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Did you know that you the Washington Capitals had the same amount of points as the Vegas Golden Knights who are in the Stanley Cup Finals? and the Kings would’ve finished in 7th if they were in the Atlantic Division
Last time someone scored a Game 1 Stanley Cup Finals goal this fast was 50 years ago. Nikolaj Ehlers just scored 2 goals in the first period of Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals. His first goal, coming just 25 seconds into the first period, is now the 3rd fastest goal in a game 1 in the Stanley Cup Finals after Reggie Leech (0:21, 1976) and Sid Smith (0:15, 1951). But he didn’t stop there; Ehlers also became only the second player in Stanley Cup Finals history to score 2 goals in the first period of Game 1. For 35 years, Al MacInnis stood alone. Tonight, Nikolaj Ehlers joined him. Not bad for his first Stanley Cup Finals Game.
Starting next season, the NHL is raising its salary cap from 95.5 Million to 104 million dollars. The maximum amount of money you can pay a player will go up to 20.8 million dollars. With the fast growth of hockey and the more talent coming into the league Gary Bettman has made the decision to raise the Cap. Hopefully the next change is the draft lottery.
On March 26 in 1997, the Hartford Whalers announced they were leaving Connecticut, ending their 23 year run in the NHL. They moved to what are the modern day Carolina Hurricanes. Despite strong fan support and loyalty, the team had struggled to gain local corporate support, and ultimately failed to reach an arena deal with the city. During their run in Hartford, the team made the playoffs 8 times, including 7 years in a row between the years of 1985-1992. Today, the team’s legacy stays alive through the Hurricane’s alternate jersey, which features the classic blue/green and is worn on their yearly Whalers Nights. While myself I never experienced watching the team, their legacy remains alive in the green/blue often seen at Hurricanes games, and you can still see calls to bring the team back all over the internet to this day.
71 years ago today, sixteen people were arrested from rioting in the streets over a hockey player. Maurice "Rocket" Richard, star player for the Montreal Canadiens, had been involved in a scrap four days earlier with the Boston Bruins. Hal Laycoe, the Bruins defenseman who had previously played for the Canadiens, high-sticked Richard in the head (a cut that required five stitches). A delayed penalty as the Canadiens had possession of the puck, when the play ended, Richard struck Laycoe in the face and shoulders with his stick. Even as Bruins linesman Cliff Thompson attempted to restrain him, he broke loose and punched Thompson unconscious. Clarence Campbell, NHL president at the time, responded to this incident by suspending Richard for the remainder of the season as well as the playoffs, which threatens the Canadiens' chance of winning the Stanley Cup as well as Richard's scoring title (a feat he never achieved in his NHL career) Around the NHL, players, owners and sportswriters were disgusted at the act and thought that the punishment should've been more severe. Future Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay is quoted saying "In baseball, football, or almost anything else that much would be almost automatic. I say they should have suspended him for life." Jack Adams, president of the Detroit Red Wings thought Richard should "be suspended until January 1 of next saeason." A Boston newspaper ran a story under the headline "Richard Goes Insane". Obviously, the suspension did not sit right with Canadiens fans. In fact, the decision took on a political overtone, a picture of the relations between the Quebecois and the English Canadians, the francophone star (Richard) at odds with the anglophone elite (Campbell), relations that would be a precursor to the ensuing Quiet Revolution that transformed Quebec in the 1960s. In his book, The Rocket: A Cultural History of Maurice Richard, Benoît Melançon compares Richard to Major League Baseball's Jackie Robinson by stating that both players represented the possibility for their minority groups to succeed in North America. However, really, what you are reading here for is the riot. Clarence Campbell, after getting numerous death threats by enraged fans, decided to attend a Red Wings-Canadiens game on March 17, 1955. As the puck dropped, garbage and food was pelted at him from the stands. A tear gas bomb set off in the arena and the Montreal Forum was evacuated. A riot ensued outside the Forum as fans smashed windows and overturned cars, some chanting "Down With Campbell". As the incident turned into national news, Richard had to make a statement, asking for peace and vowing to help the club to win the Cup next year. He proceeded to do just that, and then four more after. In short, the Richard Riot is a riot that changed both sports and politics, and as even bigger riots and civil unrest have happened in the NHL (just look over to Vancouver, twice), it undoubtedly had an effect on Montreal and Quebec as a whole, which really makes us remember how much sports has a hold on our lives.
You may know the Moncton Wildcats, once the junior team of Brad Marchand. But they were once an AHL team, the affiliate for NHL teams. After decades of teams in varying local leagues, Moncton would see its first AHL team, the New Brunswick Hawks. The Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs shared the Hawks from 1978 to 1982. During their 4 seasons in the AHL, they never finished lower than 2nd in their division. How did they do it? The following future NHL head coaches played on the Moncton Hawks for at least one season: Joel Quenneville, Darryl Sutter, Ron Wilson and Bruce Boudreau. In 79-80: Boudreau, Sutter and Wilson finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in points for the team. The Hawks won their division and marched all the way to the Calder Cup final, only to lose to the Hershey Bears in 6 games. Sutter won AHL Rookie of the Year for his efforts. After another good year in 80-81, the Hawks had moved on from all those future coaches I mentioned and brought in 2 players: Steve Larmer and Mike Kaszycki. They combined for 200 points in 81-82, and the Hawks were dominant. They cruised to a Calder Cup victory. Kaszycki’s 139 points in 95 regular and postseason games were a single-season record for the AHL. Only 7 players have matched it since. Orval Tessier coached that team, their 5th coach in 4 years. He went on to win the Jack Adams with Chicago and a Stanley Cup with the Avs in 2001 as a scout. Despite a Calder Cup victory, excellent fan support, and strong attendance, a dispute over the arena led to the partnership's collapse. Chicago left, and the Leafs moved the team to St. Catharines to be closer to the parent club. This team is now the Toronto Marlies, and the New Brunswick Hawks have as many Calder Cups as the Marlies do today. Thankfully, the Oilers swooped in and created the Moncton Alpines. Unfortunately, the Alpines weren’t good. They never made the playoffs, and attendance fell. From a hockey sense, the most notable part was the Messier family reunion. Mark Messier never played for the team, but his brother, Paul Messier, played a season with the team, and Mark’s father, Doug Messier, was the coach during the Alpines’ entire tenure in Moncton. That tenure lasted 2 years, from 1982-1984. The Oilers would move the team to Nova Scotia, ending another team’s time in Moncton. Once again, Moncton would not have to wait long for another AHL team to arrive, as the other Alberta-based NHL team saved the day, and the Moncton Golden Flames arrived in 1984 as the farm team for the Calgary Flames (and the Bruins starting in 1985). Multiple players from the 1989 Stanley Cup-winning squad played for the Golden Flames. Mike Vernon played 47 games, Gary Roberts put up 38 points in 38 games, Joel Otto put up 63 points in 56 games, and the head coach from 85-87 was Terry Crisp, who went on to be head coach of the 1989 Flames. This doesn’t even include Brett Hull, who scored 50 goals in the 86-87 season. Crisp also spoke very highly of Moncton, saying that he felt very welcomed. Overall, the Golden Flames were much better run than the Alpines. Attendance numbers jumped up, and the team made the playoffs more often than not. Sadly, that meant only 2 of their 3 years. They moved to Salt Lake, Utah, in 1987. The AHL was rapidly expanding, and the Hub of NB wasn’t catching up. Luckily, one more team would give Moncton a chance. The Winnipeg Jets brought back the Hawks. The Moncton Hawks had the perfect man to lead them: Rick Bowness. He guided the Hawks through a rough first season and a miraculous turnaround, narrowly missing the Calder Cup final. The Hawks consistently made the playoffs and kept up the tradition of serving as the farm team for future NHL head coaches. Dan Bylsma and Claude Julien both played games with the Hawks and won a Stanley Cup as head coaches. In 93-94, their final season, the Hawks went on a magical run. They started the season 10-19-1 in their first 30 games and still made the playoffs. In round 1, they faced the Saint John Flames, Calgary’s new affiliate and a fellow NB team. After going down 3-2 in the series, Moncton won game 6 2-1 and game 7 3-1, winning the series in 7. In round 2, they faced the St. John’s Leafs, Toronto’s new affiliate. The Hawks would barely avoid going down 3-1 in the series with an OT win in game 4, win game 5 5-0 and seal the series with a 5-4 win in game 6 to make it to the semi-final. They faced the Cornwall Aces and swept them with ease, setting up a Calder Cup final against the Portland Pirates, who were in their very first season. Once again, Moncton was in OT in game 4, down 2-1, but this time their opponent scored the winner, and Moncton eventually lost in 6 games. 2 weeks later, the team was dead. Moncton lost the logistics and finances needed to host an AHL team. The Moncton Coliseum still stands, and the AHL banners live in that old barn, but Moncton finally has that new arena, the Avenir Centre, where new hockey legends are made in the Hub.
In 1970 the NHL awarded teams to Vancouver British Columbia and Buffalo New York. Since these two teams introduction to the league the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabers have never won a Stanley Cup. Only being to the final a few times in their respective history. In 2011 the Vancouver Canucks who made all the way to game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals only to lose to the Boston Bruins sparking one of the biggest riots in Canadian history. And for the Buffalo Sabers they haven’t made the playoffs since 2011 and the last time they made the finals was in 1999 against the Dallas Stars.
