NHL Standings

Last Night’s News 📰

GREAT ONE AND THE GREAT EIGHT: In a New York Times article that came out on Wednesday, Wayne Gretzky stated that he has “no doubt” Alex Ovechkin will break his goal-scoring record. Ovechkin has 752 goals and is only 142 tallies away from tying the Great One.

NEXT MAN UP: For the second Olympiad in a row, the NHL will not be participating in the Winter Games. This begs the question, who will make their team’s 2022 Olympic rosters? Yesterday, ESPN released an early look at potential staff and players for the countries most affected by the lack of NHL talent on its bench.

SADDLEDOME STANDOFF: On Wednesday, the Calgary Flames pulled out of a deal with the city of Calgary to build the Flames a new arena due to rising costs. After 38 years in the Saddledome, the Flames agreed with the city to construct a new 19,000-seat Event Centre. However, when the estimate of the project increased $84 million, the two sides were unable to compromise on how to pay for the additional costs. 

Top-Shelf Thursday – Top Christmas Games

Just as Santa was recovering from his busiest night of the year, NHL players were lacing up their skates for a festive face-off on the ice. Once upon a time, the NHL gave fans the gift of holiday hockey. The tradition of playing on the merriest day of the year came to an end on Dec. 25, 1971. Let’s grab our hot chocolate and hop on our sleigh to take a trip down memory lane and appreciate some Christmas highlights.

#3 Detroit Red Wings vs. Brooklyn Americans

What makes this game special is it’s the only Christmas Day game to be decided in overtime, resulting in a 3-2 win for Detroit. It was a 23-year-old Sid Abel who scored on Brooklyn’s goaltender Chuck Rayner at Detroit’s Olympia Stadium to win the game for the home team. Syd Howe and Ken Kilrea were the two other goal-scorers for the Red Wings.

#2 St. Louis Blues Played Two

St. Louis was one of six teams to join the league during the 1967 NHL expansion, and the NHL granted its newest team appearances in back-to-back Christmas games—both against another expansion team, the Minnesota North Stars. In 1967, the teams took to the ice at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington with goaltender Seth Martin earning the 1-0 shutout victory for the Blues. Glenn Hall equaled the feat one year later, shutting out the North Stars in the very same arena, 2-0.

#1 Rangers Wintery Winning Streak

From 1928 to 1949, the New York Rangers were unbeatable during the Christmas holiday. Their festive winning streak of 15-0-1 came to an end at the hands of the Red Wings on Dec. 25, 1950. New York suffered a 4-1 loss in Detroit as the Wings scored three unanswered goals with Gordie Howe earning himself a three-point night.

Early Favorites – Calder Trophy

The Calder Trophy race has been a fascinating one so far this season. By the conclusion of the playoffs, most fans all but guaranteed that Cole Caufield would be walking away with the honors. However, that doesn’t seem likely with the way things are going in Montreal. So far, three other names have popped up, and the best part of the rookie race is they are all players making a difference on non-contending teams. Let’s look in on this season’s early contenders.

Lucas Raymond

Forward Lucas Raymond has been at the top of the rookie race since the beginning of the season. Raymond is off to an impressive inaugural campaign, with 28 points in 31 games and one of three players on the team with double-digit goals. His 18 assists have him tied for the lead on the team, and he is a big reason why the Red Wings are currently in a wild card spot.

Trevor Zegras

Trevor Zegras is quite possibly the most entertaining rookie on this list. His alley-oop pass to Sonny Milano has entertained the masses, with more than 300,000 views on social media. The 20-year-old has singlehandedly made the Anaheim Ducks relevant this season, and it’s hard to root against him. If you need a laugh, check out the video of him being scared by Kevin Shattenkirk.

Dawson Mercer

Dawson Mercer is an interesting case. The other two on this list have had highlight-reel moments and are now household names around the league. New Jersey’s rookie mostly flies under the radar until you see him play firsthand. He seems to do everything right and is currently the heart and soul of the Devils. Mercer plays well beyond his years and deserves recognition for what’s he’s done for his team.