The Hockey News

THERE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN a theme to this NHL season, and it’s something along the lines of “The Bruins are inevitable.” Boston has put together one of the most impressive campaigns in living memory, ignoring early-season injuries and making deft personnel moves to become a juggernaut that has ruled the league from post to post. So it goes without saying that we are picking the B’s to win the Stanley Cup (Jared Clinton has more on pg. 44), but at the same time, it’s only fair to point out that Boston’s one disadvantage heading into the post-season is the first trophy they have earned this year: the Presidents’ Trophy. Yes, the chalice that denotes the regular-season champion has been a cursed object in the NHL; not that any team has rejected it…

THE WINNER OF THE sale process for the Ottawa Senators will get much more than the business asset. The real prize here is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and experience to be a steward of hockey for a relatively short period of time in Canada’s national capital. When people speak of the “Original Six,” as I have done before as well, they are typically referring to the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Well, we are all wrong. The real “Original Six” dates back to 1917 and includes the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas and Quebec Bulldogs. It was the Boston Bruins who entered the NHL in 1924 as the first team from the U.S., which rounded out the real Original…

THE HOCKEY WORLD IS a small place. Forget about six degrees of separation. By the time most guys get to the NHL, one or two is enough to make a connection. And so it was when Tom Poti of the Washington Capitals tripped up R.J. Umberger of the Philadelphia Flyers at 4:15 of the first overtime period in Game 7 of their Round 1 series on the night of April 22, 2008. The second that Paul Devorski’s hand went up to call a tripping penalty, he knew it would potentially have an enormous impact on two people. One of them was Bruce Boudreau, the Capitals’ first-year coach, who also happened to live on the same street as Devorski in Harrisburg, Pa. The other was George McPhee, the Capitals GM, who was…

SCOTT WEDGEWOOD >DALLAS STARS DEBATE AMONG YOURSELVES WHERE Scott Wedgewood falls on the scale of “cool but rude” to “party dude,” but not up for discussion is the fact the Dallas Stars netminder’s mask takes the cake – or pizza? – when it comes to incorporating 1990s nostalgia. Wedgewood’s helmet pays tribute to his childhood heroes in half shells, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with designs from the original TV series, including a nod to Jacques Plante-style mask-wearing antihero Casey Jones. Sure, being named after iconic Renaissance artists is cool, but Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo would probably be oozing with pride over their spot in an NHL crease.…

UTICA COMETS >2022-23 WE’RE LIVING IN A golden era for throwback jerseys. The concept is well-worn enough to be ubiquitous, and yet most teams have enough history now to really nail their looks. Such is the case with the AHL’s Utica Comets, who’ve thrown it back to the late 1980s/early ’90s, when the Utica Devils served as New Jersey’s farm team. You have to love it when an affiliate riffs off the big club’s logo (the Providence Bruins and old Binghamton Whalers are also great examples), and since New Jersey has brought back the red and green recently, it only makes sense for Utica to do the same. The Comets smashed it out of the park with this edition.…

UPPER DECK’S NATIONAL HOCKEY Card Day returns on April 15, when fans can get free packs of hockey cards from participating shops across North America. Upper Deck has run the program in Canada since 2009 and in the U.S. since 2012, with each country getting its own unique set. This year will be different, as the giveaway cards will be the same on both sides of the border. The set will also be larger than usual, growing from 16 to 31 player cards, plus a checklist. Five-card packs are free and contain cards of players such as Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Cale Makar and Owen Power, with team mascots, Victory Black Rookies and autographed cards randomly inserted. A special ‘Rookie Moments’ Matty Beniers card can be acquired with a $10…