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There’s an unfamiliar smell in the NHL’s air, and it’s not just the result of Bill Daly’s dairy-heavy breakfast – the league is experiencing a changing of the guard.
The list of Stanley Cup champions between 2007 and 2022 includes the Avs, Caps, Pens, Blues, Kings, Ducks, Bruins, Blackhawks, Red Wings, and Lightning. None of them are alive for 2023’s crowning achievement.
Half of this assembly didn’t make the playoffs and the half that did died in April. With the remaining eight – the Devils, Oilers, Stars, Kraken, Panthers, Hurricanes, Golden Knights, and Maple Leafs – we are guaranteed a winner who has never won before or hasn’t since the invention of smartphones.
The Maple Leafs are holders of a notorious drought that spans back to 1967, George Bush was president when the Oilers were champions, and George W. Bush was in his first term when the Devils last ruled the hockey world. The lone title for the Lone Star team was before the turn of the millennium. Florida is Cup-less in its 28-completed campaigns, and Vegas and Seattle are the league’s modern expansion babies. Among these eight, there have been just three Stanley Cup Finals appearances in the previous 16 postseasons.
These candidates for the upcoming Cup aren’t all amateurs at this time of year, though. Carolina has the most recent championship among the first-round advancers, defeating the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, Edmonton’s last trip to the ultimate series. Dallas and Vegas have both represented the West in the Finals since 2018. New Jersey, Edmonton, and Toronto have 21 titles among them.
But there are no Penguins, no Lightning, and no Avalanche. The Bruins, who had the most points ever in an NHL regular season and have played in three Stanley Cup Finals dating back to 2011, couldn’t survive the first stage of the playoffs. We’ve entered territory unseen for well over a decade.
The NHL can be a fickle beast, though it often comes with a set of franchises that cycle as the dominant heads of the league for a prolonged period. Those teams phase out, upcome the fresh faces who become the old stasis, and the cycle repeats. You won’t see Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, or Steven Stamkos lift this Cup toward the heavens, but you might catch Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, or Jack Hughes cement themselves among that glorified group of the game’s greatest.
Change comes, wanted or not, churning through time at varying paces and intensities. It’s a fact of life. There is permanence to nothing. Not people, not places, and certainly not hockey teams.
It’s a beautiful thing, change. It ensures variety. It encourages adapters to reign and still-standers’ pain. It enforces an opportunity for something better.
Not all change is good nor should be celebrated, but that it happens is non-negotiable. The transfer of power in the NHL is bad only to partisans – for others, it offers one of the most interesting times to watch the sport.
There’s intrigue in dynasties. Their greatness is awesome, and their feats feel superhuman. But the excitement for their toppling, the question of the crescendo, is the source of most drama while a dynastic force presses down on the sport. Once that inquisition is answered, the true fun may begin.
The fingers of Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Nathan McKinnon have grown heavier since the Lightning and Avalanche staked their claims in the early part of the 2020s. Their names are now spoken with a different tone within hockey circles. We know the players who imprinted themselves in the 2010s, and they have the same esteem surrounding them.
An opening has appeared for a novel team and crop of young stars to crown themselves as oligarchs of the new decade. Who will reach out and seize it?
NHL FAQs
How do you play NHL Survivor Pool?
In an NHL survivor pool, members choose one team from the Saturday games (or games for that week). Each team can only be picked once throughout the season. If they win, the member moves on to the next week. If they lose, the member is eliminated. The last member standing is the winner.
What is NHL Survivor Pool?
In an NHL survivor pool, each member picks one NHL team to win for the week. Each team can only be chosen once during the season. If their pick wins, the member moves on to the following week. If they do not win, the member is disqualified. The last one standing wins.
How to make an NHL pool?
You can just use a hockey pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you! Just sign up to create your own pool, customize your pool settings and invite your friends to play!
How do you play NHL Pick'em Pool?
In NHL Pick'em pools, members will pick the winner of games. The pool commissioner has options to have members pick all games or a specific amount. For each correct pick during regular season, members receive one point. The person with the most points at the end of season wins. Administrators can choose to have 'best bet' picks or 'confidence' points as well.
What is NHL Pick'em Pool?
NHL Pick'em pools have members select the outright winner of each game. The specific amount of games picked is up to the pool commissioner. For every correct pick, members receive one point. These pools typically end in the regular season, as the person with the most points wins. Also, commissioners can choose to have 'confidence' points or 'best bet ' picks.
How to set up an NHL pool?
To set up an NHL pool, you'll need to first choose a pool type like Survivor or Pick'em. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As pool commissioner, you'll enforce these rules and make sure the game runs smoothly throughout the season. Many commissioners use pool hosting sites like RunYourPool to make it easier and more engaging.
How to run a weekly NHL pool?
In order to run an NHL pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
How do you play NHL Playoff Pools Power Ranking?
To play in an NHL Playoffs Power Ranking Pool, you need to assign a point value to each NHL team from highest (16) to lowest (1). When a team wins, they receive points based on the number you assigned to them! The member with the most points at the end of the playoffs wins.
What is NHL Playoff Pools Power Ranking?
An NHL Playoff Power Ranking Pool involves all members ranking all 16 NHL teams competing in the NHL Playoffs from strongest (16 points) to weakest (1 point). Members are awarded the number of points assigned to an NHL team when that team wins!
How to run an NHL pool?
How you decide to run a hockey pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
