Every summer, NHL teams take their picks of the top prospects in the game. Today, the entry age is 18, but until 1979, the lower limit was 20. The reduction in the eligibility age resulted from the NHL-WHA merger since the WHA did not have a minimum draft age. The upstart league’s draft policy led to one of the most famous and unlikely examples of family member teammates.
Following the 1970-71 Gordie Howe retired afte
We hockey fans remember all too well the last time the Stanley Cup was not awarded. A decade later, the feelings of anger and betrayal are still very real to many. It is much less likely that the average fan could name the only other year since the inception of the trophy that no Stanley Cup champion was crowned. If you find yourself unable to do so, do not feel bad, because it was nearly a century ago, and the reason it happened makes the importance of the 2004-05 loc
There have been many clever and – ahem – interesting franchise proposals across the map of professional sports. Memphis once campaigned for an NFL team to be named the Hound Dogs in honor of its most famous resident. The Miami Marlins were almost named the Flamingos. And, would you believe that the NBA almost had a member franchise known as the Boston Unicorns? As creative and bizarre as some franchise proposals have been over the years, few can lay clai
Some players seem to spend more time in the penalty box than on the ice. Sometimes called enforcers, goons, or thugs, these players are generally known more for their physicality and fighting than for their scoring touch. However, there are exceptions to this, of which the most extreme may be Dave "Tiger" Williams. The all-time NHL career leader in penalty minutes, Williams led the league in PIM three times, and six times eclipsed 300 penalty minutes in a season. In 962 career gam
The history of top level North American professional sports is littered with the debris of numerous upstart leagues that burst onto the scene to challenge the “big kids” on the block. Some, most notably the American Football League, which accomplished a full merger with the NFL, have been quite successful, while others have disappeared after only a season or two, leaving little trace of their existence.
The success of such leagues can be measured in many d
“Do you believe in miracles? YES!” That iconic call from legendary broadcaster Al Michaels gave one of the most memorable moments in U.S. sports history its name: “The Miracle on Ice. Thanks to the Cold War and the animosity between the United States and the Soviet Union, many people in areas that barely knew the meaning of the word ice – and who certainly were not hockey fans – watched the game and can tell you exactly where they were when they heard that quote from Michaels. Ask
Most great players have at least one signature moment they are remembered for. Maurice Richard is remembered for his 50 goals in 50 games. Ray Bourque is remembered for jubilantly hoisting the Stanley Cup at the very end of his Hall of Fame career. Ken Dryden will always be remembered for leading his team to the Stanley Cup title and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy before his Calder winning rookie campaign. It is most unusual to find a case in which one of the greatest players in h
The annual NHL All-Star Game is a favorite event for many fans. The festivities span an entire weekend and include the Skills Competition, and in years past, a young stars game. The format has changed over the years – it began as a matchup between the reigning Stanley Cup champions and all-stars from the other teams, turned into a matchup between conferences, went through a stage when it was North America against the world, and now has the flavor of a pickup game where team captai
“An iron curtain has fallen across the continent.” Those words from Winston Churchill's “Sinews of Peace” speech introduced one of the most well-known terms of the Cold War era. The former British Prime Minister – then leader of the Opposition – spoke accurately of the iron curtain. In some ways, the curtain could be looked at as an actual physical object because of the border defenses set up between the nations of the Western and Eastern blocs.
The curtai
