Alex Ovechkin has, presumably, stopped drinking out of the Stanley Cup and returned it to the Hockey Hall of Fame before the NHL starts its regular season tonight.
Last year’s storylines were memorable, topped by Ovechkin’s impressive pursuit of his first championship with the Washington Capitals. They beat the Vegas Golden Knights, whose first NHL season started in the wake of a mass shooting in their city and ended with an appearance in the final. It was the farewell season for Henrik and Daniel Sedin, twin brothers who spent their stellar, 18-year careers with the Vancouver Canucks but never won a Stanley Cup.
And that’s what it’s all about: winning a Stanley Cup. EA Sports used its gaming program to pre-play the upcoming season and playoffs, resulting in the Toronto Maple Leafs beating the San Jose Sharks in the final series. Those teams made the biggest offseason acquisitions, with Toronto signing free-agent John Tavares from the New York Islanders and San Jose acquiring Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators. EA Sports predicted the correct finalists, but let’s say San Jose beats Toronto in six.