With the NHL season almost over, it’s a good time to take a step back and figure out what actually happened during the 2018-19 season. For those who follow the sport closely, there were plenty of ups and downs, twists and turns that made for an interesting year. Teams went from highly anticipated free agency splashes to underwhelming big-market duds. Several stars managed to combine good luck with good management, while others struggled with injuries and poor decisions. Here’s a guide to what exactly happened during the NHL’s latest season.
Table of Contents
Ups
The 2019 NHL season gave us some incredible individual performances and memorable games. From Sidney Crosby’s mastery of the sport to Megan Rapopolous’ incredible game-winning goal to Jonathan Toews’ incredible hat trick in Chicago, there were plenty of memorable moments. But perhaps the most memorable performance of the year was that of Alex Ovechkin. The “Ovi-maniac” finally managed to live up to the hype in spectacular fashion, scoring 52 goals and dishing out 66 assists en route to an incredible 129 total points. Ovechkin also set new career-highs in games played (67), goals (26) and points (67). For all intents and purposes, the 2019-20 season seemed to be Ovechkin’s make-or-break year.
Although the 2019-20 season didn’t go quite as smoothly as some people would have liked, it still managed to produce a number of fantastic hockey games. The league’s best player, Patrick Kane, went on an incredible run in February and March, leading the league in goals (26) and points (57). The young guns were very active, too, with Auston Matthews leading the way with 49 goals and Mitch Marner adding 44 assists in just 66 games played. Matthews and Marner also combined for 118 points, which is more than enough to earn them both First-Team All-Stars for the 2019 NHL season.
Downs
While some were able to have an incredible season and put up numbers we’ve never seen before, others had a real down year. The New York Rangers, for example, had the fifth-worst record in the NHL, and they finished last in the conference. After three straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the Blueshirts finally succumbed this year, failing to qualify for the post-season for the first time since 2013.
The Los Angeles Kings, on the other hand, had one of the worst records in the NHL for the second straight year, but at least they made the post-season for the first time since their inception in 2014. After missing the playoffs entirely the previous two seasons, the Kings had quite the rollercoaster season, winning seven games in a row after a 4-8 start to the year. Along with the Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights, the Kings were among the three worst teams in the league at the halfway point of the year.
While we can’t put into words everything that went wrong for the Flyers this year, a couple of things stand out. After missing the playoffs for the past three years, they finally made it this year, but they fell well short of their full potential. At the midway point of the season, the Flyers ranked 14th in the league in goals per game (2.36) and 15th in power play percentage (17.9%). It’s fair to say they could’ve done much better had it not been for some seriously bad injuries they suffered during the year. The team was also rocked by a major controversy surrounding their head coach, Jay Woodcroft, who was fired in late November after he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old hockey player. The team finished last in the league in 2019, missing the playoffs for the 11th straight season and the 12th time in 13 years.
Key Changes
After years of relatively stable leadership, the National Hockey League is finally making some changes, with an emphasis on player safety. Gone are the days of coaches and GMs duking it out in the media for prominence and the fans getting mad about it. This year’s playoffs have been plagued by officiating controversies, and for a change, the league has stepped in and tried to make the games more watchable. The result has been an improvement in the quality of the games and a focus on safety throughout the season.
Another change that has been in the works for several years has finally come to fruition. Thanks in large part to IceTag and its growing popularity, teams will now be able to designate one player as a “mobile goalie”, who will come out and play between the periods. For years, fans have been asking for this type of innovation, and with the added safety measures, it’s finally available. Teams will still be able to use the walk-in goalies during the game, but they’ll have an extra blocker near the crease to protect the netminder’s head and any injuries that may occur from crashes ahead of and during the plays.
Another big change that will make a difference this year is the addition of two new conferences. Based on their geography, the divisions have been realigned so that the Southeast and the North are in separate conferences. The teams have also been shuffled so that the conference champions from each division will meet in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Most Valuable Player
With all that’s happened this year in professional hockey, it’s been a fairly eventful 2019-20 season. While some were able to have an incredible season and put up numbers we’ve never seen before, others had a real down year. The New York Rangers, for example, had the fifth-worst record in the NHL, and they finished last in the conference. After three straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the Blueshirts finally succumbed this year, failing to qualify for the post-season for the first time since 2013.
The Los Angeles Kings, on the other hand, had one of the worst records in the NHL for the second straight year, but at least they made the post-season for the first time since 2014. After missing the playoffs entirely the previous two seasons, the Kings had quite the rollercoaster season, winning seven games in a row after a 4-8 start to the year. Along with the Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights, the Kings were among the three worst teams in the league at the halfway point of the year.
While we can’t put into words everything that went wrong for the Flyers this year, a couple of things stand out. After missing the playoffs for the past three years, they finally made it this year, but they fell well short of their full potential. At the midway point of the season, the Flyers ranked 14th in the league in goals per game (2.36) and 15th in power play percentage (17.9%). It’s fair to say they could’ve done much better had it not been for some seriously bad injuries they suffered during the year. The team was also rocked by a major controversy surrounding their head coach, Jay Woodcroft, who was fired in late November after he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old hockey player. The team finished last in the league in 2019, missing the playoffs for the 11th straight season and the 12th time in 13 years.
If you want to know more, check out the rest of the articles in the What Is Rep Hockey? series.