@FlameRaptorRaven

3mo

Linked Forever

On October 5th, 2005, 2 rookies were expected to carry the NHL’s next generation. In a rare situation, 2 1st overall picks made their debut on the same night. Alex Ovechkin, the 1st overall pick in the 2004 draft and Sidney Crosby, the 1st overall pick in 2005, right after a lockout that cancelled an entire season. All these years later, it is safe to say they exceeded those lofty expectations. This is game #100 between the pair and their legacies are linked forever beyond just being #1 picks. Crosby and Ovechkin became the best players of their generation. They’re both top 10 all time in points and have captained their respective teams to Stanley Cups. Fittingly, each time these rivals have faced each other in the playoffs, the winner has gone on to win the Stanley Cup. Crosby and the Pens beat Ovi and the Caps in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Ovi and the Caps beat them in 2018. In the regular season: Crosby has the advantage, this loss makes their head-to-head record 43-28-4 against Ovi. It’s the NHL’s equivalent of Magic and Bird or Messi and Ronaldo. The greatest player rivalry the sport has ever seen.

PIT0

3WAS

6.6•2 fans average

Replies:

The Streak Continues

Teams to score first in a game that clinches the Stanley Cup are a mind-boggling 35-0 since 1988, including this game where Taylor Hall scored the first goal of the game (although you probably knew Carolina scored the first goal of this game considering it was a shutout. There have been some very wonderful players to put in this first clinching goal. Glenn Anderson, who is especially known for being a money player, scored the first goal in the 1990 SCF for the Edmonton Oilers. Jaromir Jagr scored the first goal in the 1992 SCF to lift the Penguins over the Blackhawks. To end the New York Rangers' long drought, hall-of-famer Brian Leetch scored the first goal in the 1994 SCF. Uwe Krupp scored the only goal in the 1996 SCF in triple overtime to lift the newly-minted Avalanche over the Panthers. 12x All Star Nicklas Lidstrom scored the first goal in the '97 Stanley Cup. Devils legend Scott Niedermayer's short-handed goal was the first in the '00 Stanley Cup. Skipping a bit to the 2010s, future HOFer Patrice Bergeron scored the first goal in that infamous 2011 SCF. KINGS LEGEND DUSTIN BROWN scored the first goal in 2012. Justin Williams in 2014 got both the goal AND the Conn Smythe. This pattern continued with Duncan Keith in 2015. Brian Dumoulin is the active player with the oldest goal in 2016 with the Penguins. Factor (Ryan O'Reilly) had the Smythe and the goal in 2019 for St. Louis as they won their first cup. Brayden Point led the Lightning in playoff scoring with his goal adding to that wondrous pandemic amount in 2020. Ross Colton is the same as Uwe Krupp, the lone goal to win it in 2021. Mark Stone (who YOU saw in THIS game) did it in 2023. Finally, Sam Reinhart's FOUR goals in 2025, including the first, helped Florida win in game 6 of the 2025 SCF. What a list, amirite???

@rafiki

9.3

The "Most Boring Final in NHL History" is ANYTHING but that!

Mitch Marner's performance in Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final was one for the history books. During the second period, Marner's three-goal, natural hat trick came in just 6:10, making it the fastest hat trick ever recorded in a Stanley Cup Final. It was also the first hat trick scored in a Stanley Cup Final outside the opening period and only the third single-period hat trick in SCF history. Marner added an assist during the frame, giving him a total of four points for the period. The last player to record four points in a Stanley Cup Final period was Frank Foyston, who tallied three goals and an assist for the Seattle Metropolitans in Game 3 of the 1919 Stanley Cup Final. That series is remembered for a much different reason, though: after five games, Seattle and Montreal were tied at two wins apiece with one tie, and the deciding game was canceled due to the Spanish flu pandemic. As a result, no Stanley Cup champion was crowned, making 1919 the only Stanley Cup Final ever left unfinished. To this day, the Stanley Cup bears the inscription, "Series Not Completed." But Carolina was ready with some history of their own, and the Hurricanes' comeback was nearly as remarkable as Marner's historic period. Carolina scored three goals in just 39 seconds to erase a four-goal deficit, breaking the previous Stanley Cup Final record of 56 seconds set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1954. The Hurricanes also became just the second team in NHL history to tie a Stanley Cup Final game after trailing by four goals, joining the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the 1972 Final against the Boston Bruins. According to Andrei Svechnikov, the turnaround began during the second intermission. "To be honest, it was kind of quiet a little bit," Svechnikov said. "Roddy came out and gave us a little speech and we knew what we had to do" (NewsObserver). Between Marner's historic hat trick and Carolina's record-breaking rally, Game 3 became one of the most statistically remarkable contests ever played in a Stanley Cup Final. Quote Source: https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article316032823.html

@rafiki

8.5

25 Seconds. 50 Years. Nikolaj Ehlers.

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. **Repost so it's on the actual game**