The National Hockey League (NHL) has seen 107 years of change, helping it become a more exciting, fair and developed league for hockey. Recently, the league expanded to 32 teams from the original 30, which they’d had for almost 20 years. As of 2017, the Las Vegas Golden Knights joined as an expansion team, which sucked players away from the 30 other established teams.
Excitingly for the Pacific Northwest, the newest expansion team went to Seattle. They were named the Seattle Kraken due to Puget Sound legends about the Giant Pacific Octopus. Sailors long ago identified these creatures as the mythical Kraken.
The Kraken plays at Climate Pledge Arena, which is the only NHL arena – and only arena in the world – to achieve Zero Carbon Certification.
With a much more underwhelming mascot and name, the Utah Hockey Club began playing in Salt Lake City this season. They originally had been in Phoenix as the Coyotes, but now have been relocated by the General Manager (GM). Fans are glad the boring Utah Hockey Club name won’t stand for long, as the team promises to have a mascot for next season. So far, the front-running names include the Yeti, Outlaws, Blizzard, Mammoth or Venom.
But why do people watch hockey? It’s not quite that popular in the US, in comparison to football, basketball and baseball.
One Tualatin High School senior recently introduced to the NHL, Jake Madrid, expressed the reason he quickly became a fan.
“I first started watching the NHL when I saw a Vancouver Canucks game last year with my dad while visiting Canada. That one game left us obsessed with the league,” Madrid explained. “The reason I enjoy watching hockey, although it’s low scoring, is because there’s always something happening, like people getting tossed around and rammed into the walls. Each player is so skilled. Gliding around while slapping shots on the net is simply awesome.”
It must be noted that the NHL’s viewership is on an upward trajectory, with it typically increasing around 8 percent per year. However, last year’s Stanley Cup Final produced insane numbers, with about a 58 percent increase in viewership, compared to 2023’s final.
Many might attribute the sport’s rising popularity to game-changing players who seem to always find a new way to entertain their fans with spectacular skill. Connor McDavid seems to be the stand-out name when taking “game-changing” into consideration. He notched 123 points – 44 goals and 79 assists – last year for the Edmonton Oilers, something that hadn’t been done on his team in over 35 years.
This season, the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon is the current point leader standout, with McDavid’s teammate Leon Draisitl a close second.
Fans can only hope to share the amazing moments with more and more people, as exciting players help boost this awe-striking sport.
