Category: The Greatest
-
10 greatest achievements by the first NHL expansion class
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the NHL’s first modern expansion class. That class consisted of the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and California Seals. Throughout those 50 years, these franchises have accomplished many impressive feats. This includes 22 Stanley Cup Final appearances and nine championships. Some teams…
-
10 greatest Bay Area-Cleveland Barons connections
For the third straight year, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are playing against each other in the NBA Final. Given the frequent play, the players on the two teams are very familiar with each other by now. The historic sports connections between the Bay Area of California and Cleveland, however, are not limited to this…
-
10 greatest Pittsburgh Penguins-Nashville Predators connections
This year’s Stanley Cup finalists, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, are located between eight and nine hours apart by car. By plane, that time shrinks to about an hour an a half. In terms of hockey, the distance between the teams seems even smaller, thanks to a number of Penguins-Predators common players. There are three…
-
10 greatest combined NHL-AHL playoff runs by one organization
To date, no professional hockey organization has combined for more than seven NHL and AHL playoff series wins in a single spring. The last of three dual Calder Cup-Stanley Cup triumphs occurred one year before the top development circuit first used the full-fledged, four-round, 16-team tournament. Out of the first 20 of those coinciding four-round…
-
10 greatest NHL conference finals of all time
The 35th pair of NHL conference finals commences this weekend, with the Nashville Predators becoming the 28th all-time franchise to participate in at least one such round. Of the first 68 playoff series of this kind, 17 have required a seventh game. Of those 17, all but two have seen each team hold at least…
-
10 greatest NHL playoff series OT clinchers since ’67
The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs have already sent thousands to work with little sleep after featuring a record number of overtime games in the first round. From the lowest-ranking fourth liner to the franchise star, every single player on a roster spends some time visualizing their effort to score an OT goal to win a playoff…
-
10 greatest players to come through the Albany Devils, River Rats
Albany Devils fans will take in Thursday night’s Calder Cup playoff opener knowing that their city’s AHL days are numbered. With New Jersey moving its top development base to Binghamton, and with no immediate replacement lined up for New York’s capital city, those fans will lack a local pro team for the first time in…
-
10 greatest players to come through the Alaska Aces
The Alaska Aces had a Hartford Whalers-esque finish to a somewhat similar chronicle this past Saturday. The franchise had spent two-plus decades operating in multiple leagues, under multiple datelines and under the same nickname before financial constraints, among other factors, precipitated its demise. No longer a sustainable operation as the Last Frontier’s lone representative, the playoff…
-
The 10 greatest Chicago Blackhawks NCAA alumni
The 2017 Frozen Four will take place at the United Center, home of the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago currently has eight NCAA alumni on its roster, and has had many players make an impact after playing college hockey over the course of its history. NCAA alums have been significant contributors to the Blackhawks. It appears that this trend…
-
The 10 Greatest Video Games Named After NHL Teams
Hey, readers. How’s life? Enjoying the stretch run in the NHL? Lots of playoff intrigue this year! Isn’t it the greatest time of the NHL season? Before you say anything, please note that I don’t care about your answer. I’m just making small talk to distract you from the fact I’m playing Breath of the…