The Hockey News

BARRING AN UNFORESEEN SWING in fortunes, the order of playoff teams in the Central Division was already set by mid-March. The Winnipeg Jets had a nice little cushion as the No. 1 seed, while injuries to Minnesota and reinforcements in Colorado and Dallas meant that the Avalanche and Stars were close to a lock as first-round playoff opponents. That’s right: two of the biggest winners of the NHL trade deadline were on an early collision course. The fact that Mikko Rantanen is now a member of the Stars instead of the Avs makes the matchup delicious, but it would also rob the field of a legit Stanley Cup contender in the first round. The same can be said in the Atlantic Division, where one of Florida, Toronto or Tampa Bay is…

LINKEDIN.COM/IN/ROUSTAN FATHER FRANK PORTELLI OF St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica in Toronto preached in a mid-March Sunday mass essentially saying Canadians are polite and respectful people, and while we are under attack by the American president, Canadian citizens must stand strong together and remember that we are also citizens of heaven. Canadians are often teased about how polite we all are to everyone. I am afraid that Canadian politeness toward each other has diminished recently, as I have seen some impolite comments from some Canadians against one Canadian, the ‘Great One.’ Wayne Gretzky has politely and respectfully accepted every invitation of every prime minister of Canada and president of the United States from any political party since the 1980s, except when it conflicts with a family event. He politely accepts invitations to more than…

AMONG ALL THE AWARDS the NHL gives to its players, the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the playoffs might be the most underappreciated. It’s certainly the most unique. Its design is awesome – even though it looks like you could take your eye out with that thing if you don’t handle it properly – and it’s the only individual bauble that gets presented to the sweaty winner in the moment, right on the ice. Unless, of course, you’re so understandably distraught at losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, as Connor McDavid was last spring when he declined to come out to receive it. But there’s something unique and incredibly lasting about being judged to be the best player in the best league in the world at…

WITH SAM MONTEMBEAULT BEING born and bred in Quebec, his hockey heroes weren’t so much chosen as preordained. Growing up a goaltender, it bordered on compulsory for Montembeault to lionize Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and Carey Price. And with the help of Jordon Bourgeault of JBo Airbrush, Montembeault has brought those Canadiens crease giants into the future. This cyborg-head design, a nod to a former Price motif, cobbles together pieces of the iconic fiberglass masks worn by Plante and Dryden, with intricate wiring connecting to circuit-board messages that pay homage to Canadiens history. On the left jawline, “1993” is displayed in honor of Montreal’s most recent Stanley Cup victory, while “1909” on the opposite side honors the franchise’s founding. On the right panel is the longest message: “To…

EMO IS HAVING A moment in hockey. The oft-derided subgenre of punk is old enough to inspire nostalgia, and several teams have had fun with that recently. Vegas hosted ‘Emo Knight’ early in the season, with classic bands Saves the Day and Senses Fail in attendance. The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters also made an Emo jersey but didn’t wear it during the game. Hartford took the next step and actually played in their Emo sweater, which, of course, was black. The skull and heart secondary crests are a great touch, and the fonts certainly fit the brief. Now all we need is for the Winnipeg Jets to do a Morrissey/Josh Morrissey night.…

TOPPS DOES NOT HAVE the license to make NHL trading cards, but since 2019-20, it has issued a set of stickers and an accompanying album. For 2024-25, Topps has increased the size of its annual NHL Sticker Collection from 685 to 800, making it the largest set of hockey stickers to date. Old-school fans will appreciate that All-Star stickers are designed to look like the 1974-75 Topps and O-Pee-Chee sets, while Rookie Stickers resemble the iconic ‘Gretzky rookie card design’ of the 1979-80 sets. Packs include four regular stickers and one silver foil sticker. Blue foil parallels (serial numbered out of 100) are found one in every 25 packs, red foil parallels (numbered out of 10) are found one in every 250 packs, while the elusive gold foil parallels (numbered…