The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered to be the top ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, with players from 17 countries as of the 2023–24 season. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also views the Stanley Cup as one of the "most important championships available to the sport".
Peter Mattias Forsberg is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player and former assistant general manager of Modo Hockey. Nicknamed "Peter the Great" and "Foppa", Forsberg was known for his on-ice vision and physical play, and is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Although his career was shortened by persistent injuries, as of 2021, he stands ninth all-time in career points-per-game and fifth all-time in career assists-per-game in the NHL, only behind Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, and Connor McDavid. In 2017 Forsberg was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Ilya Valeryevich Kovalchuk is a Russian professional ice hockey winger for Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He formerly played for the Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as Ak Bars Kazan, Khimik Moscow Oblast, SKA Saint Petersburg, and Avangard Omsk in the Russian Superleague (RSL) and KHL.
Ronald Scott Stevens is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. As a defenseman, Stevens played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils, serving as captain of the Devils from 1992 to 2004. Although offensively capable, his defensive play and his heavy body checking on opponents were crucial to his success.
Modo Hockey is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team currently plays in Sweden's first-tier league SHL after having won promotion from HockeyAllsvenskan following the 2022/23 season. The club was founded in 1921 and has won two SHL championships; in 1979 and 2007. The team's home arena since 2006 is the Hägglunds Arena. Before then, the team played at Kempehallen, beginning in 1964.
Martin Havlát is a Czech former professional ice hockey player who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2000 to 2016.
Edward Walter Olczyk Jr. is an American former center in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994. Olczyk was also the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from June 2003 to December 2005.
Martin Erat is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League for the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes.
Krzysztof Artur Oliwa is a Polish former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, he played eight seasons in the National Hockey League. To date, he is the only player from Poland with his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup, as a member of the New Jersey Devils' 2000 championship team.
Mariusz Krzysztof Czerkawski is a Polish former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. In addition to playing in the NHL, Czerkawski played for several different European-based teams. A consistent scorer, Czerkawski was the first player born and trained in Poland to play in the NHL. Internationally, Czerkawski represented Poland at several international tournaments, including the 1992 Winter Olympics and the 1992 and 2002 World Championships.
Walter Edward "Turk" Broda was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. A goaltender, Broda played his entire career for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1935 and 1951, taking a brief hiatus from 1943 to 1946 to fight in the Second World War. He was the first goaltender to reach 300 wins. After retiring from active play, Broda coached minor league and junior ice hockey teams. In 2017 Broda was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
William H. Clement is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who became an author, speaker, actor, entrepreneur, and hockey broadcaster.
Tomasz Valtonen is a Polish-born Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He is currently the head coach for HC Pustertal Wölfe of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He coached the Poland men's national ice hockey team from 2018-2020. Valtonen was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings as their second-round draft pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.
Zenon Konopka is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Also known as "Zenon the Destroyer", Konopka played for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, and Buffalo Sabres during his National Hockey League (NHL) career.
Wojciech "Wojtek" Wolski is a Polish-Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals. After leaving the NHL in 2013, Wolski continued his career in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Kunlun Red Star.
Martin Hanzal is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Martin Procházka is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. Procházka was drafted 135th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft and played 32 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Maple Leafs and Atlanta Thrashers. In his NHL career, he scored two goals and five assists for seven points, collecting eight penalty minutes. He tallied an assist on the first goal in Atlanta Thrashers history, a 4–1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on October 2, 1999, his only point as a Thrasher. He has also had spells in Sweden's Elitserien for AIK Hockey and the Russian Super League (RSL) for Avangard Omsk and Khimik Voskresensk. He won a gold medal with the Czech Republic in the 1998 Winter Olympics.
STS Sanok is an ice hockey team in Sanok, Poland. The team played in the Eastern Division of the Slovak 2. Liga, the third tier of ice hockey in Slovakia. The team was inactive during the 2016–2017 season due to financial difficulties. Before that and now, the team competes in the Polska Liga Hokejowa (PHL), the top-level hockey league in Poland.
The 2015 IIHF World Championship Division I was an international ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Group A was contested in Kraków, Poland, after the original host, Donetsk, Ukraine, withdrew, from 19 to 25 April 2015 and Group B was held in Eindhoven, Netherlands, from 13 to 19 April 2015.
Martin Nečas is a Czech professional ice hockey centre for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nečas made his professional debut with HC Kometa Brno in 2016, and played a prominent role on the team as they won the league championship. Regarded as a top prospect for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected 12th overall by the Hurricanes, and made his NHL debut in 2017. Internationally, Nečas plays for the Czech Republic.
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