THE RULES.

First Goal Contest is open to legal residents of Canada. You must have reached the age of majority in your province or territory (18 or 19, depending where you live) at the time of entry.

Residents of Quebec may participate subject to applicable provincial laws and regulations governing promotional contests.

Employees, officers, directors, and contractors of First Goal Contest, its affiliates, prize sponsors, and their immediate family members are not eligible.

Participation requires creation of a free account using a valid email address.

One account per person. Use of multiple accounts or automated entries will result in disqualification.

No purchase necessary. A purchase does not increase your chances of winning.

Create a free account at firstgoalcontest.ca.

Before each eligible NHL game featuring a Canadian team, submit your pick for which player will score the first goal.

Picks must be submitted before puck drop. Late submissions are not accepted.

One (1) pick per game per account.

A pick consists of selecting one player from either team roster for a specific game.

Picks lock at puck drop, the moment the referee drops the puck to start the game.

Players may update their pick any number of times before puck drop. The final submitted pick at lock time is binding.

Only skaters (forwards and defencemen) are eligible to be selected. Goalies cannot be picked.

If a selected player does not play in the game (healthy scratch, injury), the pick scores zero (0) points. No points are deducted.

Only NHL regular season and playoff games featuring at least one (1) Canadian franchise are eligible for prizes and the season standings.

Canadian franchises: Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets.

Preseason games featuring a Canadian franchise are open for play and are scored on a separate Preseason leaderboard. Preseason points do not carry into the regular season standings and carry no entitlement to season prizes. Any preseason prize is announced before the preseason opens.

Exhibition and All-Star games are not eligible. Games of the 4 Nations tournament are eligible for the 4 Nations cup only, on the terms announced before that cup opens; if no terms are announced before it opens, no contest is run for it.

Games postponed or cancelled before a first goal is scored result in all picks for that game being voided.

Points are awarded per game as follows: one thousand (1,000) points where the selected player scores the first goal; two hundred and fifty (250) points where the selected player is credited with an assist on the first goal; one hundred (100) points where the selected player’s team scores first; fifty (50) points where the selected player takes the ice but is not involved in the first goal; and zero (0) points where the selected player does not play.

A twenty-five percent (25%) bonus applies where the selected player is on the entrant’s designated favourite team, and a fifty percent (50%) bonus applies where both teams are Canadian franchises. Bonuses are calculated on the base points above and apply only to the first three outcomes listed. Both bonuses may apply to the same pick.

There is no point deduction for an incorrect pick.

Points are non-transferable and have no cash value outside of contest prize determination.

The points schedule in force is published on the How It Works page. Any change is announced before a contest period begins and never during one.

Prize details, including prize descriptions, values, and quantities, are announced on the Leaderboard page before each cup opens. A cup for which no prize has been announced before it opens carries no prize, and its standings are published for interest only.

The contest periods for the 2026-27 season are called cups: Preseason (Sep 19, 2026 to Sep 26, 2026); the Fall Cup (Sep 29, 2026 to Nov 15, 2026); the Holiday Cup (Nov 16, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027); the Winter Cup (Jan 4, 2027 to Feb 21, 2027); the 4 Nations (Feb 5, 2027 to Feb 6, 2027); the Spring Cup (Feb 22, 2027 to Apr 10, 2027); the Playoffs (Mid-April to June). The Season title is decided by the total of points earned across the four regular season cups. Dates are game days in Mountain Time and are inclusive.

Standings for each cup start at zero. A game counts toward the cup in which it is scheduled to be played, regardless of when its points are posted. Preseason, 4 Nations and Playoffs points do not count toward the Season title.

Prizes are awarded based on leaderboard standings at the close of each cup and, for the Season title, at the close of the regular season. Weekly standings are published for interest and carry no prize unless one is announced in advance.

In the event of a tie on points, the tied player who reached that total first wins: a player reaches their total with their last scoring pick, and the earlier that game started, the higher they place. If that is also equal, the player with more correct first-goal calls wins, then the longer-standing account.

Prize winners will be notified by email within seven (7) business days of the contest period close.

Winners must respond to prize notification within fourteen (14) days or the prize may be forfeited.

Prizes are not redeemable for cash and are non-transferable.

First Goal Contest is not responsible for prizes lost or delayed due to third-party logistics.

Participation in any form of collusion, manipulation, or use of automated tools to gain unfair advantage is prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification and ban.

One account per person. Display names may not impersonate a real player, team, business or another participant, and may not contain offensive language. First Goal Contest may rename or remove a display name that does.

First Goal Contest reserves the right to void picks, adjust standings, or disqualify participants at its sole discretion for any conduct it deems contrary to the spirit of fair play.

First Goal Contest decisions regarding eligibility, point awards, and prize allocation are final.

Your email address is used for sign-in codes and prize notices only.

Game reminders are a separate, optional text message you turn on in your profile. Reply STOP to any text, or turn them off in your profile, and they stop.

Personal information is collected and used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

First Goal Contest is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with the National Hockey League (NHL), the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA), or any NHL team.

NHL team names and abbreviations are used for informational and descriptive purposes only under fair use.

Team logos and official marks are not used on this platform.

First Goal Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, or Meta Platforms, Inc. By entering, each participant releases Meta Platforms, Inc. and its affiliates from any and all liability relating to the contest. Questions, comments or complaints about the contest should be directed to First Goal Contest, not to Meta.

First Goal Contest reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the contest at any time with notice to participants.

This contest is operated by First Goal Contest, 1550 5 St SW Unit 300, Calgary, AB T2R 1K3. These rules are governed by the laws of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.

By participating, entrants agree to these Official Rules and the decisions of First Goal Contest, which are final and binding in all respects.

Void where prohibited by law.

A pool is a private board for a group of players. It uses the same points as the main leaderboard and awards nothing of its own.

A pool may follow one Canadian team. Its board then counts only that team’s games. Every pick still counts on the main leaderboard.

Pools carry bragging rights only: no buy-in, no prize, no wager of any kind, and First Goal Contest does not run, hold or track any. A pool used for one will be closed and its members may be removed from the contest.

A sponsor’s logo on a pool’s standings image is not a pool prize; prizes are the cups’ prizes (section 6).

Whoever starts a pool can rename it and remove members. Anyone can leave a pool at any time and keeps every point.

First Goal Contest never sends a message on a member’s behalf; members share the pool’s link and image themselves.

We may rename or close any pool.