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Latest revision as of 04:47, 3 May 2024 edit undoKoavf (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,174,994 edits ←Changed redirect target from Ice hockey in the United States to Ice hockey in the United States#Ice hockey structureTag: Redirect target changed |
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The '''United States ice hockey structure''' includes elements from traditional American scholastic ] and ] athletics, affiliated and independent ]s, and the unique "]" leagues. The ] of the ice hockey league system forms a pyramid with a large number of regional minor and development leagues making up the base of the pyramid and a linear progression through the professional minor leagues leading to the Nation Hockey League at the top of the pyramid. |
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{{rcat shell|{{r with history}} |
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{{r to section}}}} |
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== Major league professional hockey== |
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{{Main|National Hockey League}} |
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The ] (NHL) is widely considered to be the premier ] ice hockey league in the world with top players from multiple countries participating in the league.<ref name=PuckWorlds>{{cite web|title= The North American Hockey System |url=http://www.puckworlds.com/2011/6/10/2212875/the-north-american-hockey-system |author= Bruce Peter |date= Jun 10, 2011 |publisher= PuckWorlds.com }}</ref> It is one of the major North American professional sports leagues along with ], ], and ].<ref name=HandbookEconSports>{{cite book|title=Handbook on the Economics of Sport |author=Marc Lavoie |editor1=Wladimir Andreff |editor2=Stefan Szymanski |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |year=2005 |pp=542-551 |isbn=9781847204073 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PGRkblShhU8C&pg=PA542&lpg=PA542&source=bl&ots=EC8Juoud-R&sig=nOX3kbxa2MMeG10SS75eRgpx0-4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=YSQoVfSVONfroASg1oGABA&ved=0CGUQ6AEwCQ}}</ref> The NHL is a 'closed' league, meaning that teams are neither promoted nor regulated to other leagues, based on a ]. There are presently 30 teams in the NHL, with 22 located in the United States and 8 located in Canada. The ], the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. |
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== Minor league professional hockey == |
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{{Main|Minor league#Ice hockey}} |
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There have been professional ice hockey leagues of varying levels since the invention of the sport, and over time the leagues have settled into an unofficial hierarchy. The top of this hierarchy, however, was codified in the most recent ]. In the top two minor leagues, the American Hockey League and the ECHL, teams act as a development ] for the major league. While players are often sent between major and minor league teams, the teams themselves are never ]. As professional leagues these minor leagues pay their players a salary. However the salaries are often much less than what the NHL pays.<ref>{{cite web| title=The Lowest Paid Athletes in All of Professional Sports |author=Evan Grossman |publisher=Men's Journal |url=http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/races-sports/the-lowest-paid-athletes-in-all-of-professional-sports-20141125}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=How Much Do Minor League Hockey Players Make? |date=Oct 10, 2011 |publisher=Artfulpuck | url=https://artfulpuck.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/how-much-do-minor-league-hockey-players-make/}}</ref> |
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Today, the 30 teams of the ] (AHL) are considered to be the highest-level minor league, the 'AAA' minor league.<ref name=PuckWorlds/> Most AHL teams have affiliation agreements with NHL teams, and many are owned by the same owners.<ref>{{cite web|title=AHL announces new Pacific Division — who could go west next? |author=Jason Brough |date=Jan 29, 2015 |url=http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/29/ahl-announces-new-pacific-division-who-could-go-west-next/ |publisher=NBCSports}}</ref> Most prospective NHL players will enter into a 'two-way contract' in which players can be sent back and forth between the NHL and AHL at will. Many AHL players enter the league after being ] from juniors or after being scouted and signed by an NHL team and being assigned to the affiliated team to develop as a player. The AHL also recognizes a 'standard contract', which signs a player directly to the AHL though the affiliated NHL team has negotiating rights and can upgrade a player to a two-way contract if they so desire. |
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The ], formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League, is considered a 'AA' minor league with the league's 28 teams residing entirely within the United States.<ref name=PuckWorlds/> Most of the teams of the ECHL have affiliation agreements with NHL and AHL teams though generally players will be promoted to the AHL before moving on the NHL and non-entry level NHL players must consent to being relegated to the ECHL.<ref name=NHL-CBA>{{cite web|title=Collective Bargaining Agreement Between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association |url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/CBA2012/NHL_NHLPA_2013_CBA.pdf |date = Feb 15, 2013}}</ref> |
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In addition there are three class 'A' minor leagues, the ] (FHL), the ] (NLAH), and the ] (SPHL). The FHL has 7 teams in the ] and considers itself a development league feeding mostly into the ECHL.<ref>{{cite web|title=Federal Hockey League - Mission Statement |url=http://thefederalhockeyleague.pointstreaksites.com/view/thefederalhockeyleague/the-fhl-1/mission-statement-37| publisher=Federal Hockey League}}</ref> The NLAH is professional minor league in the province of ] consisting of 8 teams. The league stipulates that only players from Quebec or who played junior hockey there are eligible and the league boasts many ex-NHL players.<ref name=NYTimes>{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/sports/hockey/01hockey.html |title=A Place for Pro Hockey Players Fighting to Stay in the Game|publisher= ]|accessdate= 2011-03-01|author= Jeff Z. Klein|date= 2011-03-01}}</ref> The SPHL is a development league in the ] and ]. |
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== College hockey == |
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{{Main|College ice hockey}} |
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Ice hockey's role within the United States ] system is closest to ] in that most ] hockey players play ] hockey, and so aren't eligible for NCAA play. The ] currently has two divisions for ice hockey, Division I and Division III. There are multiple Division I leagues (], ], ] Association, ] and ]) which sponsor only ice hockey. The Big Ten Conference is currently the only traditional multi-sport conference to sponsor ice hockey. With ] joining NCAA Division I hockey, the ] elected to sponsor an men's ice hockey league since it attained the NCAA mandated minimum six members for a sport. However, six of the eight ]schools sponsor Division I ice hockey for both sexes, but the conference does not directly operate a hockey league. The Ivy League's hockey programs compete along with those of six other schools in ], with the Ivy League crowning its own champion based on performance in games involving Ivy League teams. |
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The separate ] was formed in 1991 in order to support uniform standards for college and university non-varsity club teams. |
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== High school hockey == |
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]s in some states compete in sanctioned ice hockey leagues sponsored by ] while other state compete in leagues not sponsored by their State High School Association. Typically, sponsored leagues exist in regions where ice hockey is traditionally popular, such as the ] (e.g., ], ], ], and ]) and the ] (e.g., ], ], ], and ]) while non-sponsored leagues typically exist in less traditional ice hockey regions, such as the ] and ]. However, some exceptions do exist, such as ] having a sponsored league and ] having a non-sponsored league.<ref>http://www.ushsho.com/stateinf.htm</ref> |
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== Junior and Major Junior hockey == |
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{{Main|Junior ice hockey}} |
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Junior hockey is played by athletes between 16 and 20 years old. The leagues are normally organized on a franchise system, and can play many more games than are normally played at the ] or ] level. ] hockey is organized into three leagues run by the ] with most teams in Canada, but with teams in the states of ], ], ], ] and ]. Major Junior players lose ] eligibility because they have agents, sign contracts and are given stipends.<ref>http://news.therecord.com/Sports/article/633771</ref> Two "Junior A" leagues based in the United States, ] and ], are run in a similar fashion to the Major Junior teams except that the players keep NCAA eligibility. The majority of current ] players played Major Junior hockey. For a while, some NHL teams had agreements with amateur teams to help them develop players that would later play professionally, however this practice was stopped when the NHL expanded in 1967. |
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== Minor hockey == |
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{{Main|Minor ice hockey}} |
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Minor hockey in the United States is played below the junior age level (16 years old). Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from class to class. Unlike most American sports, athletes participate as part of clubs as opposed to schools. |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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{{NAProHockey}} |
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{{League systems}} |
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] |
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