The Hockey News Champions Issue 2019

PERFECT STORMS ARE SO 2000. By definition, they’re meant to be rare, yet they arise in our exchanges daily, overused and abused, literally, ironically and tragically. Give me a break. Give me an imperfect storm. Give me 1992-93. In this issue, in which we toast champions and identify the best seasons for each NHL team (pg. 14), I’m saluting the most wonderfully irregular and entertaining NHL year in my lifetime, 1992-93. The NHL’s 76th year was one of experimentation, great successes and spectacular failures. There was expansion and relocation. Veterans, rookies and teams were making history for offense and awfulness. Scandals erupted. Davids took down Goliaths. A savior got traded. Twice. At the same time. A woman tended goal. And one icon accomplished a feat so rare, unique and unreal, it…

Dear readers, NHL Rule 84 pertains to overtime. The Hockey News’ new Rule 84 also pertains to overtime. We’ve increased our content in rapid and record fashion, causing the editorial team to work overtime to fill these bright and new exciting pages. And in addition to the content you read in the magazine, the editorial team posts in excess of 84 pages worth of stories every month at TheHockeyNews.com to help you deepen your knowledge of the game. Eighty-four is significant for a host of other reasons. Among them: it’s the name of a town in Pennsylvania, it’s the atomic number of polonium, it’s the international code for direct-dial phone calls to Vietnam, and it’s the number years it takes Uranus to orbit the sun. But most significantly in our world, 84 is now…

NEW JERSEY DEVILS GM Ray Shero is in an enviable position: armed with the No. 1 selection in the 2019 NHL draft, he gets to decide whether Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko will wear his franchise’s sweater next season. And thanks to some lottery luck, it’s the second time in three years Shero has been in this situation. Shero and the Devils also had the first overall pick in 2017, opting for Swiss sensation Nico Hischier over Canadian two-way center Nolan Patrick. Hischier burst onto the mainstream hockey scene at the world juniors that year as a one-man offensive attack for Switzerland. Thanks to his devastating speed and talent, the young pivot nearly pulled off a quarterfinal upset of Team USA by himself. And while the Americans eventually prevailed 3-2, Hischier…

HLINKA-GRETZKY CUP The pre-season under-18 showdown has been a great kickoff event in recent years. While Canada won gold again, Swedish defenseman Philip Broberg burst onto the scene with his mobility and offensive prowess, and Russian power forward Vasili Podkolzin tied for the tournament lead in scoring. WORLD JUNIORS Finland nabbed gold in Vancouver, but it was a couple of Russians who saw their stock spike thanks to their play. Speedy right winger Kirill Slepets was a constant scoring threat, while under-the-radar Pyotr Kochetkov earned Top Goalie honors. Both had been passed over in the draft, but that won’t happen again. WORLD UNDER-18s While Team USA fell short of its annual gold-medal goal, two of its top forwards went off in Sweden. Jack Hughes and Cole Caufield combined for 38 points in seven games, proving…

IS TOMMY HAWK THE NHL’s most controversial mascot today? It seems he can’t escape making news no matter what he does. Sure, he checks all the regular mascot boxes. Since debuting for the Blackhawks at the United Center in 2001-02, he’s become known for firing the T-shirt cannon and walking around the United Center before and during games, interacting with fans. But Tommy takes the mascot gig to an extreme level. He once went skydiving wearing his full costume, and he’s not one to back down from a fight. A fan attacked him on the concourse immediately following a December 2018 home game against the Winnipeg Jets. Tommy fought back and then some, body-slamming the fan and raining punches down on him while an onlooker took a video that quickly went viral.…

THE SPECIAL MILITARY TRIBUTE jersey has been a staple at the Memorial Cup since 2008, and this year’s host from Halifax used their opportunity to honor the Nova Scotia Highlanders, one of only two units from the Maritimes to participate in the Second World War’s Normandy Invasion. The crest on the front of the Mooseheads’ sweater is the hat badge worn by the Highlanders, and while the Mooseheads usually wear red and green, the blue and white of the Nova Scotia flag looks pretty sharp in this iteration. As usual, the jerseys were auctioned off, with this year’s proceeds going to the Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund.…