The Hockey News

Vegas is your Stanley Cup champion! We celebrate the Golden Knights' historic victory, as well and the title runs for teams across the world in our Champions Issue. Also inside: 31 break-out players to watch next season, the future of NHL expansion and much more.

HOCKEY IS FOR EVERYWHERE

MASTHEAD

CHAMPIONS OF THE OTTAWA SENATORS SALE

THE DESTINATION CONVERSATION • Don’t look now, but another round of NHL expansion may be in the cards before too long. Just don’t expect Team 33 or 34 to be headed north of the border

BEHIND THE MASK

JERSEY HOUND

STEAL-O-METER • Advanced stats help us to better measure greatness. Take Goals Saved Above Average, which shows how many goals a netminder prevented compared to the league average. These are the top playoff performers since 2008, when GSAA was born

IN THE CARDS

THE COUNTDOWN • Thoughts shift to the Canadiens, Oilers and Islanders when considering all-time playoff success, but no one tops this year’s champs from Vegas

PUCK CULTURE • R-Rated comedies don't usually get the merchandise deals of, say, a Star Wars film. So, it is understandable why Slap Shot never had its own trading card set. But there are a few hockey cards out there that would make for an excellent Slap Shot card collection. Here are 10 of the best.

THN AWARDS • We asked a cross-section of hockey experts to give us their top five in our annual award categories. Here’s what their collective consciousness delivered

ARITHMETIC ACCOLADES • Using a player-evaluation model reveals some interesting results in the end-of-year NHL awards

TOP 10 NHL MOMENTS OF 2022-23 • THE 2022-23 SEASON SAW THE STANLEY CUP MAKE ITS WAY TO LAS VEGAS FOR THE FIRST TIME. BUT THAT WASN’T THE ONLY HIGHLIGHT OF ANOTHER THRILLING NHL CAMPAIGN. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF GOODBYES – FROM THE EVER-POPULAR BOUDREAU IN VANCOUVER TO FRANCHISE ICONS KANE AND TOEWS IN CHICAGO TO (POTENTIALLY) BERGERON IN BOSTON. THERE WAS TRIBULATION, THEN TRIUMPH. AND ONE BURGEONING SUPERSTAR HAD HIS NHL FUTURE DECIDED. HERE ARE THE TOP 10 MOMENTS OF THE 2022-23 NHL SEASON

JUST A STONE’S THROW AWAY • VEGAS HAS BEEN AN OUTLIER FROM DAY 1. BUT WHILE THE ORIGINAL ‘GOLDEN MISFITS’ HAD AN UNPRECEDENTED DEBUT SEASON, AND SOME SUBSEQUENT SQUADS CAME CLOSE, THE TEAM NEEDED SOME ESTABLISHED STARS TO TRULY PUT IT OVER THE TOP. AND ONCE NEW PILLARS STONE AND EICHEL ARRIVED IN TOWN, THERE WAS NO DENYING THE KNIGHTS FROM REACHING THEIR GOLDEN MOMENT

CUP IN PHOTOS: GAME 1

CUP IN PHOTOS: GAME 2

CUP IN PHOTOS: GAME 3

CUP IN PHOTOS: GAME 4

CUP IN PHOTOS: GAME 5

FIRST-TIME JITTERS • TEAM CANADA’S ROSTER DIDN’T CARRY MUCH EXPERIENCE INTO THIS YEAR’S WORLDS, BUT THE EXPECTATIONS WERE STILL PLENTY HIGH. AND DESPITE A BRIEF SCARE, IT ALL WORKED OUT IN THE END

AMERICAN COMEBACK STORY • NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE: TEAM USA RALLIED AGAINST RIVAL CANADA TO TAKE GOLD AT THE WOMEN’S WORLDS

‘SKATE FAST, SHOOT HARD’ • SEEMS SIMPLE, RIGHT? THAT MANTRA HAS PUSHED ETHEN FRANK THROUGHOUT HIS (SHORT) HOCKEY CAREER. AND NOW HE CAN ADD ‘CALDER CUP CHAMPION’ TO HIS LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM FOR THE SIX • IN YEAR 3 OF ITS EXISTENCE, TORONTO ENDED THE ‘CURSE’ AND CLAIMED THE ISOBEL CUP

VISIONS OF GREATNESS • CLARK HAS NEVER EXACTLY BEEN SHORT ON PLAUDITS. BUT SHE STILL NEEDED TO OVERCOME NEGATIVE SELF-TALK AND SPEND TIME PICTURING HER IDEAL FUTURE TO SPUR TEAM HARVEY’S TO A SECRET CUP

REMPARTS RULE THE ROOST • ROY’S BOYS MADE SURE HIS TIME AS REMPARTS COACH ENDED THE SAME WAY IT BEGAN, AS THE QMJHL ONCE AGAIN CLIMBED TO THE TOP AT THE MEMORIAL CUP

TRIPLE THREAT • Alberta’s Bandits ride ‘huge’ wave of support to unprecedented third straight Centennial Cup title

TAPPARA ON TOP • FOR...