Business has been booming for the NHL for several years, with the salary cap skyrocketing and attendance reaching new heights in packed arenas.
asserted
attendance → boom → arenas
Let’s play two more.
asserted
’s → let → two
The league is going to an 84-game regular season for the first time since 1994 — it was in place for two seasons — and just the second time in its 109-year history.
asserted
it → go → history
Players and owners agreed to the increase from 82 for each of the 32 teams as part of the collective bargaining agreement that is in place through 2030, doubling down on more hockey for all.
asserted
that → agree → all
“That will power some of our growth,” Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said.
asserted
Leonsis → power → growth
People aren’t realizing it, but that’s an organic way to grow.”
asserted
that → realize → it
The change meant shorter training camps and fewer exhibition games, and it could have an effect on everything from goaltending tandems to stats and records.
uncertain
it → mean → stats
“Eighty-four games is a long, long road,” said ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro, who was a player the last two times the schedule was this long.
asserted
schedule → say → ?
“I’m just interested to see what the new rhythm of the season will be like.”
asserted
rhythm → ’m → season
Early start spreads out the games
The Sept. 29 opening night is the soonest play is getting underway in North America and matches the earliest start date on the calendar worldwide from when Los Angeles and Anaheim took the ice in London in 2007.
asserted
Angeles → spread → 2007
The season started Oct. 7 each of the past two years and Oct. 10 in 2023.
asserted
season → start → 2023
“I’m excited that we’re starting early,” Boston winger David Pastrnak said.
asserted
Pastrnak → ’m → ?
“That’s probably the biggest change or thing that I’m excited about is that you don’t have to wait until Oct. 10, 11 when you’re already in the town the whole September
asserted
you → ’ → town
The 1,344 games are spread out over a 194-day span before every team plays its finale on April 10 ahead of the playoffs.
asserted
team → spread → playoffs
“There’s going be more time in between games,” Tampa Bay’s Jake Guentzel said.
asserted
Guentzel → say → games
“I think last year it was kind of condensed with the Olympic schedule, so I think the spread-out of games will help. ...
asserted
out → think → games
You just got to take care of your bodies (because) it’s obviously a war of attrition.”
asserted
it → got → attrition
Pittsburgh has the most back-to-back sets with 15.
asserted
Pittsburgh → have → 15
Vegas and Calgary are tied for the fewest with eight each.
asserted
Vegas → tie → eight
Less fake hockey evens out the workload
Rod Brind’Amour, coach of defending champion Carolina, made headlines by saying he’d rather go to 86 games and eliminate the preseason altogether because it lacks value for fans.
asserted
it → even → fans
The way the NHL Players’ Association sees it, limiting the exhibition schedule to two games for anyone with 100-plus games of experience more than makes up for extending the regular season.
asserted
limiting → see → season
“The thought behind it is the workload is the same, if not a little less,” said NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey, who played 17 seasons from 2002-20.
asserted
who → say → 2002
You’re out there with players, not necessarily NHL players, and things get a little haywire.
asserted
things → ’re → players
Whereas, there’s a lot of reasons that if you just flip two exhibition into two regular season games, it’s a good thing.
asserted
it → ’ → games
Gone are the days when a goaltender would play in nearly every game.
asserted
goaltender → go → game
Grant Fuhr’s single-season record of 79 appearances in 1996-97 is safe, and the last time a goalie surpassed 70 was Cam Talbot’s 73 in 2016-17.
asserted
goalie → surpass → 2016
Utah’s Karel Vejmelka started 63 games last season and played in 64.
asserted
Vejmelka → start → 64
The NHL has become much more of a rotation in the crease and coaches now have an extra two games to apportion the responsibilities.
asserted
coaches → become → responsibilities
— Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record of 894 in April 2025, and now Washington’s longtime captain returns for a 22nd season, sitting on 929 with a couple of extra chances to put the mark further out of reach for the next player who might one day approach it.
uncertain
who → break → it
“He knows how to score goals,” said Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, who holds the record for the most point-a-game seasons with 21.
asserted
who → know → 21
“You don’t lose that.
asserted
You → lose → that
Maybe as you get older, you might have to adjust a little bit, but his shot is his shot and that’s not going anywhere.”
uncertain
that → get → ?
— Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon have combined for the 11 highest-scoring seasons among active players.
asserted
McDavid → combine → players
With two extra games, any of them — plus San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini — could set career highs and maybe even top McDavid’s 153 points that are the most since the salary cap era began in 2005.
uncertain
era → set → 2005
The NHL record is 215 points set by Wayne Gretzky in 1985-86.
asserted
record → set → 1985
What happened the last time the NHL had 84 games
In 1992-93, the first season with 84, there were 24 teams so there were 1,008 regular-season games in all.
asserted
NHL → happen → all
The following year, the NHL added two teams wo there were 1,092 games.
asserted
NHL → add → teams
The idea then was to grow the game by playing real games in non-NHL cities.
asserted
idea → grow → cities
So every team played a pair of neutral-site games in Atlanta; Cincinnati; Dallas; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Hamilton, Ontario; Indianapolis; Miami; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Orlando, Florida; Peoria, Illinois; Phoenix, Providence, Rhode Island; Richfield, Ohio; Sacramento or Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
asserted
team → play → Atlanta
A few of those cities now have NHL teams.
asserted
few → have → teams
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
