Day Twenty Seven: Vancouver

Vancouver Canucks
Formerly/aka N/A
Founded in 1945 (PCHL), joined WHL 1952, joined NHL 1970
Stanley Cups: 0
Original Six Status: No

The Vancouver Canucks joined the NHL in 1970 with the Buffalo Sabres.  Fast forward 40 years later, the Canucks are currently the only Western Conference team to clinch a playoff berth and have finally reached a 50 win season.  Needless to say, they have a strong chance at winning the Stanley Cup this season. With their last finals appearance back in the 1993-1994 season and Roberto Luongo tending the net and the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler dominating the ice, the Canucks are primed to bring home the Stanley Cup this season.

Fun Fact: The Canucks fans are awesome at supporting their team when they are doing good (like this season).  Real Canucks’ Fact: The 1997-1998 Canucks were the last NHL team to surpass 2000 penalty minutes in a season.

Notable Players:

Manny Malhotra

 

Cory Schneider

Thanks to @horbayj and @3DLink for making this post happen

Day Twenty Six: Boston

Boston Bruins
Formerly/aka N/A
Founded in 1924
Stanley Cups: 5 6
Original Six Status: Yes

With a comfortable cushion and a playoff berth, the Boston Bruins have an easy few games ahead of them with their first round being against the Montreal Canadiens.  While this is rivalry is old (both Original Six teams), it has received further help with the controversial hit and the subsequent lack of punishment of Zdeno Chara’s hit on Max Pacioretty back on March 8th:

The shot has created quite a stir in the hockey community, with everyone coming out and making statements about head shots.  This post won’t go in to my opinions of the hit, but it would be foolish of me not to acknowledge the incident while discussing the Bruins.

The team is making their 4th playoff appearance in a row, with the a strong chance of winning at least the first round.

Interesting Fact: This post seems to be about the Bruins/Habs rivalry but they have met 30 times in the playoffs, the most between any two teams in NHL history.  Granted it helps that they are both Original Six teams, but that still a ton of times!

Notable Players:

Milan Lucic

Zdeno Chara (I don’t care what you think)

 

Day Twenty Five: Washington DC

Washington Capitals
Formerly/aka N/A
Founded in 1974
Stanley Cups: 0
Original Six Status: No

Currently placed second in the Eastern Conference, with a guaranteed playoff spot, the Washington Capitals are bringing back the fun in the NHL. With Alexander Ovechkin leading the way, there are glimpses of the the 1980’s era Edmonton Oilers with Wayne Gretzky as captain.  While Ovechkin does not have the leadership skills of Gretzky yet, there is potential for a dynasty.  While life pre-Ovechkin was dismal, there is great hope in their future.

To further prove how dismal life was pre-Ovechkin, the opening season for the Capitals still holds the record for least points received, at a paltry 21 points. Their record was 8-67-5.

Notable Players (not named Alexander Ovechkin):

Nicklas Backstrom

 

Michal Neuvirth

 

A big huge hug goes out to my friend Dave (who can be found here: http://mathematicallyyours.tumblr.com) for helping me put this post together!

Day Twenty Four: Minnesota

Minnesota Wild
Formerly/aka N/A
Founded in 2000
Stanley Cups: 0
Original Six Status: No

Seven years after the Minnesota North Stars left to be the Dallas Stars, Minnesota saw the return of the NHL with the Minnesota Wild.  Since then, the Wild have had a roller coaster existence, from coming last in their Division to being the Division Champs, the Wild never fail to put on a show for their fans.  Heck, the Wild even retired #1 for their fans, no Wild player can ever be #1 because to them, the fans will always be #1 (cue the cheesy awwww sounds).

FUN FACT! Like the Calgary Flames, the Minnesota Wild pays tribute to their history.  On the alternate logo, which looks like this:

 

See the white eye in the creature/landscape?  That’s a star, dedicated to the North Stars.

Notable Players:

Okay, so I know this is going to seem like a strange choice, but Jed Ortmeyer is my first choice.  This man truly loves the game like no other.

Niklas Backstrom

Day Twenty Three: St. Louis

St. Louis Blues
Formerly/aka N/A
Founded in 1967
Stanley Cups: 0
Original Six Status: No

While the St. Louis Blues are currently ranked 12th in the Western Conference, 4th in the Central Division, and currently for sale, they should not be brushed off as another failing franchise.  From 1980 until 2004, the Blues never missed a playoff (third longest streak in North American profession sports history, NOT JUST HOCKEY!).  They had some of the greatest players on their roster, Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Al MacInnis, Jacques Plante, and Peter Stastny just to name a few.

Since 1990, the Blues have had their own mascot in their stands.  Every time the Blues score, the Towel Man runs up and down the aisles, with a rally towel.  He counts off the goals with the crowd and throws his towel into the crowd.

Notable Players:

Jaroslav Halak

 

Alexander Steen

 

Day Twenty Two: Edmonton

Edmonton Oilers
Formerly Alberta Oilers
Founded in 1972
Stanley Cups: 5
Original Six Status: No

Currently stuck at the bottom of the rankings, the Edmonton Oilers have quite the uphill battle to pull together for next season.  With a very young team, and a very high pick during the draft, the Oilers have a chance to build the team as a well oiled (no pun intended) machine that moves as one.  With veteran Nikolai Khabibulin tending the net and a young team in front of him, there’s no telling the possibilities that could happen once the Oilers figure out a way to mesh.  It’s scary possible that the Oilers could reclaim their title of a dynasty team.

From the class of 1979-1980, the Edmonton Oilers are the only team that managed to avoid relocation and renaming.  Joining the NHL with the Oilers from the WHL was the Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets.  The Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes, Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche, and the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes.

Notable Players:

Ladislav Smid

Linus Omark

Taylor Chorney

Thanks to my friend Luke, who was able to stop laughing at me long enough (he finds my love of Rangers/Flames to be silly.  After all the 94 Rangers team was the Oilers) to help out and flood my brain with every Oiler stat imaginable, after telling me he wasn’t qualified to help. And special thanks to my friend Pat, who made sure the better Taylor appeared in this post.

Day Twenty One: Carolina

Carolina Hurricanes
Formerly: New England Whalers, Hartford Whalers
Founded in: 1972, relocated to Carolina in 1997
Stanley Cups: 1
Original Six Status: No

The Carolina Hurricanes have made the trek from the hockey obsessed New England states to the slightly less interested state of North Carolina and have managed to make a name for themselves.  The Hurricanes are currently battling it out to gain a coveted spot in the Eastern Conference playoff position and with just 9 games left in the season, every game matters.  The Hurricanes are always working to repeat their success of the 2005-2006 season (in which they won the Stanley Cup).  Maybe the Hurricanes could use a bit of help from their former Right Winger Gordie Howe (who yes played for the Hartford Whalers, but I just love the man).

Two facts today, one for the Whalers and one for the Hurricanes.  The Hurricanes are the second club in NHL history to fail to make the playoffs the two seasons following a Stanley Cup win.

The Whalers had a theme song, “Brass Bonanza”:

Notable Players:

Jeff Skinner

Erik Cole

 

Day Twenty: Atlanta

Atlanta Thrashers
Formerly/aka N/A
Founded in 1999
Stanley Cups: 0
Original Six Status: No

The Atlanta Thrashers are the NHL’s second attempt to bring hockey to the state of Georgia, the last attempt being the Atlanta Flames who relocated in 1980 to Calgary. Currently struggling in 11th place, the Thrashers are still looking for the key to getting back into the playoffs (Their last appearance being in 2006-2007).  Money woes have not made it easy for the team, any one would have a hard time playing with rumors of relocating swirling around, but with a fairly young team, who knows what the Thrashers will be producing next season.

On a depressing note, besides number 99 (which is retired league wide), the only other number retired for the Atlanta Thrashers is number 37, Dan Snyder.  Snyder died due to injuries received in a car accident with fellow teammate Dany Heatley, who walked away unscathed but faced and was found guilty of criminal charges.

Happier note: Here’s a video of former Atlanta Thrasher Ilya Kovalchuk playing for his current team (NJ Devils), messing up the face off and allowing the Calgary Flames to score.

Notable Players:

Dustin Byfuglien

Bryan Little

Day Nineteen: San Jose

San Jose Sharks
Formerly/aka N/A
Founded in 1991
Stanley Cups: 0
Original Six Status: No

With an appearance in the last six Stanley Cup playoffs, the San Jose Sharks clearly have what it takes to make it in the NHL, they just need that little extra something (possibly a few secondary scorers) to help them be the ones holding the Stanley Cup in the end.  Currently ranked third in the Western Conference and first in the Pacific Division, the Sharks are making a go at the Cup once again, who knows, maybe 7th time will get the Cup in the Shark Tank.

All teams have a signature way in which they take the ice for the first time each game, but the Sharks really take the prize with theirs.  Since the Sharks moved into their current arena in 1993, at the start of every home game, a shark’s head is lowered on to the ice, with the arena lights going out. Its eyes light up red and has an open jaw with fog pouring out.  The team emerges from the mouth of the shark, with the goalie leading the way.

Notable Players:

Ryane Clowe

 

Joe Pavelski

Thanks to @CassiieD for getting me the playoff facts on the Sharks and @UTPBrandon for cluing me on on players not named Couture, Heatley, Demers, and Niemi and pointing out the secondary scorers problem.

Day Eighteen: Florida

Florida Panthers
Formerly/aka N/A
Founded in 1993
Stanley Cups: 0
Original Six Status: No

Following on the heels of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers help prove that there is a place for hockey in the south, and more specifically, Florida.   Currently struggling in 13th place for the Eastern Conference, the Panthers are in the middle major overhaul, acquiring 13 new players in the last two years.  With new talent to freshen up the roster, the Panthers might just be a threat in next season’s playoffs.

You can’t talk about the Florida Panthers without talking about the “Rat Trick”.  Hat tricks have hats, Nashville has catfish, Detroit has octopi, but the Panthers have Scott Mellanby and his rat killing skills.  Before a game in October of 1995, a rat wandered into the Panthers’ locker room, without even thinking about it, Mellanby took his stick and fired the rat across the room.  The rat died.  Later that game, Mellanby scored two goals, helping give the Panthers their first win of the season.  The goaltender at the time, John Vanbiesbrouck, mentioned in a post game interview that Mellanby had scored a “rat trick” and told the press what had happened before the game.  Fans began chucking plastic rats onto the ice, with 100s ending up on the ice by the end of the season.

Notable Players:

Stephen Weiss

David Booth