Category: The Greatest

Editor’s note: Throughout November, Pucks and Recreation looks back on each NHL franchise’s most memorable season within the minor-league ranks alone. We split our capsules by division, continuing this week with the Metropolitan Division. All statistics are according to the Internet Hockey Database. Carolina/Hartford: 1990-91 After winning the 1990 Calder Cup as an Islanders affiliate,…

Editor’s note: Throughout November, Pucks and Recreation looks back on each NHL franchise’s most memorable season within the minor-league ranks alone. We split our capsules by division, beginning this week with the Atlantic Division. All statistics are according to the Internet Hockey Database. Boston: 1998-99 Other Bruins affiliates, including some in New England, had previously…

Though limited in outstanding on-ice alums, St. Lawrence hockey is one of the game’s greatest cradles for coaches and executives. Its own women’s program has savored ample success from those gifts, as have several intrastate rivals and NHL franchises. Besides the Saints, five other Empire State entities have noticeably benefited from a St. Lawrence-educated hockey…

Wednesday was not only Game 2 of the Red Sox-Dodgers World Series, but also the anniversary of a noteworthy trade in Boston-Los Angeles hockey history. And there have been quite a few of those. On Oct. 24, 2001, the Bruins and Kings flipped two players apiece. Three of those four players made a prompt, noteworthy…

Moby-Dick hit bookshelves for the first time 167 years ago Thursday. Little could Herman Melville have known the ways whaling would infuse American culture a century later. On his side of the Atlantic, his novel’s tentative British-issue title, The Whale, is an affectionate, though contradictory synonym for a bygone NHL brand. According to the Internet…

Nearly a decade has passed since Dany Heatley broke up the Ottawa Senators Pizza Line. But because the start of hockey season coincides with National Pizza Month, it is hard to forget this unit. Following the 2004-05 lockout and a trade from Atlanta, Heatley teamed with Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza. For the better part…

The 51st national final in NCAA men’s hockey history represented the ultimate intersection of outstanding senior classes. Except whereas one of those classes was a set of seniors at the moment, the other was setting its tone. On one side, Michigan was capping a run of four consecutive Frozen Four appearances. On the other, Boston…

As Year 19 in NCAA women’s hockey history begins, eight Clarkson seniors are subject to scrutiny. Where four other graduating classes fell short, the fourth-year Golden Knights have a chance to match the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs of 2003. Although other classes at other schools have won three national titles in four seasons, a pure hat trick is a…

John Tavares is one of two first-overall NHL draft picks born on Sept. 20. He will also soon be among those who did not stay with the franchise that selected them. In the Amateur/Entry Draft era, Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux stands out among legends who spent their career with one organization. Fellow top choices Gilbert Perreault…

The Hershey Bears have a collection of banners and legends to rival almost any Original Six NHL franchise. But like any succesful minor-league franchise, they have also let a few legends get away to the top level. In all but seven of their first 80 seasons, the Bears have partnered with at least one NHL team.…