This spring has shaped up to be totally different than last spring for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last season was just the third time in the franchise history of the Lightning that they tallied more than 100 points. But in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Lightning were swept by the Montreal [...]
Sidney Crosby Since center Sidney Crosby was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, the fortunes of the franchise have drastically changed. Crosby has helped the Penguins transform into one of the elite teams in the National Hockey League. And with Crosby leading the way, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2009. [...]
The past few seasons have seen the mere presence of the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs put fear into teams. In 2012, the Kings survived several coaching changes to make the postseason as the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. But the Kings didn't follow the script that year as [...]
There's no debating the talent of the Washington Capitals as they are one of the more talented teams in the National Hockey League. But just because the Capitals are a talented team doesn't mean that they've been consistently victorious. Two years ago the Capitals were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but [...]
The New York Rangers found out the hard way about the value of having a good goalie. Rangers starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist has not played since February 2 as he has been dealing with a neck injury. The injury to Lundqvist appeared to be set to leave the Rangers at a clear disadvantage until the [...]
The 13 Stanley Cup Championships that have been won by the Toronto Maple Leafs are second most in National Hockey League history behind the Montreal Canadiens. But 1967 was when the Maple Leafs won their last title and unfortunately for the franchise it is now nothing but a distant memory. Over the last decade the [...]
Claude Julien Under head coach Claude Julien, the Boston Bruins have been a consistent title contender. Julien has been the Bruins head coach since 2007 and with him the Bruins have made the playoffs every season which was highlighted by them hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2011. But this season has been a little [...]
There is nothing quite like rivalries in the world of sports as they ignite fan bases while bringing out the best in teams. The New York Islanders came into existence as a National Hockey League franchise in 1972 and in the process they infringed on the domain of the New York Rangers. Since their inception [...]
Fifteen months ago wasn't a good time to be Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos. Stamkos suffered a broken tibia last November in a game against the Boston Bruins. The injury kept Stamkos out of action for four months and it also denied him the opportunity to play for his native Canada in the 2014 [...]
Rick Nash When the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted left winger Rick Nash with the first overall pick of the 2002 National Hockey League Draft, he was looked at as a building block for their club. The Blue Jackets didn't begin playing in the NHL until 2000 and like most expansion teams they struggled [...]