Vegas is in only its sixth year as a franchise, making the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural expansion season and missing the playoffs only once since. The Hartford Whalers moved to Carolina and became the Hurricanes in 1997. The Stars have gone to two other Stanley Cup finals since the franchise moved south from Minnesota in 1993, the same year the expansion Panthers came into the league.
All have made it to a Stanley Cup Final, with Dallas winning it all in 1999 and Carolina the 2006 championship. And it’s usually accurate every year.”Įven with Sun Belt teams filling every spot in the conference finals for the first time, this quartet isn't new to the playoffs. I think there’s some preconceived notions about the two or three teams that are going to be left standing at the end of the day in some of the other major sports.
If you’re one of the 16 (playoff) teams, everyone feels like they have a chance to win the Stanley Cup if you’re one of those teams,” said DeBoer, who is in a conference final with his fourth different team. You come to these games, it’s a party, and Vegas is the same.”ĭeBoer, who was Cassidy's predecessor in Vegas and also coached at Florida, believes this kind of final four is exactly what Commissioner Gary Bettman predicted when the NHL instituted a salary cap in 2005 after a yearlong lockout and made parity a priority. “The traditional markets, you go to a game, and I’m Canadian, but you go to a game in Toronto. It’s a lot more of a party, it really is,” first-year Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. The Dallas Stars and the Golden Knights open the West final Friday night in Las Vegas. Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild), Matthew Knies (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks) and Sammy Walker (Minnesota Wild) all made their professional debuts this year.Carolina will take on the Florida Panthers in the East final, with Game 1 on Thursday night. Minnesota has sent an NCAA-record 123 players to the NHL in team history, including 26 this season alone, which is more than any other collegiate program. Alex Goligoski (2009) and Phil Kessel (2016 & 2017) also won the trophy in their careers with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a total of 12 former Gopher players or coaches hold the distinction of being a Stanley Cup champion. Teammates from the Golden Gophers 2013-15 teams, Hudson Fasching and Brady Skjei, battle against each other for the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively, in the first game of the playoffs.Įrik Johnson is the latest representing the Maroon and Gold to hoist the NHL's ultimate prize when he won the title a season ago with the Colorado Avalanche. MINNEAPOLIS - Fourteen former Minnesota men's hockey players are set to begin the 2023 National Hockey League playoffs as the quest for the Stanley Cup begins tonight at 6 p.m.
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