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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNOct 4, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The 2023-24 NHL season had goal-scoring fireworks, thrilling playoff races and a championship final in which the best player in the world led his team back from a 3-0 deficit only to fall short of the Stanley Cup in Game 7.
Yet after an offseason filled with stunning moves, dramatic decisions and significant tragedy, the 2024-25 NHL regular season sets up to be even more memorable.
If you haven’t kept up with the NHL in the past few months, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a chance to catch up on everything that has happened — the hirings, firings, signings and even a blockbuster trade. It’s all in our guide to the 2024-25 season for lapsed fans. Read up before the puck drops!
The NHL mourns Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau
Before the joy of a new season, the hockey world was confronted with an unfathomable tragedy.
Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed on Aug. 29 near their boyhood home in New Jersey. Police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles. Both were to serve as groomsmen at their sister Kate’s wedding the next day. The driver was charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
The hockey world was devastated by the news. On the ice, Gaudreau was “Johnny Hockey,” an electrifying offensive player with 743 points in 763 career games who possessed a joy for the game. He was named to the All-Star Game seven times and won the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play in 2016-17 while with the Calgary Flames.
Memorials were established at arenas in Columbus, Calgary and Boston, where the brothers played their college hockey. The Flames said that the hockey sticks left to remember the Gaudreaus will be repurposed into wooden benches sold to raise funds for charity.
The Blue Jackets were…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/41589474/nhl-2024-25-season-preview-guide-ovechkin-stamkos-panthers-oilers-utah
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2024-10-04 11:45:43
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