The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.
Subscribe now to view the full THN Archives here
Also, go to thn.com/free to subscribe.
Top 10 NHL Moments Of 2022-23 - June 26, 2023 - By Ryan Kennedy
>NO. 1: VEGAS WINS THE STANLEY CUP
WHEN OWNER BILL FOLEY introduced his Vegas Golden Knights to the hockey world, he predicted his team would win the Stanley Cup within six years. In the sixth year, his team delivered. Vegas defeated Florida 4-1 in a series that saw the Panthers finally face a foe that they could not shut down after an underdog run through the Eastern Conference. Jonathan Marchessault, one of the original Golden Knights from 2017-18, won the Conn Smythe Trophy thanks to his 13 goals and 25 points in 22 post-season games. Captain Mark Stone handed the Cup off to Reilly Smith, another original Golden Knight, and the six ‘Misfits’ who had been with the team since the beginning (Smith, Marchessault, William Karlsson, William Carrier, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb) were the first six to hoist it after the captain.
>NO. 2: MCDAVID MANIA
JUST WHEN YOU THINK Connor McDavid couldn’t surprise us anymore, he goes out and rings up 153 points, the most anyone has produced in an NHL season since Mario Lemieux had 161 back in 1995-96. Not only was the number gaudy, but No. 97 ran laps around the field: teammate Leon Draisaitl finished second in NHL scoring, and even he was 25 points back of McDavid. In fact, no one has come within 25 points of McDavid’s new high-water mark since the league came back from the lockout in 2005-06. The Oilers captain has always been blessed with speed and skill, but this was truly a remarkable performance that earned him the Art Ross, Rocket Richard and – at this point, let’s just assume – the Hart Trophy. McDavid had points in 75 out of 82 games, which goes a long way in explaining why Edmonton was only shut out twice all season. And while the Oilers actually fared worse in this year’s playoffs than the previous campaign – falling in the second round instead of the third – you can’t blame McDavid: his 1.67 points per game in the post-season were the most among NHLers who suited up in more than three contests.
>NO. 3:CHICAGO SAYS GOODBYE TO TOEWS AND KANE; WINS NHL DRAFT LOTTERY FOR BEDARD
FOR MORE THAN A decade, Chicago was led by franchise pillars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Along with a host of other stars (Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa and Brent Seabrook, for example), the Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups and reversed years, if not decades, of frustration for the fan base. But the end of the line was looking obvious for the cohort, and on Feb. 28, Chicago traded Kane to the New York Rangers for a couple of draft picks, AHLer Andy Welinski and the rights to Vili Saarijarvi. A little more than a month later, GM Kyle Davidson announced the team would not re-sign Toews this summer. That melancholy news was soon tempered for the fans, however, when the Hawks won the draft lottery, bestowing upon them the right to select phenom center Connor Bedard of the WHL’s Regina Pats. With the right supporting cast, Bedard has the talent to lift Chicago back up again in the future. As one era ends, another is set to begin.
>NO. 4: KESSEL BECOMES IRONMAN
PHIL KESSEL, ONE OF the most beloved and enigmatic personalities in the game, has already immortalized himself – but right now, he also owns one of the hardest-earned records in the game. On Oct. 25, Kessel suited up in his 990th consecutive NHL game, passing previous record-holder Keith Yandle (who had just supplanted Doug Jarvis the year prior). Playing for the Vegas Golden Knights, Kessel made the night even more special by scoring the 400th goal of his career in a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Kessel, whose wicked wrister and behind-the-scenes athletic feats are legendary among his fellow players, was a frequent scratch in the playoffs for the champion Golden Knights, but post-season games do not count toward the ironman mark.
>NO. 5: ULLMARK GOALIE GOAL/SEASON
UP UNTIL THE PLAYOFFS, when everything fell apart in the first round, the Boston Bruins were the toast of the NHL. The Presidents’ Trophy winners ran away with the regular season, and a big reason why was the breakout play of goaltender Linus Ullmark, who practically won the Vezina Trophy by February. Ullmark, who had always shown promise, became a wall for the Bruins. On top of his gaudy numbers (a .938 save percentage and only six regulation losses in 49 appearances), he even scored a goal for Boston against Vancouver in late February. Alas, Ullmark tried to play through injury in the first round against Florida, and the Panthers took advantage of that and other Boston misfires to upset the Bruins in seven games.
>NO. 6: SEATTLE POINTS LEAP
WHEN YOUR EXPANSION FOREBEARER from Vegas makes the Cup final in its first season, you know expectations will be a little wacky. Like a typical expansion team, the Seattle Kraken struggled in Year 1, mainly due to a league-worst team save percentage and because the team couldn’t score enough. But with an influx of talent this season, the Kraken set an NHL record for the biggest points leap by an expansion team in its second campaign. The Kraken ended up in the first Western wild-card slot with 100 points, after accruing just 60 points in 2021-22. That 40-point bump bested the New York Islanders, who made a 26-point leap in 1973-74. Led offensively by left winger Jared McCann and blueliner Vince Dunn, Seattle not only made the playoffs but beat the defending champs from Colorado in the first round.
>NO. 7: BRUCE, THERE HE WAS
WHEN VETERAN COACH BRUCE Boudreau was hired mid-season by the Canucks last year, Vancouver fans rejoiced – especially when the team got off to a hot start under the new bench boss. Chants of “Bruce, there it is!” became common at the rink, and though the Canucks still missed the playoffs, there was hope better things would come in 2022-23. Unfortunately for Vancouver, the Canucks got off to a rough start that included a shocking number of blown multi-goal leads, and while the players loved Boudreau, management had different ideas. GM Patrik Allvin announced the firing of Boudreau in late January, with former Arizona Coyotes bench boss Rick Tocchet taking over. In the lead-up to the dismissal, many fans and pundits believed the Canucks had left Boudreau twisting in the wind, and the coach got emotional in the days before his axing. At the least, the fans gave him one more “Bruce, there it is!” chant while he was still behind the bench.
>NO. 8:DIGITAL BOARD ADS
STILL TRYING TO FIND new revenue streams in an ever-changing media landscape, the NHL introduced “digitally enhanced dasherboards” to hockey broadcasts this season – and the rollout wasn’t smooth. Fans complained about how distracting the changing images on the boards were, and some even noted that viewers with epilepsy were at risk of seizures. But commissioner Gary Bettman was a big proponent, the technology improved as the season went along, and the innovation even got the NHL nominated for a Sports Emmy Award for technical achievement (they lost to Fox NFL Sunday). Love them or hate them, digital ads on the boards are here to stay.
>NO. 9: LETANG COMESBACK FROM STROKE
IT WAS A DOWN year for the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006, despite captain Sidney Crosby notching a point per game for the 18th year in a row (putting him one season behind record-holder Wayne Gretzky). The Pens fired GM Ron Hextall, and things were not fun in town, but at least there was one uplifting story: defenseman Kris Letang returning from a stroke, the second of his career. Letang missed five games after the scary incident, then came back on Dec. 10 to lead the Penguins in ice time, playing 22:14 in a win over the Buffalo Sabres. It was a heavy season overall for Letang, whose father passed away in January. But he had the support of his teammates, who travelled to Montreal for the wake and always had the defenseman’s back.
>NO. 10: BYE, BYE BERGERON
WHILE THERE WAS NO official announcement, it sure seemed like Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron had played his final NHL game when the Florida Panthers bounced his B’s in the first round of the playoffs. Bergeron had emotional interactions with his teammates on the ice, and for a player who has gone through so much in his career – from the concussions that almost ended his time early to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship to multiple Selke Trophies – it was understandable if the iconic center was hanging ’em up. Bergeron, a lifelong Bruin, will go down as one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards of all-time, perhaps even the best ever. ■