Nikolaj Ehlers brought the home crowd at the Lenovo Center to its feet as he gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead just 25 seconds into the first period of Game 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights. It's tied for the eighth-fastest goal ever scored in a Stanley Cup Final game, and the third-fastest to lead off a series, per the NHL record book.
NIKOLAJ EHLERS NETS THE FIRST GOAL OF THE #STANLEYCUP FINAL 🤯
He opens the scoring for the @Canes just 25 SECONDS into the game! 🌪️
After establishing himself as a team leader and playing the best hockey of his career, it's no surprise that Dan Vladar and the Philadelphia Flyers have been equally receptive towards a contract extension.
Vladar, 28, bet on himself last offseason when he signed a two-year, $6.7 million contract ($3.35 million AAV) with the Flyers, willingly entering an open competition with incumbent Sam Ersson for the starting role.
The Czech netminder asserted himself from Day 1 and finished the 2025-26 season with a 29-14-7 record, a 2.42 GAA, and .906 save percentage, marking or tying career-highs across the board while playing in 52 games.
Vladar was even better in the playoffs, going 4-6-0 with a 2.18 GAA, .922 save percentage, and two shutouts--two more shutouts than he had in the entire regular season.
This is all to say that the Flyers have stumbled upon a starting-caliber goalie in Vladar on a relatively cheap prove-it deal, and the next step from here is a longer, more lucrative contract.
Both the player and the team want to make it happen, and it certainly seems as though it will in the very near future.
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman via The FAN Hockey Show, Vladar's contract extension with the Flyers is "pretty much done."
"Vladar, I think it's pretty much done. He's got a five-year extension done in Philly. They can't announce it, can't do anything until July 1st officially, but you're allowed to talk to the player."
Even the most ardent Vladar supporters can recognize the inherent risk in handing out a big five-year extension to a goalie coming off a great season after a bunch of average-to-below-average ones, but the Flyers aren't in a position to do otherwise.
Friedman went on to say he wonders about what this means for Ersson, who is widely expected to find a new NHL home this summer.
The Flyers will take the time to evaluate one of their homegrown draft picks, but even at his peak, Ersson was very close to Vladar at Vladar's worst, at least statistically.
Now that Vladar has virtually been extended until 2032, the Flyers will have to turn their attention to finding an adequate backup for him that can both help preserve him and be capable of stepping in as a starter if and when needed.
This move decreases the pressure the Flyers will have to put on prospects like Egor Zavragin, Carson Bjarnason, and Aleksei Kolosov to develop and be ready for NHL competition for the next few seasons.
Vladar will be 34 years old when the five-year contract extension expires.
Tomas Hertl took a backhand pass from Colton Sisson and beat Frederik Anderson from the slot with 3:24 left in the third period, lifting the Vegas Golden Knights past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Tuesday night’s opener of the Stanley Cup Final.
Hertl’s finish off Sisson’s feed from the right faceoff circle broke a 4-4 tie and pushed the Golden Knights ahead in an entertaining back-and-forth start on the sport’s biggest stage. It marked Vegas’ seventh straight win of the playoffs, starting with the last two games of the six-game second-round series against Anaheim and then the shocking four-game sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
That series included Vegas erasing a 3-0 deficit to take Game 3, and now the Golden Knights have followed by rallying from another multigoal deficit — this time 2-0 in the opening period — against the team that finished second only to the Avs in the regular season.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday in Raleigh, with Vegas already having taken home-ice away from the Hurricanes as it chases a second Cup title in four seasons.
Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson and Brett Howden also scored for Vegas, with Howden’s postseason-leading 11th score giving the Golden Knights a 4-3 lead just 1:21 into the third period. Carter Hart finished with 23 saves.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice for the Hurricanes, the first coming 25 seconds into the game when he got loose and a rush and blasted one past Hart from the left side on the game’s first shot. He followed with a breakaway that gave Carolina a 2-0 lead and sent a charged home crowd into an eruption in the team’s first Stanley Cup Final game in two decades.
Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere each scored tying goals after Vegas had pushed to a lead, with Gostisbehere skating in clean on the left side to blast one past Hart at 11:19 of the third period and tie it once more at 4.
Tomas Hertl took a backhand pass from Colton Sisson and beat Frederik Anderson from the slot with 3:24 left in the third period, lifting the Vegas Golden Knights past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Tuesday night’s opener of the Stanley Cup Final.
Hertl’s finish off Sisson’s feed from the right faceoff circle broke a 4-4 tie and pushed the Golden Knights ahead in an entertaining back-and-forth start on the sport’s biggest stage. It marked Vegas’ seventh straight win of the playoffs, starting with the last two games of the six-game second-round series against Anaheim and then the shocking four-game sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
That series included Vegas erasing a 3-0 deficit to take Game 3, and now the Golden Knights have followed by rallying from another multigoal deficit — this time 2-0 in the opening period — against the team that finished second only to the Avs in the regular season.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday in Raleigh, with Vegas already having taken home-ice away from the Hurricanes as it chases a second Cup title in four seasons.
Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson and Brett Howden also scored for Vegas, with Howden’s postseason-leading 11th score giving the Golden Knights a 4-3 lead just 1:21 into the third period. Carter Hart finished with 23 saves.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice for the Hurricanes, the first coming 25 seconds into the game when he got loose and a rush and blasted one past Hart from the left side on the game’s first shot. He followed with a breakaway that gave Carolina a 2-0 lead and sent a charged home crowd into an eruption in the team’s first Stanley Cup Final game in two decades.
Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere each scored tying goals after Vegas had pushed to a lead, with Gostisbehere skating in clean on the left side to blast one past Hart at 11:19 of the third period and tie it once more at 4.
It was in the summer of 2024 that the Detroit Red Wings signed veteran goaltender Cam Talbot to a two-year, $5 million contract after opting not to re-sign James Reimer.
Over the next two seasons, Talbot enjoyed varying degrees of success with the Red Wings, providing a steady, calming presence in goal while also stealing several games and valuable points for them.
However, Talbot will be 39 years old by the time next season starts. With young goaltenders Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava knocking on the door from Grand Rapids, Talbot's time with the Red Wings is likely through.
Looking back on his tenure in Detroit, what were his top standout moments?
42-Save Shutout In Red Wings Debut - October 12, 2024
Talbot's first official action with the Red Wings was in relief of Ville Husso during their 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Opening Night, but he was given the start in their next game against the Nashville Predators.
He turned in a gem of a performance in his first full game in the Winged Wheel, turning aside all 42 shots from the Predators and picking up the 32nd shutout of his NHL career.
28-Save Shutout Against Potent Lightning Offense - January 25, 2025
Thanks to a stingy performance between the pipes, Talbot became the first goaltender since 2023 to deny the Lightning a single goal during an NHL game.
It was the 33rd shutout of his career.
He made 28 saves, including seven saves alone on sniper Nikita Kucherov, who entered the game on an 11-game point streak.
Clutch 38-Save Performance Against Maple Leafs - October 13, 2025
The Red Wings, who had defeated the Maple Leafs two days earlier thanks to 20 saves from Talbot at Little Caesars Arena, concluded the short two-game series against their Original 6 rival with another win.
This time, it was Talbot who stole the game for the Red Wings, making 38 saves on the 40 shots he faced, enabling a late regulation goal from Mason Appleton.
Talbot was easily the game's first star, and it would be the second of four straight wins against the Maple Leafs in their season series.
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The Los Angeles Kings, still watching the playoffs from home, will have their former defenseman competing in his first Stanley Cup game tonight as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1.
For the last few weeks, all the news has centered on which coach the Kings will hire and who they will interview for the job, but tonight they will root for former players Sean Walker and Brayden McNabb, who were ex-defensemen for the Kings, who will look to get it done in the Stanley Cup.
The Carolina Hurricanes have been virtually unbeatable this postseason, posting a 12-1 record in the Eastern Conference and now heading into the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2006.
Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights have been the biggest surprises of the postseason after firing their Stanley Cup-winning head coach, Bruce Cassidy. Interim head coach John Tortorella led them past Anaheim and Utah and swept No. 1 seed Colorado Avalanche to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Sean Walker - Carolina Hurricanes
In the meantime, Walker has quietly played the best season of his career at 31, finishing with 9 goals, 22 assists, and 31 points in 81 games, all career highs in his eighth season as a pro hockey player.
The Los Angeles Kings had the Canadian defenseman for five seasons, from 2018-2023, before trading him to the Philadelphia Flyers in the offseason. He spent half a season there after being dealt again at the trade deadline to the Colorado Avalanche.
Walker's time with the Kings was long, but he could never consistently play on the ice for LA, mostly due to injury. He suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee in the 2021-22 season, when he played just six games.
The 30-year-old defenseman bounced back the following year, playing 70 games and posting solid numbers, but it was clear the Kings wanted to move in a different direction after five seasons.
Now, playing on his fourth team in eight seasons, Walker has finally found a home after signing a five-year, $18 million deal in 2024. Playing in the Stanley Cup final for the first time, he's been one of the key pieces for a Carolina team that's been looking to get over the hump for years.
If the Hurricanes win the Cup, Walker's defensive contributions for Carolina throughout the season will help elevate his status as one of the league's best defensemen.
Brayden McNabb - Vegas Golden Knights
On the other side, Los Angeles will have another former defenseman who is playing against their divisional rival, the Vegas Golden Knights. The Kings acquired McNabb in the 2014 trade deadline from the Buffalo Sabers and had him for three seasons between 2014-2017 before Vegas selected Brayden in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
McNabb has been playing for Vegas for half a decade. In his ninth season with the Golden Knights, he won his first Stanley Cup in 2023 and was named the recipient of the team's Seventh Player Award for the 2023–24 season, voted on by fans to recognize a player who exceeded expectations.
The 35-year-old veteran clearly isn't the same player he once was a few years ago, but his locker room presence and playoff experience give Vegas an advantage in this series against a Hurricanes team that's never been here before.
Now, with McNabb aiming to win his second Stanley Cup title with the Golden Knights, will Walker stop that feat and win his first Cup? But regardless of which club emerges victorious, a former King will once again skate away with hockey's ultimate prize.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Title will air tonight at 5 P.M. PT on ABC as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Shortly after a report from RG Media broke earlier this week, the Vancouver Canucks have officially announced that they have signed forward Ilya Safonov to a one-year, two-way contract. This is the first player signing that new Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson has made since being brought on as GM in May.
“Ilya had a solid year in Russia and a strong playoff,” Johnson said in a press release earlier today. “We like his size and player profile, and he will be given every opportunity to compete for a spot at training camp.”
Vancouver acquired Safonov's rights last season after the 2025 NHL Draft in exchange for future considerations. The forward attended the Canucks' development camp last year before heading back to the KHL for the 2025-26 season. After the KHL season ended this year, reports indicated that Safonov would be seeking out an NHL deal with the Canucks.
In 68 regular season games with Ak Bars Kazan this year, Safonov scored 16 goals and 17 assists. During the post-season, he put up two goals and seven assists in 20 games, with Ak Bars making it to the KHL Final but losing to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in six games.
Photo Credit: Kaja Antic - THN
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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 28: Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates with the puck as Ivan Barbashev #49 of the Vegas Golden Knights defends during the second period of a game at Lenovo Center on October 28, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Good evening, everyone. Tonight starts the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights. I cannot say I am excited for hockey to be done for the offseason, but it does bring us one step closer to the New Jersey Devils being back on the ice. So, there’s that.
The Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Well, I cannot say that I expected Vegas to get this far.
Sometimes, coaching changes can be underestimated. John Tortorella is a very good coach who has an unfairly negative reputation among media members, and it certainly seems like he has gotten Vegas into shape real quick. In the Conference Finals, they were certainly aided by Colorado’s injury situations, but they are a good team. They underperformed under Cassidy and now look more like what they were expected to be coming into this season.
The Golden Knights have gotten excellent scoring from their top guys these playoffs. Mitch Marner has 21 points in 16 games. Jack Eichel sits at 18. Both Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden have 10 goals. Shea Theodoore has been a two-way monster with 11 points while playing great defense. What we are seeing in Vegas is a bunch of guys in the middle or latter stages of their prime years firing on all cylinders under a fresh coach. Through 16 games played, they have been outshot to some extent, but their shooting percentage is through the roof at over 13 percent.
The big question is whether they can keep that up against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Freddie Andersen is currently sporting a 1.41 goals against average with a .931 save percentage. The Hurricanes are only allowing a bit over 22 shots against per game. Taylor Hall leads them with 16 points, followed by Jackson Blake at 15. They are the only two players on the Hurricanes to have over a point per game these playoffs, though they have gotten contributions from the first to fourth lines and first to third pairings. Additionally, K’Andre Miller has seen some spotlight with outstanding on-ice results as he has really come into his own as a defenseman in Carolina. This series is a battle of two outstanding coaches who have inspired their teams to reach new heights. Who will prevail: the team that has brutally stifled all three of their opponents so far, or the team shooting at ridiculously high rates?
Ice Time Leaders(ATOI, Top Three Each Team)
Shea Theodore, VEG — 25:29
K’Andre Miller, CAR — 23:55
Noah Hanifin, VEG — 23:52
Rasmus Andersson, VEG — 23:37
Jaccob Slavin, CAR — 23:13
Jalen Chatfield, CAR — 22:12
Former Devils in the Finals
Taylor Hall, CAR
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The NHL’s All-Star Weekend is coming to Long Island — and with a new format.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association executive director Marty Walsh announced the official plans for UBS Arena, the home of the Islanders, to host the 2027 All-Star Game and skills competition next season from Feb. 5-6.
Both events will feature completely new formats, with the All-Star Game notably adopting an international element.
The Feb. 6 All-Star Game will feature five teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a “World” team comprised of international players from countries outside of the other four teams.
UBS Arena will host the NHL’s All-Star Weekend in 2027. Getty Images
Each team — made up of nine skaters and two goalies — will participate in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament.
The NHL and NHLPA are responsible for selecting 30 players from each of the participating teams for an NHL All-Star Fan Vote. When the voting opens in December, fans will be able to choose eight players from each team. The remaining roster spots — one forward, one defenseman and one goaltender — will be selected jointly by the NHL and NHLPA.
Teams will play four five-minute games during the round-robin portion. There will also be no overtime period or shootout in the event of a tie.
The top two teams from the round robin will advance to a 10-minute final based on a point system that counts two points for a win, one for a tie and zero for a loss. A $2 million cash prize will be awarded to the winning team.
On Friday, there will be eight events as part of the All-Star Skills Competition. The NHL and NHLPA will select 10 “young stars ages 25 or younger” to be featured in the event.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak
Each of the 10 players will participate in four of the first six events: Fastest skater, hardest shot, passing challenge, one-timers, stick handling and accuracy shooting. They will earn points depending on where they place in each event.
The top four players will advance to a Shootout and must face one of four All-Star goaltenders.
The top two players from the Shootout will advance to the final event, the Obstacle Course.
Whichever player finishes with the highest cumulative score will be named the All-Star Skills champion and take home a $1 million prize.
The All-Star Skills Competition will be broadcast on ESPN, while the game can be found on ABC. Event times are still to be announced.
This will mark the second time the Islanders have hosted the NHL’s All-Star Weekend. The Isles held the 1983 event at the Coliseum.
1 - With just one loss, Carolina (12-1) is the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final with fewer than two losses since 1987, when all four playoff rounds went to the best-of-seven format.
1.41 - Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen leads the postseason pack of goalies with his stifling goals-against average.
2 - The Golden Knights and Carolina have two Stanley Cup titles between them, each winning one in their franchise history. The Knights won their title in 2023, while the Hurricanes secured their only title in 2006.
2.22 - Vegas netminder Carter Hart has been red-hot with his goals-against average, allowing two or fewer goals in 10 of his 16 playoff appearances.
4 - The Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes have been to a total of four Stanley Cup Finals, each winning one and losing one during their franchise history. The Knights lost their first trip to the Cup Final in 2018 and won their title in 2023. The Hurricanes also lost their first trip to a Cup final, in 2002, before hoisting it in 2006.
7 - Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour is the seventh individual in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Final with the same franchise as both a captain and head coach.
8 - Vegas has been to the postseason in eight of its first nine seasons in the league.
9 - The Golden Knights are in just their 9th season.
10 - Goals scored by Vegas against Carolina this season.
16 - Carolina's Taylor Hall leads the team with 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists).
17 - Vegas is the 17th team in NHL history, and fifth since 1998, to enter the Cup final with multiple 10-goal scorers. Pavel Dorofeyev (10 goals, 4 assists) and Brett Howden (10 goals, 2 assists) have been the offensive catalysts for the Golden Knights this postseason.
21 - Vegas' Mitch Marner (7 goals, 14 assists) leads the playoffs in scoring with 21 points.
46 - The Hurricanes are competing in their 46th season.
73.2 - The average height of the Hurricanes.
74.1 - The average height of the Golden Knights.
309 - The Golden Knights have scored 309 playoff goals, compared to Carolina's 242.
1,431 - Playoff games played by the Hurricanes players.
1,640 - Playoff games played by the Golden Knights players.
2015 - Three of the top five picks in the 2015 Draft will be on the ice for the Knights: Jack Eichel (Sabres, 2nd), Marner (Maple Leafs, 4th) and Noah Hanifin (Hurricanes, 5th).
The NHL All-Star Game is returning in 2027 and will feature a new format.
The league and the NHL Players' Association announced details at NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's news conference before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The All-Star weekend will be held Feb. 5-6, 2027, in UBS Arena, the home of the New York Islanders.
The plan is to hold the All-Star Game every other year, with an international tournament taking place in the even years. There will be a World Cup of Hockey in 2028 and NHL players will take part in the 2030 Olympics.
Russian players will be allowed in the All-Star Game, but the NHL and NHLPA haven't decided on Russian participation in the World Cup of Hockey. They will follow the lead of the International Ice Hockey Federation, which recently said it would decide Russian eligibility in 2026-27 on a tournament-by-tournament basis.
Here are details for the 2027 All-Star weekend:
Feb. 6, 2027, NHL All-Star Game
It will feature five teams – Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a World team made up of international players from countries outside of the other four teams – competing in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament.
Each team will consist of 11 players: nine skaters and two goaltenders. The NHL and NHLPA will select 30 players from each of the participating teams for the 2027 NHL All-Star Fan Vote, which will open in December. Fans will use that list to select eight players from each team. The remaining three roster spots – one forward, one defenseman and one goaltender – will be selected jointly by the NHL and NHLPA.
Each team will play four five-minute games during the round-robin tournament. There won't be an overtime period or shootout in the event of a tie.
Teams will get points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss.
The top two teams from the round robin will advance to a 10-minute final. The winning team will claim a $2 million prize.
Feb. 5, 2027, All-Star skills competition
It will feature 10 young stars (25 or younger) competing across eight events. The players will be jointly selected by the NHL and NHLPA.
Each player will participate in four of the first six events: Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Passing Challenge, One Timers, Stick Handling and Accuracy Shooting. Players will earn points based on their placement in each event.
The top four players then will advance to a shootout, facing one of four All-Star goaltenders. The top two performers from the shootout will compete in the last event: the Obstacle Course Finale.
The player with the highest cumulative score will be named All-Star skills champion and take home a $1 million prize.
Bettman: Succession plan not imminent
Bettman, who turned 74 on June 2, responded to a report that a succession plan for him has been discussed, and said there have been discussions over the last couple years but nothing is imminent.
"Reports of my demise − or retirement − are greatly exaggerated," he said.
He also defended the current playoff format amid suggestions of going to a 1 vs. 8, etc., format. He said the current format leads to longer series and more competitive games.
The Anaheim Ducks need to free space to sign young stars like Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, and as a result, they could be looking to trade a struggling Mason McTavish.
A new report from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period links the St. Louis Blues to the 23-year-old center.
“We know that St. Louis is looking to get younger and augment their lineup quite a bit,” said insider Pagnotta.
Too much center depth in the NHL isn’t really a thing. And having an abundance of young centers is how teams become contenders. Currently, the Blues’ center core consists of 26-year-old Robert Thomas, 21-year-old Dalibor Dvorsky, and 30-year-old Pius Suter. Outside of the NHL, the Blues could see players like Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Adam Jecho.
Adding McTavish would improve the current Blues roster while still aligning with the direction the team hopes to head.
It’s no secret, though; McTavish really struggled during the 2025-26 season and hasn’t had the breakout campaign many thought he would have had by this point. The 6-foot-1, left-handed center notched just 17 goals and 41 points in 75 games this season after posting 22 goals and 52 points the year before.
Despite the issues in McTavish’s game, he’s proven to be a reliable enough center, even at his worst, and his track record provides enough belief that a change of scenery could unlock his game.
McTavish was the third overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft, with a resume that includes a gold medal at the World Junior Championship, as well as MVP honours at the event, a U-18 gold medal, and an OHL championship.
The price tag to acquire McTavish is a bit of a mystery at the moment, but he just finished the first of a six-year, $7-million contract.
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Tuesday marks a special anniversary for the Florida Panthers franchise.
It’s been exactly 10 years since the team debuted its then-brand-new logo and uniform, moving away from the leaping panther that had been the team’s main symbol since its inception.
Florida’s new logo was a shield-shaped design that was inspired by the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, which Panthers Owner Vincent Viola was a member of during his time serving in the military.
The unveiling was held during a fan-attended event on the floor of the then-BB&T Center on the night of June 2.
Four Panthers players were brought onto the stage wearing the new duds.
They were Aaron Ekblad, Vincent Trocheck, Steven Kampfer and Shawn Thornton.
Photos from the event can be seen in the collage at the top of this page.
To say things have been going well for Florida since the logo change would be an understatement.
From 1993-94 to 2015-16, the Panthers reached the playoffs five times in 21 seasons, winning a total of three postseason series (all in 1996) and 18 playoff games during that span.
Under the new Panthers shield logo, it’s been quite a different story.
Florida has qualified for the postseason in six of their ten seasons wearing the new logo, all coming since their 2019-20 campaign.
During that time, the Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships while reaching the Stanley Cup Final during three straight seasons, from 2023 to 2025.
Future success seems like a strong possibility for the Panthers, considering the team has their talented and battle-tested core locked up for years to come.
The city of Ottawa is no stranger to Stanley Cup wins.
The original Senators won the Cup on 11 occasions, but unfortunately, everyone who witnessed those Cup and their ensuing parades is now gone. Next season will be the 100th anniversary of Ottawa's last Cup win.
Montreal counts all the Cups they won in that era because they never went away. Ottawa's 11 Cup wins are rarely talked about because when the depression hit, we had to dip out for a quick 58-year absence from the league.
While the original Senators were a dynasty, the modern-day Sens haven't been nearly as successful. But they have had their great moments all the same.
They've been to three conference finals in their history, but advanced only once. That year was 2007, and as long as we're dabbling in nostalgia, today marks the 19th anniversary of the only game they've ever won in a modern-day Stanley Cup Final.
Put another way, while the ancient Sens were running out of ways to celebrate championships, June 2, 2007, was the closest the new era has ever been to winning it all.
We won't spend a lot of time on a game recap. You probably vaguely recall what happened. Scotiabank Place, going crazy. The Pizza Line. Ray Emery. Lyndon Slewidge in his prime. A Senators team that needed just five games to win each of their three series to that point. And that crazy long nine-day layoff after the Conference Final.
The Senators were down 2-0 after losing the first two games in Anaheim and returned home to host the first Cup Final game in Ontario in 40 years. If you take that as a gratuitous jab at the Leafs, then that's entirely your business.
In fairness, it had been 80 years since Ottawa had hosted a Cup Final game.
The Senators won the game 5-3, and the winning goal was scored late in the second period by Dean McAmmond. With the score tied at 3, McAmmond banked a shot in off Chris Pronger, probably Anaheim's best and certainly the most intimidating player.
If only something had happened that would have taken Pronger completely out of that series... Oh, wait, it did.
Early in the third period, McAmmond skated up the middle and took a shot from distance, and in a clear targeting of the head, Pronger stepped up and smashed his elbow and forearm into his head. McAmmond was immediately knocked out and slid along the ice for 30 feet before finally coming to a rest in the corner of the ice near the boards.
Today, Pronger would not only be ejected and out of the series, but he'd likely be missing games the next season as well. In 2007, he not only stayed in the game but there was no penalty. The league did suspend him later, but only for one game.
At least he learned his lesson. The following season, Pronger got an eight-game suspension for stomping on the leg of Vancouver forward Ryan Kesler.
Anaheim would go on to win the next two games and the Stanley Cup.
While the Pronger hit did take a little of the shine off the Game 3 Cup Final victory, that entire run was such an exciting time.
No, the Stanley Cup never came to Ottawa, not in the modern era. Not yet.
But on June 2, 2007, for a few hours, it sure felt like it might.
Ahead of Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced new details for the 2027 All-Star Game at UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders.
Following the success of the league's return to best-on-best international hockey, the marquee event will build on that momentum with a three-on-three tournament.
The event will feature five teams of nations, including the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. The fifth team will be comprised of players from the rest of the world. This comes after the league's return to the Olympics this past February and the Four Nations Faceoff last season.
The format of the event will remain similar to previous years. The weekend begins on Friday, Feb. 5, with the return of NHL All-Star Skills, which will highlight the league's young stars. Ten players aged 25-or-under will compete in events including fastest skater, hardest shot, stick handling, one-timers, passing and accuracy shooting.
Players will earn points on placement in each event, with the top four advancing into a shootout against one of four goalies participating in the event. The top two players in the shootout will advance to a final obstacle course to decide the winner.
The game itself will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6, with 11-player rosters that will be mostly decided by fan vote. The NHL Players' Association will pick one forward, defenseman and goalie for each team after fan voting concludes. After a round robin tournament, the top two teams will advance to a 10-minute championship game.
Next season marks the second time the Islanders will host the All-Star Game and first time since 1983. Fans can sign up for more information on the event at the league's website.
