After eighty-two regular season games, the top sixteen teams in the NHL make it to the playoffs. The playoffs consist of four rounds, in a best of seven series for each round. The teams that made the playoffs displayed talent, teamwork, and overall success throughout their regular season. They are rewarded for their efforts by being given a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
This year. the teams that made the playoffs for the eastern conference were: the Buffalo Sabers, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadians, the Boston bruins, the Ottawa Senators, the Pittsburg Penguins, The Philadelphia Flyers, and the Carolina Hurricanes. The most notable of these teams is the Buffalo Sabres, who had gone fifteen straight seasons without a playoff appearance. They, however, broke that streak by winning their entire division, and plays one of the most exciting styles of hockey lead by forward Tage Thompson.
The teams headlining for the western conference are the Colorado Avalanche, the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild, the Utah Mammoth, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Edmonton Oilers, the Anaheim Ducks, and the Los Angeles Kings. A team to look out for in the West during these playoffs is the Minnesota Wild, who is led by forward Krill Kaprizov who recently ended his sixth season with eighty-nine points, alongside him recent addition Olympic gold medal winner Quinn Hughes.
The favorite to win the cup is the Colorado Avalanche, who won the Presidents Trophy, which is the team that amasses the most points in the regular season. An underdog team that could shock the world would be the Montreal Canadians. This year proved their rebuilding was complete with standout performances from their young players, such as Juraj Slafkovsky. Drafted in 2022, the young Slovak tallied thirty goals and forty-three assists in his fourth NHL season at 22 years old.
The hardware that these sixteen teams are playing for is the Stanley Cup. It is one of the most unique trophies in all sports, due to its history, traditions, and rules. It was donated by Lord Stanley in 1892 and is still the original trophy. There was never another replica made like in baseball or football. When a team wins the Stanley Cup, every player and coach that wins gets their name etched on the Stanley Cup. One tradition with the Stanley Cup is that when it is won, each player gets a day with the award. Some players take it home, some players golf with it, some players go boating with it. Most notably, three-time champion Phil Kessel went viral for eating Hot Dogs out of it. Hockey is one of the most unique and entertaining sports in the world. Speed, talent, physicality, and so much more make it one of a kind. When these teams enter the playoffs, they play for more than the game. They play for the teammates next to them, their coaches, their families, their city, and for the chance to win the best trophy in sports. “Any Person can win it, but no person can keep it.” -Phil “The Keeper of the Cup” Prichard.
