Hockey pool (pool de hockey): formats, scoring and the law in Quebec
A pool de hockey is a season-long contest among friends, coworkers or family: each person drafts a team of NHL players, earns points when those players score, and the best total at the end wins the pot. This guide covers how pools work, the scoring settings groups use, what the 2026-27 NHL calendar changes, and where the Criminal Code draws the line between a friendly pool and a betting business.
How a hockey pool works
Most pools follow the same four steps.
- Set the rules. The group agrees on the entry fee, the number of players per team, the scoring system and how the pot is split. Write it down and share it before the draft.
- Hold the draft. Participants pick NHL players in turn. A snake draft (1 to 10, then 10 to 1) is the usual way to keep it fair for whoever picks last.
- Track the points. Through the season, each team's total grows with its players' production. Most groups use a pool app or a shared spreadsheet.
- Pay out. At the end of the regular season, or after the playoffs for a playoff pool, the pot goes to the winners in the shares agreed at the start.
The main formats
| Format | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Pool marqueur (points pool) | Each skater earns 1 point per goal and 1 per assist | Beginners and office pools |
| Pool with goalies | Adds points for goalie wins and shutouts | Groups that want goalies to matter |
| Salary cap pool | Each team must stay under a fixed budget of player salaries | Experienced players who like trades |
| Keeper or dynasty pool | You keep some players from one season to the next | Long-running groups |
| Playoff pool (pool des séries) | Draft held after the regular season, only playoff points count | People who join in the spring |
| Head-to-head pool | Teams face one opponent per week, win or lose | Groups that want weekly stakes |
The pool marqueur is the classic version: a point in the NHL scoresheet is a goal or an assist, and the pool simply adds them up. Everything else is a variation the group chooses.
Common scoring settings
There is no official scoring grid, so every pool sets its own. These are the settings groups argue about most, with the effect of each choice.
- Goals worth more than assists. Some pools give 2 points per goal and 1 per assist. That pushes snipers up the draft and makes playmaking defencemen less valuable.
- Goalie points. A common setup gives 2 points per win and 2 or 3 per shutout. Without goalie points, goalies are simply left out of the draft.
- Defence minimums. Requiring two or three defencemen per team stops everyone from drafting only forwards.
- Trades and waivers. Decide whether you can swap players during the season, how often, and the cutoff date. Pools with no changes reward the draft; pools with free moves reward whoever follows injuries closely.
- Ties. Agree in advance whether a tie splits the prize or is broken by goals, then by the best single player.
What the 2026-27 NHL season changes for your pool
The 2026-27 season is the first with 84 games per team, up from 82, for 1,344 games in total. The regular season started on September 29, 2026 and ends on Saturday, April 10, 2027, when all 32 teams play. The All-Star Game returns on February 6, 2027, with the skills competition on February 5, the first since 2024.
Two extra games per team change pool totals in a predictable way:
| Player pace | Points over 82 games | Points over 84 games |
|---|---|---|
| 0.50 points per game | 41 | 42 |
| 0.75 points per game | 61.5 | 63 |
| 1.00 point per game | 82 | 84 |
| 1.25 points per game | 102.5 | 105 |
| 1.50 points per game | 123 | 126 |
That is 2.4% more games, so a pool winner's total from the 82-game era is not a fair target this season. If your pool pays a bonus for a 100-point player, 1.19 points per game is now enough to get there, against 1.22 before.
For Canadiens fans, the season's first outdoor game is the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg on October 25, 2026, Jets against Montréal.
Every remaining Canadiens game is in our Canadiens schedule, and the Canadiens standings page shows the Atlantic Division race.
Is a hockey pool legal in Quebec?
Betting offences in Canada sit in the federal Criminal Code, which applies in Quebec like everywhere else. Section 202(1) makes it an offence to record or register bets or sell a pool, and to engage in bookmaking, pool-selling, or the business or occupation of betting. Section 204(1)(b) then says that sections 201 and 202 do not apply to "a private bet between individuals not engaged in any way in the business of betting."
Read together, the text draws the line here:
- Inside the exemption: a group of people who know each other, each putting in the same entry, with all the money going back out as prizes. Nobody is in the business of betting; it is a private bet among individuals.
- Outside it: someone who runs pools to make money, keeps a cut of the pot, charges an organizer fee, or sells entries to the public. That starts to look like selling a pool or the business of betting under section 202.
Offences under section 202 are indictable, with up to two years in prison. If you organize your office pool, the simplest way to stay on the right side of the text is to keep it among people you know and pay out 100% of what comes in. Paid pool platforms run by companies are a separate legal question, and this guide does not cover them.
Running the pool through the season
A pool lasts seven months, so a few rules save arguments later.
- Name one commissioner who updates the standings and settles disputes, and agree that their reading of the written rules is final.
- Post the standings on a fixed day, for example every Monday, so nobody has to ask.
- Decide how injuries work. Some pools let you replace a player on long-term injured reserve; others leave you stuck with him. Either is fine if it is in the rules before the draft.
- Set a deadline for changes. If your pool allows trades or free-agent pickups, fix the last date for moves and the number of moves per team.
- Settle late joiners in advance. A person who joins after the season starts usually drafts from the players left, or waits for the playoff pool.
Handling the money
Most pool disputes are about money, not hockey.
- Collect before the draft. A player who has not paid does not draft.
- Keep a record. Interac e-Transfer leaves a trace for each entry and each payout; cash does not.
- Post the payout split in the rules. For example, 60% to first, 25% to second and 15% to third.
- Pay out quickly once the last game is final, and post the final standings with it.
On taxes, the Canada Revenue Agency's list of amounts that are not taxed includes lottery winnings of any amount, while interest you earn by investing winnings must be reported. For how that applies to casual bets and prizes in Quebec, see our guide to whether gambling winnings are taxed in Quebec.
Tips for your draft
- Draft for games played. Over 84 games, a player who misses 15 games loses roughly 18% of his season. Durable players have more value in a pool marqueur than their rank in last year's scoring list suggests.
- Look at the power play. Players on the first power-play unit get scoring chances that second-unit players do not, so check unit assignments before the draft.
- Watch your defence slots. If your pool requires defencemen, check last season's scoring among defencemen before the draft, since they score fewer points than forwards and the few who score a lot go early.
- Plan for the trade deadline if your pool allows changes: players traded to contenders can gain ice time, players sent to rebuilding teams can lose it.
If you also bet on player stats, our guide to NHL player props explains how sportsbooks price the same goals and assists your pool counts.
Keep it a game
A pool works best when the entry is an amount nobody minds losing. If a pool, or betting on the games it follows, starts to cost more than you planned, Jeu : aide et référence is free, confidential and open 24/7 at 1 800 461-0140.
Sources
Key terms
- Futures bet
- A bet on something decided way down the road, like the Stanley Cup champion, that ties up your money until it settles.
- Prop bet
- A bet on something that happens inside the game, like a goalie's saves or a player's shots, instead of the final score.