When the NHL was formed in 1917, there were 4 teams, which grew to six. Today there are 30 NHL teams. The original teams consisted of the Toronto Arenas, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Wanderers.
The NHL teams are divided into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.
The following teams belong in the Eastern Conference: New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The NHL’s western conference teams are: Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, and the San Jose Sharks.
The two conference teams are split into three divisions. The division winners in each conference play each other until the rivals for the Stanley Cup are revealed. The NHL team that has the most points gets the home ice advantage. An NHL team receives 2 points for every game won and 1 point if the game was lost in overtime or was a shootout loss.