Quest For the Cup: The NHL Season in Review 

It's time for playoff hockey in the NHL! After a crazy regular season with many upsets and a few teams performing better than ever, it's time for the road to the Stanley Cup! This year's playoffs are going to be something fans will remember. 

First, let's talk about the Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup is a trophy given to the team that wins each year’s National Hockey League playoffs. It was named after Lord Stanley of Preston, England, who was appointed Governor General of Canada by Queen Victoria on June 11, 1888.  The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy awarded to a champion team in North America. It's even older than the Olympics! Think about what a rich history it must have! The Stanley Cup Playoffs are one of the most intense competitions in the world, and things can get heated! The final is expected to take place on June 3, 2024. Now, let's talk about some teams that could win the Stanley Cup. 

The first team I would like to highlight is the New York Rangers. This season, they clinched the President’s Trophy, which is given to the best team at the end of the regular season, and finished the regular season with 55 wins and 112 points. Given that they finished first in the league for the regular season and won their first round in the playoffs in a 4-0 sweep of the Washington Capitals, we can expect great things from them. They are playing the Carolina Hurricanes in the Second Round and are hoping for another sweep. [In fact, they went on to beat the Hurricanes, 4-2. --Editor] 

The second team I would like to talk about is the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have been a league-wide success this year with a loaded roster and record-breaking games. Last year, they made the Eastern Conference Finals and lost in 4 games, but they are looking at a chance for redemption and are ready to bring some thunder to their storm! They face the Rangers in the second round of the playoffs and are hoping for an easy series. [Unfortunately, they fell to the Rangers. --editor]

The last team that I think could win is the Dallas Stars. After finishing the season first in the Western Conference and second in the league, they have been on fire from the start. They had a sensational season with 52 wins, one win behind their franchise record of 53 in 2006. Dallas played the current champs, the Vegas Golden Knights in a series of 7 games. Stars forward Radek Faksa scored the game-winning goal with 19:32 left in the game. The Stars lost in the Conference Finals last year against the Golden Knights, but after beating the Knights and moving to the next round, they could recover and maybe even win the cup! 

Now, we can look forward to next season. This coming year’s draft is going to be very exciting with many accomplished and successful players. The top prospect is Macklin Celebrini, who plays for Boston University. Celebrini has 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games and is the fan favorite for the top pick in the draft. Some players that the Kraken might pick are Zeev Buium, who plays for the University of Denver, Luke Misa, who plays for the Mississauga Steelheads, and Tomas Galvas, who plays for Bili Tygri Liberec. These three players are all extremely talented, and we are hoping for a good season in Seattle with these possible new additions to our team.

Finally, I would like to mention Seattle’s hockey team, the Kraken. On April 29, Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol was terminated. According to ESPN, due to the Kraken’s inconsistent performance, including an eight-loss streak, Kraken General Manager Ron Francis announced Hakstol and Assistant Coach Paul McFarland’s departure from the team. The Emerald City’s hockey franchise will miss their first-ever head coach, but the question remains: who will be the new head coach?