1. 24
   18
2. 31

At its very beginning, the NHL had just five teams. After several rounds of expansion, there are now 31 teams.

1. Tampa Bay
   Montreal
2. New York

The NHL's origins are Canadian, through and through. The league was founded in Montreal in 1917.

1. Henry Cup
   Stanley Cup
2. Sammy Cup

The Stanley Cup is the Lombardi Trophy of the NHL. It's the league's championship award.

1. 2
   7
2. 19

It's a distinctively Canadian league, but most modern teams are now based in the U.S. Just seven teams are located in Canada.

1. Detroit Red Wings
   Washington Capitals
2. Los Angeles Kings

In their 44th season, the Washington Capitals finally won their first Stanley Cup. They put down an upstart team from Las Vegas, four games to one.

1. Bobby Orr
   Wayne Gretzky
2. Brett Hull

With his six-foot frame, blond hair, and devastating offensive attacks, Wayne Gretszky was "The Great One." He's the sport's Michael Jordan and Joe Montana rolled into one.

1. Northern and Southern
   Eastern and Western
2. Union and Confederacy

In 1926, NHL officials decided to split the league into two conferences. And since then, the Eastern and Western conferences have dictated scheduling and playoff matchups.

1. Wayne Gretsky
   Terry Sawchuk
2. Gordie Howe

He was a Canandian icon and one of the best ever to play the game -- Gordie Howe. Four times, he led the Detroit Red Wings to Stanley Cup triumphs.

1. They gambled on every game.
   They had only six players.
2. It was the team's first season.

The Knights were a crazy statistical aberration. In the team's inaugural season, the Knights made it all the way to the NHL Finals -- a feat that some teams have been trying to do in vain for decades.

1. comeback player of the year
   most valuable player
2. most goals scored

Second to the Stanley Cup, the Hart Trophy is a coveted NHL prize. Each year, the Hart is awarded to the league's most valuable player.

1. Edmonton Oilers
   Anaheim Ducks
2. Montreal Canadiens

No other team has (historically) dominated the NHL quite like the Montreal Canadiens. They have 24 titles to their credit since 1916.

1. Pacific Division
   Central Division
2. Atlantic Division

There are four divisions in the NHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs are members of the Atlantic Division.

1. New York Islanders
   Detroit Red Wings
2. Tampa Bay Lightning

Found in 1926, the Detroit Red Wings are hockey royalty. They've won the Stanley Cup 11 times.

1. a best-of-three series
   a best-of-seven series
2. a huge fistfight

The NHL championship series is a best-of-seven affair. The '98 Red Wings were the last team to sweep the series, 4-0.

1. 100
   50
2. 200

No other NHL player has ever scored 200 points in a season. Gretzky? He's done it four times. Points are awarded for goals and assists, so the totals here are higher than the goal totals.

1. saves
   goals
2. points

Each year, the Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the player who scores the most points during the regular season. In 2007, Sidney Crosby won the Art Ross at age 19, becoming the youngest player ever to accomplish that feat.

1. Boston Bruins
   Anaheim Ducks
2. Washington Capitals

Drafted at the first slot in 2004, Alexander Ovechkin has turned into one of the NHL's biggest stars. In 2007-08, he picked up his first Hart Trophy … and it would not be the last.

1. 1 time
   3 times
2. 4 times

The Great One's offensive outbursts were nothing short of legendary. He once scored more than 90 goals in a season, and he might be the only player ever to reach that incredible apex.

1. very tall
   no teeth
2. has just one hand

Mario Lemieux might as well be playing in the NBA -- he's 6 feet, 4 inches tall. But in spite of his large size, he plays with incredible agility and speed.

1. 1971
   1993
2. 2016

After decades of incredible success in which they won dozens of titles, the Canadiens are mired in a terrible drought. The team hasn't won the Finals since 1993.

1. Metropolitan Division
   Pacific Division
2. Midwest Division

There's no Midwest Division in the NHL. The divisions are: Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central and Pacific.

1. He advocates minor scuffles.
   He's against fighting.
2. He thinks players should carry chainsaws to make things more interesting.

In a sport that's known for violent fisticuffs, Gretzky was a voice of peace. He'd rather see games decided by shotmaking than haymakers.

1. 6
   12
2. 18

During the Great Depression and WWII, hockey's popularity plunged. The league dwindled to just six teams, and that number remained static until 1967.

1. The NHL lost the trophy.
   The ice melted.
2. a terrible epidemic

The 1919 Finals were canceled after four games. Why? Because the horrifying Spanish Flu pandemic was killing millions of people. Several players were sickened, and one died.

1. He won the first Hart Trophy.
   He was the league's first non-white player.
2. He was killed on the ice.

Until 1948, hockey was a whites-only sport. Larry Kwong, of Asian descent, smashed the color barrier. One of his nicknames was "China Clipper."

1. Detroit Red Wings
   Los Angeles Kings
2. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Kings are a 1967 expansion team, and thus, not one of the Original Six. The Original Six are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

1. Ottawa Senators
   Buffalo Sabres
2. New York Rangers

Gretzky bounced around a bit after his glory days in L.A. He was traded to St. Louis for a year and then ended his run with the New York Rangers.

1. defense
   passing
2. fighting

Bobby Orr was a defensive dynamo, one who revoltionized the position of defenseman. He was also a prolific scorer, twice winning the Art Ross Trophy.

1. Detroit Red Wings
   Edmonton Oilers
2. Tampa Bay Lightning

Hailing from Canada, Steve Yzerman played his entire career ('83 to '06) with the Detroit Red Wings. He's currently the manager of Tampa Bay.

1. Terry Sawchuk
   Maurice Richard
2. Wayne Gretsky

He played for two decades, and nine times, he was declared the league's MVP. It's unlikely that any player will ever top Wayne Gretzky's Hart Trophy haul.