The Hockey News

In our Playoff Preview, we have full-page breakdowns on each team, plus features on Slavin, Swayman, Guerin, the Avalanche, the Battle of Alberta and the Avs-Wings 1997 bloodbath.

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GREEN LIGHT THE RED LIGHT

EUGENE MELNYK – THANKS!

YOUR GUIDE TO EXCITEMENT • The 2022 NHL playoffs are bursting with storylines. These are just 10 to keep an eye on

PUCK CULTURE

BEHIND THE MASK

JERSEY HOUND

RAY BOURQUE-O-METER • It’s become tradition to cheer for the Cup-less but lovable aging veteran to finally reach the NHL’s peak. Who pulls strongest at the heartstrings?

IN THE CARDS

THE GROWTH CONTINUES • Thanks to Chelsey Goldberg, the Maccabiah Games are set to welcome women’s hockey for the first time

REMEMBERING EUGENE • Melnyk’s ownership of the Senators was tumultuous, but his love for the team was unquestionable, and there was a compassionate side many fans never saw

WELCOME TO THE REAL DANCE • From the physical play to the rabid fans to the anything-to-win mentality, there’s nothing like playoff time

LEARNING FROM THE PAST • The success of the Wings and Isles can teach us about the Leafs and what they need to get over the hump

GOLDEN RECIPE • MALIK JONES CLAIMED PARA-HOCKEY GOLD IN HIS OLYMPIC DEBUT, BUT HE’S FAR FROM SATISFIED WITH JUST ONE. HE’S GOT BIG PLANS FOR HIS FUTURE – BOTH ON AND OFF THE ICE

PURE PRIDE • With an air of positivity circling the PREMIER HOCKEY FEDERATION’S year-end tournament, Boston rose up and emerged as the circuit’s first back-to-back champion

REUNITED LAST • WHEN ONE OF HIS PLAYERS NEEDED TO RESCUE HIS FAMILY FROM UKRAINE, THE OWNER OF DENMARK’S AALBORG PIRATES DIDN’T HESITATE TO GET BEHIND THE WHEEL

BATTLE READY • The Battle of Alberta once had it all: frequent fighting, public urination, mind games with The Great One, you name it. More than three decades have passed since the good ol’ Gory Days, when the bad blood between the Flames and Oilers regularly spilled over in the playoffs. But the stage is being set for them to renew hostilities. All that’s needed is the blessing of the hockey gods

STUPID QUESTION, STOIC ANSWER • IT’S HARD TO GET A RISE OUT OF JACCOB SLAVIN. BUT DON’T MISTAKE HIS LADY BYNG CALM FOR A LACK OF COMPETITIVE FIRE. HE WANTS IT AS BAD AS ANYONE. JUST DON’T EXPECT HIM TO GO ALL WILL SMITH ON ANYONE

HOLDING SWAY • YOUNG BRUINS STOPPER JEREMY SWAYMAN LEARNED SOME VALUABLE LESSONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE. AMONG THEM: BEING A GOALIE ISN’T ROCKET SCIENCE – AND FINDING A GOOD PAIR OF BALLET SLIPPERS MAY JUST TAKE YOU TO THE NEXT LEVEL

WILD BILL GOES TO WORK • A HARD-CHARGING POWER FORWARD WHO SHOT FIRST AND ASKED QUESTIONS LATER, BILL GUERIN HAD TO SLOW DOWN AND LEARN THE ROPES AS A NOVICE NHL GM. BUT HE HASN’T WASTED ANY TIME PUTTING THE WILD INTO POSITION FOR A PLAYOFF RUN

READY FOR THE SUMMIT • The Avalanche have melted in the past two playoffs, but they’ve learned from those losses and are primed for a Stanley Cup run this year

POWER RANKINGS

WHAT’S INSIDE

BOSTON BRUINS

CALGARY FLAMES

CAROLINA HURRICANES

COLORADO AVALANCHE

DALLAS STARS

EDMONTON OILERS

FLORIDA PANTHERS

LOS ANGELES KINGS

MINNESOTA WILD

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

NEW YORK RANGERS

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

ST. LOUIS BLUES

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

AN EYE FOR AN EYE • It was fitting that it happened at ‘The Joe.’ In the now infamous line brawl that turned the rink into a ring, the Red Wings would finally get their man and Darren McCarty would at long last exact his revenge

ROYAL REDUX • The 1972 Memorial Cup was the...