# National Hockey League (NHL)

> The National Hockey League is the organizing, commercial and media platform for 32 professional ice-hockey clubs in the United States and Canada. It sets competition rules, stages the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, packages national media rights, licenses the league and club brands, runs digital products and marquee events, and coordinates programs designed to attract the next generation of players and fans.

- **Founded:** 1917
- **Headquarters:** New York City, United States
- **Founders:** George Kennedy (Montreal Canadiens representative at the founding meeting), Sam Lichtenhein (Montreal Wanderers representative at the founding meeting), Tom Gorman (Ottawa representative who proposed formation of the NHL), M. J. Quinn (Quebec representative at the founding meeting), Frank Calder (First president and secretary-treasurer)
- **Team size:** Approximately 2,200 employees in the supplied company record; this may include league and related operations and is not independently confirmed.
- **Products:** NHL regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL.com and NHL App, National and international media rights, NHL Shop and licensed merchandise, Marquee and international events
- **Notable:** Operated continuously from its 1917 founding into a 32-club North American league., Built the Stanley Cup Playoffs into one of North America's major annual sports properties., Set a league attendance record of 22.9 million in the 2023-24 regular season, according to Forbes.

## Products & services

- **NHL regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs** — A 32-club competition culminating in the Stanley Cup Final, with scheduling, rules, officiating and central league operations.
- **NHL.com and NHL App** — Scores, schedules, statistics, news, video highlights, alerts and team-focused digital experiences.
- **National and international media rights** — Live-game and shoulder-programming packages distributed through partners including ESPN, TNT Sports, Rogers and DAZN, depending on territory.
- **NHL Shop and licensed merchandise** — League- and club-branded apparel, collectibles, equipment and collaborations sold through licensing and retail partners.
- **Marquee and international events** — The Winter Classic, Stadium Series, Global Series, Draft and other made-for-broadcast league events.
- **NHL EDGE and tracking-enabled experiences** — Player- and puck-tracking data used in statistics, broadcasts, coaching workflows and fan experiences.
- **Fantasy hockey and gaming licenses** — Fantasy contests, game integrations and licensed interactive products that extend engagement beyond live viewing.
- **Youth and community programs** — Learn to Play, NHL STREET, Future Goals, Hockey Fights Cancer and foundation-backed initiatives that expand access and impact.

## Achievements

- Operated continuously from its 1917 founding into a 32-club North American league.
- Built the Stanley Cup Playoffs into one of North America's major annual sports properties.
- Set a league attendance record of 22.9 million in the 2023-24 regular season, according to Forbes.
- Secured a 12-year Canadian national media agreement with Rogers worth C$11 billion beginning in 2026-27.
- Expanded into nontraditional hockey markets, including Las Vegas and Seattle, while adding a Utah franchise in 2024.
- Learn to Play reports more than 100,000 participants reached through its youth program.
- Hockey Fights Cancer raised US$8.2 million during the 2024-25 season with clubs, players, partners and fans.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — League leadership said revenue was growing, supported by more than 75 corporate sponsors, strong national ratings and regular-season gates at 96 percent of capacity.
- **2026-05** — The NHL and Honeywell announced an arena and rink energy-management partnership focused on reliability, efficiency and the game-day experience.
- **2026-02** — NHL players returned to the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina under the agreement among the NHL, NHLPA, IIHF and IOC.
- **2025-10** — The league announced a multiyear international partnership with Swiss watchmaker NORQAIN.
- **2025-06** — Sony became an official global technology partner, expanding tracking and animated data-visualization work.
- **2025-04** — The NHL and Rogers announced a 12-year, C$11 billion Canadian national media-rights extension starting in 2026-27.

## Links

- Website: https://www.nhl.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-hockey-league/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/NHL
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nhl
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHL/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nhl

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Last updated: 2026-08-13