The NHL regular season has come to an end. Let’s take a look at some of the many memorable moments of the 2014-2015 season.
Memorable Moments of the 2014-2015 NHL Regular Season
-Canada Day, Claude Giroux was arrested in Ottawa for allegedly grabbing a police officer’s buttocks as well as mocking the police officer. It was reported he spent the night in jail. Giroux said it was a “misguided attempt in humor.”
-After that heated moment, players started cooling off by participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Many players from several teams posted videos participating in the challenge as well as donated money to the cause.
-In October, in Ottawa, there was a shooting at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian soldier, was killed during line of duty.
The Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game was cancelled that night. The Pittsburgh Penguins (vs the Flyers) played “O Canada” as tribute before the game. The Canadian National Anthem was also heard in European hockey games.
The Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs played a coordinated national anthem.
-Remember when half the players started looking like Chipmunks? Yup, the NHL was infested by the mumps. One notable case was when Sidney Crosby came in with swollen cheeks. The team said it was not the mumps. He underwent further testing and then was diagnosed.
–Olli Maatta had an unfortunate year. His season started off at a decent pace, then it was announced he was undergoing surgery to remove a (cancerous) thyroid tumor in his neck. He returned two weeks after the surgery. As well, Maatta also had the mumps. His season ended shortly after when he missed 16 games with a shoulder injury. In January it was announced he would miss the rest of the season to undergo surgery again (on same shoulder he previously had surgery on).
-The Boston Bruins biggest fan, Liam Fitzgerald, was caught on camera in November fist bumping the entire Bruins team before a game against the Florida Panthers. Liam has down syndrome as well acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He appeared in several other games, and the Bruins also presented him with his own hockey card.
-Three former Montreal Canadiens legends passed away in the same season. The first one was Jean Beliveau who passed away on December 2nd, 2014. In his honor, the Habs broke their sell out streak to keep his seat free. The seat was lit up throughout all home games and his number was placed behind the net.
The second player was Elmer Lach. Who passed away on April 4th 2015.
Within the same week, Joseph Dollard Herve St. Laurent passed away on April 6th, 2015. Dollard also played with the Chicago Blackhawks.
-In December, the New Jersey Devils fired head coach Pete DeBoer, replacing him with Adam Oates and Scott Stevens as co-coaches.
-The Ottawa Senators have come a LONG way this season, as evidenced by General Manager Bryan Murray revealing he has been diagnosed with stage-4 colon cancer early in the year.
To make matters worse for the organization, they fired their coach Paul MacLean in December.
By January the Senators were 18-18-9 and far outside of a playoff position. Enter Andrew Hammond.
Hammond finished the season with a 20-1-2 record, a .947 SV%, a 1.79 GAA and three shutouts. He is also became known as the “Hamburglar” and the fans threw hamburgers on the ice when they won home games. Because of him and the team’s effort, the Senators clinched a playoff spot.
All-star defenseman Erik Karlsson also became the quickest defenseman in 17 years to reach 300 points.
The Senators say watching their GM fight cancer helped them battle and make the incredible comback to secure a playoff position.
-Also in Ottawa, former captain Daniel Alfredsson signed a one day contract with the Sens and took part in one last warm-up skate with his old teammates so he could officially retire as a Senator.
–Saku Koivu also retired this season. He was honored in Montreal in December while his former team, the Anaheim Ducks, were visiting.
-Keeping with retirements, the great “Finnish Flash”, Teemu Selanne, also retired along with several other players this season.
-Goalie Martin Brodeur signed a contract with the St Louis Blues after playing his entire career in New Jersey. He played a few games for the Blues, then took a break before deciding he would retire. He is now working as an advisor to St. Louis General Manager Doug Armstrong.
-One player who has yet to retire is Jaromir Jagr, who recently signed a one-deal to remain a Florida Panther. He broke many records this season, and will continue to do so.
-Suspensions happen when emotions run high. Perhaps the most notable example was Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo, who got banned for eight games for an illegal hit on Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.
-Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons finished first in the NHL All-Star Game voting…thanks to his home country. Latvia dedicated their time to continuous voting so he could secure a spot.
-However, it was Alex Ovechkin who stole the show over all-star weekend. He begged to be picked last in the All-Star Draft so he could win a car, though his teammates did not honor his wish. When Honda found out, they gave Ovechkin a car as well. He donated it to the Washington’s Ice Dogs Program, where he went on a date with a special young girl.
-Predators Shea Weber almost beat Zdeno Chara’s hardest shot record at the All-Star Skills Competition. He fired a shot 108.5 miles-per-hour, just 0.3 shy of Chara’s record.
-Remember Dallas Stars forward Rich Peverley? He went into cardiac arrest over a year ago in the middle of a hockey game. Well, he did not return this season, and there’s been no word whether or not he will ever play again…BUT he did skate again. He is currently down with the Texas Stars helping the youngsters on the ice.
-Trade Deadline was something else…but nothing beat the Toronto Maple Leafs/Columbus Blue Jackets trade. Nathan Horton, who is unlikely to play another NHL game, was traded to the Leafs. The Blue Jackets in return got David Clarkson.
-The Minnesota Wild traded for Devan Dubnyk…Needless to say Dubnyk’s career took a few steps forward when he helped the Wild clinch a playoff spot. In 39 games he had a 27-9-2 record with a .936 SV%.
-Jets Evander Kane was also traded during the trade deadline, from Winnipeg to the Buffalo Sabres, though he won’t make his debut until next season due to injury. But before the trade, there was a lot of drama happening. It started when he was late to a team meeting and showed up in a track suit (a big “No” in hockey). According to reports, teammate Dustin Byfuglien threw his track suit into the shower to send a message. Kane then skipped a game against Vancouver and days later was dealt.
-The Jets have a young fan who is battling cancer. She has been getting star treatment since being noticed, and even had players calling her out. Alyx Delaloye is 7 years old, battling Leukemia.
-Moments like these, we cannot forget about Patrick Sharp giving a young blind fan the moment of her life when 16-year-old Christina DeVries attended her first NHL game.
-In yet another heartwarming story, the Leafs signed Garrett Gamble to a one-day contract. Gamble has morquio syndrome. His dream was to drop the puck at a game and meet some of his favorite players. He did just that. He was also named the first star of the game.
-Sharks GM Doug Wilson vs Joe Thornton. Thornton got the “C” stripped and Wilson said it was because Thornton was too emotional. Thornton responded by saying Wilson has to shut his mouth. We will see how this ends during the off-season.
-The Florida Panthers lost Roberto Luongo with a shoulder injury in a game against the Leafs. Luongo was watching from the press box when back-up goalie Al Montoya pulled a groin muscle. It went back and forth for a while, trying to figure out what to do. They signed goalie coach Rob Tallas to a one-day contract and dressed him up…and Luongo returned to the game for the final ten minutes to give Montoya relief.
-What happens when a team has a player score his very first NHL goal…and another one gets his first NHL point on the same play…with the same puck? The Oilers answered that by cutting the puck in half when Martin Marincin scored his first goal and Andrew Miller got his first point.
-Players are very quiet about injuries. Usually they are classified as “upper-body” or “lower-body” injuries. Boston Celtics player Kelly Olynyk who played with a swollen eye did not get the memo. He said he had to return to the game because he would hear it from his best friend Dougie Hamilton (Boston Bruins), who is out with broken ribs.
-Referee Paul Devorski officiated his last game on April 5th, 2015, in a match between the Flyers and Penguins. He reffed in the NHL for 26 years totaling 1594 games. Vorachek gave him the game puck at the end of the game.
-Finally, now that the season has ended…who would have expected for the Los Angeles Kings to not make the playoffs after winning two cups in three years?
The Bruins are also out, as the Senators fought for their life. The final two spots were between the three teams. The Senators clinched one of the spots in the afternoon. The Penguins had to win against the Sabres to get in, which they did. clinching the final spot in the process.
-Canada has five teams in the playoffs (The Habs, Senators, Flames, Canucks, Jets) and two teams (Leafs and Oilers) who will get a decent draft pick.
Hope you enjoyed some of the memorable moments from 2014-2015 season!
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