NHL

This season was a big year for rookies. For example, three rookies: Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner took the Leafs to the playoffs for the first time in a while. Zach Werenski looks like a veteran defenseman despite being 19 years-old. Matt Murray has won two Stanley Cups, and he’s only played one season, and you can’t forget about Patrick Laine, who is the most exciting Finnish product since Teemu Selanne. The following rankings take points per game, shooting percentage, and points in the last two months…

The top 10 rankings will be released weekly during the hockey offseason. This week, we’re doing top 10 centers for next season. There were many factors in deciding this list, but the main criteria were consistency, age, and the player’s injury history. 10. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks Getzlaf has been fairly consistent in his 12-season career. The Ducks captain has had seven seasons with 70 points or more. He also has two seasons in the 60-point range and 49 points in 44 games in the lockout-shortened season in 2013.…

Television ratings will never dictate the importance or worthiness of anything for me. If you look at what ranks at the top of many TV ratings, you will find shows that leave you scratching your head as to how and why they are watched that much. We have moved in a direction with our viewing habits that they no longer can be considered as the sole viable means in which to judge the quality of something, including sports. Once this criterion has been eliminated, we can take an objective look at why the NHL's Stanley Cup…

There are three different stages every NHL team goes through at one time or another. Either they team are contending for the cup, they are somewhere in the middle or they are rebuilding for the future. If a team is rebuilding, they will be trading for picks and prospects and scouting the draft. If a team is contending, they are making trades or signing a player to fill a need. Teams in the middle vary, as they can be in the process of going in one or the other direction. Rebuilding is a hard process for the general…

Alex Ovechkin has been in the league for 11 years. He’s won the Hart trophy (MVP) twice, the Rocket Richard, goal leader, 6 times and is 26th all-time in goals scored. He’s definitely the best goal-scorer in the post-lockout NHL era. However, Ovechkin has never made it past the 2nd round. He is 31 years old. He's gotten some help along the way. Namely, Braden Holtby, who joined the team 5 years ago and has been dominant ever since. For a long time, Nicklas Backstrom was the Capitals only other weapon. Now, the Capitals have…