The 2024-25 NHL season has officially begun after the three game slate on October 8th showcased games such as Blues vs. Kraken, Bruins vs. Panthers, and Blackhawks vs. Utah.
If you aren’t caught up with what happened last NHL season, the Florida Panthers took home the Stanley Cup defeating the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the Stanley Cup Final. As the NHL begins its next season, many teams have up and coming rookies or second year players propelling them to become playoff contending teams. However, some teams are on the decline this season with many of their veteran players starting to decline and not too many prospects coming through the pipeline. Alex Wagner, a junior,said this: “ The NHL is always really fun to watch and especially when it enters the playoffs, it makes for some really cool games!”
The highlight matchup of the first three game slate was the Chicago Blackhawks vs. the Utah Hockey Club, because it was Utah’s first ever regular season game for their franchise. The game ended on a good note as Utah defeated Chicago five goals to two. Dylan Guenther scored the first goal for the franchise and will go down in the history books for it. The team is bringing in lots of new hockey fans and growing the sport in different areas of the country, as well as having some of the lowest concession prices throughout all the major sports stadiums and centers in the United States.
The 5 game slate that occurred on October 9th featured a matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers, resulting in the Rangers winning six goals to zero. The Pittsburgh Penguins are many students’ favorite team; however, some students prefer the Philadelphia Flyers, or even recent expansion teams such as the Seattle Kraken and Las Vegas Golden Knights. J.T. Tylwalk, a junior at Lower Dauphin and Seattle Kraken fan, had this to say about the beginning of the season: “The NHL has lots of young talent, and I think this season is going to be a good one, so I’m excited for the start.”
Throughout the regular season fans will look for veteran players to break records that have stood for many years, such as Connor McDavid reaching one thousand goals or Sidney Crosby nearing tenth all time in points. Alex Ovechkin is only 41 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretky’s all time goals record. This season will showcase uprising superstars, insane highlight reels, and new legacies.
