Ice Hockey

What is the Stanley Cup?

After each team has played their alotted 82 games, 16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup play-offs. These consist of eight teams from each conference. They are the top three teams from each division plus two "unranked" teams with the most points from each conference (the Wildcards). The qualifiying teams are split into a basic 16-team knockout bracket with the eight teams from the Eastern Conference on one side and the eight teams from the Western Conference on the other. There are then three rounds of matches on each side of the bracket to determine the conference champion. These consist of a best of seven game series with the winner advancing to the next round. Finally, the Eastern and Western conference champions will play each other in another best of seven game series with the winner becoming the Stanley Cup champions.