Kale Makar wins Stanley Cup and earned playoff MVP honors After the season he was named the NHL’s best defenseman.
He may be the best hockey player in the world, but he still looks around at Conor McDavid, Patrick Kane, Ouston Matthews, and Colorado teammate Nathan McKinnon and marvels at all the talent.
“I hope the fans have fun watching,” Makar said. “It’s a great time for hockey.”
It’s hard to argue with that. NHL reach Cup final after highest-scoring season in decades Between the Avalanche and the back-to-back champion Tampa Bay Lightning, it was a showcase of the best playoffs hockey can offer.
Thanks to an unprecedented level of skill and speed on the ice, business is booming in what is expected to be the league’s first full season on a regular schedule even before the pandemic.
“Games are faster than ever,” says McDavid. “Offensively, I think the game is more dynamic than it’s ever been. I think.”
Edmonton captain McDavid had a career-high 44 goals, 79 assists and 123 points, but was still not MVP. This is because Toronto’s Ouston his Matthews scored his 60th. This is his most points scored in an NHL season since Alex Ovechkin’s 65 in 2007-08.
Matthews scored the most, but he wasn’t the only one. His total of 6.3 goals per game last season was his most since 1995–96, and with a less condensed schedule, the question is, “Can Matthews score his 65?” Continue. and “Can Ovechkin score 50 again?”
perhaps. Goalkeeper beware.
“Every player in this league can score goals,” said Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman. It’s unbelievable.”
On the ice, players are reimbursing owners for their losses from the pandemic under collective bargaining agreements, but thanks to US TV deals and other business deals with ESPN and Turner Sports that began last season, the NHL is Strong recovery. Earnings hit a record high $5.2 billion last year.
That number is expected to continue to grow, in part because for the first time we’ve added advertising to our jerseys. This was his second that route, after the NBA, among his four major men’s professional sports leagues in North America. Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said the give-and-take between hockey tradition and the need for income is “just the situation for this generation”.
“It’s tough, but we have to get the money back somehow,” Chicago forward Max Domme said.
MacKinnon becomes the league’s highest-paid player after signing a $108 million contract extension that starts a year from now.He and Avalanche are endorsed by FanDuel Sportsbook Other oddsmakers can win the cup again, seen by rivals as the result of talented teammates pushing each other to be better.
“I definitely think they have the best forward, the best defense, and an incredible amount of players underneath,” Anaheim forward Trevor Zeglas said. “Only the talent of that team is ridiculous.”
Zeglas is responsible For last season’s most ridiculous highlight reel play To a teammate from behind the net for a goal. Creativity is on the rise, and stars like Matthews are at the forefront of a generation of players who are unafraid to be themselves and stand out in a sport that has long discouraged individuality.
But hockey is still the ultimate team sport where victories chase milestones.
“It doesn’t matter how many goals I score as long as I play well and help my team win and I play well as a team,” Matthews said. “Whether you score 20 goals or 100, as long as they’re somewhat consistent, it’s fine.”
Matthews and the Maple Leafs will try to ward off the playoff demons again after losing six straight in the season opener, while McDavid and the Oilers will try to break through Colorado in the West. But it can’t start until the regular season ends in mid-April and the Stanley Cup is scheduled to be awarded two months later.
But first, there are 1,312 regular season game hours. Starting in San Jose and Nashville, Prague, as the NHL’s Global Series returns. Before going to Finland to face Blue in November against his Jackets, Avalanche hoisted his banner for the third championship in franchise history in the season opener, giving Stanley the hunt to retain his cup in Denver. start.
“Nothing really changes,” McKinnon said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a long season before the playoffs, but it’s fun to have that experience now and I’m confident we’ll do it again.”
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Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno.
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Other AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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