The Stanley Cup Playoffs are where reputations can get made... or forever changed. A Cup-clinching goal, a goalie standing on their head and carrying a team to a level that was never thought possible, or simply a record-setting performance can take a great player and turn them into a legend.
The 2017-18 Hart Trophy race has been one of the most contested awards races in years, with as many as eight players all having strong arguments to win it.
The 2017-18 NHL season has been a fascinating one that's left us asking a number of questions. How do we define value? What is goalie interference? How did all 31 coaches make it through an entire season without one of them getting fired?
There has always been a need for NHL teams to develop young talent throughout their farm systems, but the introduction of the salary cap more than a decade ago has only increased the pressure to find productive young players.
The start of every NHL season brings new players, new rosters, and new hope. Sometimes those players exceed our expectations and help take their teams to a level that did not seem possible.