NHL Hats

Ever since Reebok started supporting the NHL, the style of hockey hats has become increasingly better.  As far as apparel goes, NHL hats and t-shirts are the most popular affordable items for hockey fans. Even though hats are not as easily customized as t-shirts are, they are often more consistent with respect to sizing. Although fitted hats are more popular, buying an adjustable hat solves all size related problems.

Other than Reebok, several other hat manufacturers, such as New Era and their 59Fifty line, Zephyr Graphics and 47 Brand have licensed NHL hats in production.  Most local sporting goods stores carry some of the Reebok hats, but they often don’t have the largest selection.  Stores specializing in sports apparel tend to have a larger selection and, of course, there are online outlets like lids.com and shop.NHL.com that have great selection as well. Some of the most popular hats are featured below.

Most Popular NHL Hats

The following is a list of the most popular NHL team hats by search volume:

1.)    Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins Official Flex Fit Slouch Hat
Price: $17.99

2.)    Pittsburgh Penguins

Reebok Pittsburgh Penguins Stretch Fit Hat
Price: $17.97

3.)   Buffalo Sabres

Reebok Buffalo Sabres Official Stretch Fit Hat
Price: $17.97

Although I was somewhat surprised at the popularity of the Sabres hats, I was not surprised at the other two teams. Especially given the fact that the Bruins and Flyers had a special winter classic knit hats this year.

In addition, just like the vintage jerseys, there has been an increase in the popularity of vintage NHL hats.  Not only has there been an increase in retro hats for the existing NHL teams, but some non-existent teams from the past, like the Hartford Whalers, are still popular with hat wearing NHL fans.

As an NHL fan, do you wear a hat to top off your t-shirt or jersey when you attend games, or is a hat something you wear when you can’t wear your jersey?  Or, both?

Top 10 NHL Playoff Records

As NHL hockey fans, we all know that playoff hockey is a completely different game.  While regular season hockey provides months of entertainment, the style of game played in the spring is unrivaled.

Long after the snow and ice have left the rivers and lakes of North America, men who grew up playing on those frozen ponds take to hockey’s biggest stage in their annual quest for the Stanley Cup.

Playoff hockey is known to make even the best of the best raise their game to a new level. And, even those not celebrated as mainstream superstars often rise to the occasion in the playoffs – living their fifteen minutes of fame as the most unlikely of heroes.

Without further adieu, let’s take a look at the NHL Digest version of the Top 10 Playoff Records.

Top 10 Playoff Records

10.) Most Game Winning Goals – Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning – 2004

In 2004 Not many hockey fans gave the Lightning much of a shot at winning the Stanley Cup. Brad Richards, however, had other ideas.  On his way to leading the Lightning to the Stanley Cup, Richards amassed a record 7 Game Winning Goals.  Along with his 7 game winners, he added five more goals and 14 assists to lead all scorers in the playoffs with 26 points.  Richards scored four goals and five assists in the Stanley Cup finals alone, vaulting him to the Conn Smythe Trophy!

9.) Most Points By A Defenceman – Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers – 1985

The Edmonton Oilers of the mid-1980′s were a nearly unstoppable force in the playoffs. So, it came as no surprise when they managed to win the Stanley Cup in 1985 while losing just twice in the postseason.  What is surprising is that in just 18 playoff games, Oiler defenseman Paul Coffey, managed to rack up an astounding 37 points! Prior to Coffey’s offensive outburst in 1985, no defenseman had scored more than 25 points in a single playoff year. Coffey even managed to tie Wayne Gretzky for points in the Stanley Cup final with 11.

8.) Most Goals In A Series – Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers – 1985

Yet another playoff record set by an Edmonton Oiler in 1985. The Oilers were on a mission in 1985 and when they met up with the Chicago Blackhawks in the conference final, it was an all-out offensive assault for 6 games.  Kurri managed to notch 12 goals in the six game series on the back of a 4 goal performance in Game 6.  He also had two other hat tricks in the series and lead all goal scorers in the 1985 playoffs with 19.

7.) Most Saves In A Single Game – Tiny Thompson, Boston Bruins – 1933

It isn’t often that a losing goalie finds his way into the record books (at least for good records) but one can’t help but appreciate the spectacular effort displayed by Thompson in the fifth and deciding game of the Bruins’ series with Toronto in 1933.  In unbelievable fashion the Leafs and Bruins managed to play 8 periods of scoreless hockey!

In the ninth period, after over 164 minutes of hockey, the Leafs finally beat Tiny Thompson to win the game and the series. Thompson had made an incredible 113 saves. Not bad for a night’s work!

6.) Most Saves In The Playoffs – Kirk McLean, Vancouver Canucks – 1994

In the 1994 playoffs, the 27 year old Canucks goaltender took the team on his back and authored an amazing run to the Stanley Cup Final.  The Canucks allowed an average of 34 shots/game, but McLean was up to the task. McLean made a miraculous 761 saves in the playoffs, with a save percentage of .928 and 4 shutouts.  However, it was all for nothing as the Canucks lost in 7 games to the New York Rangers in the Cup Final.

McLean’s 761 saves are 63 more than Ron Hextall made when he won the Conn Smythe in 1987 on the losing team.  If it were not for Brian Leetch’s remarkable attempt (34 points) at Paul Coffey’s record for most points by a defenceman in the playoffs, McLean would have a Conn Smythe trophy on his mantle today. Some argue that he should have won it anyway.

5.) Consecutive Games  With A point – Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders – 1980-1982

In what is believed to be one of the most overlooked records on the NHL’s books, Bryan Trottier’s consistent playoff scoring certainly deserves a spot in our Top 5 playoff records.

To think that one player could score at least one point in every playoff game he played over the course of three seasons is outstanding.  The 1997 Hall of Fame inductee managed to score points in 27 consecutive playoff games from 1980-1982, helping the Islanders secure their place as the dynasty franchise of the early 80′s.

4.) Most Points – Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers, 1985

Of course, no NHL Top 10 Record list would be complete without an entry from The Great One. Wayne Gretzky and his Edmonton Oilers absolutely blitzed the playoff record books in 1985.

Not only did Gretzky manage an astounding 47 points (17 Goals, 30 Assists) in the Oilers’ playoff run; he did so in just 18 games. That also gives Gretzky the record for the most points per game in the playoffs at 2.61*. Gretzky’s linemate, Jari Kurri, was the chief beneficiary of his 30 assists. As mentioned above, Kurri managed 19 Goals in the 1985 playoffs to tie Reggie Leach for the league record.
*Minimum 10 playoff points.

3.) Consecutive Overtime Wins – Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens – 1993

The Montreal Canadiens started off the 1993 playoffs very slowly, losing their first two games but ‘St. Patrick’ would bail them out. Patrick Roy did just that; backstopping the Canadiens to four straight wins against the Nordiques in the first round, four more consecutive wins in the second round and three straight wins to start the third round.  Amazingly, Roy and the Canadiens managed 10 consecutive overtime victories, including 3 overtime wins in the Stanley Cup final versus Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings!

The 1993 playoffs were an anomaly when it came to the number of overtime contests. Some 28 games needed extra time during the 1993 playoffs, which happens to be a league record as well.

2.) Career Playoff Wins – Patrick Roy, 1986-2003

Patrick Roy absolutely dominates this record. In fact, Roy has 151 playoff victories while just two other goalies (Martin Brodeur 179*, Eddie Belfour 161) have even played in as many playoff games. Roy’s intensity and focus allowed him to take his teams deep into the playoffs; one of the reasons that he owns this record by such a wide margin.

On the strength of those deep playoff runs, including 4 Stanley Cups, Roy played in a staggering 247 career playoff games. This sheer volume of games played is also the reason that Patrick Roy has the most career playoff losses of any goalie in NHL history as well – 94.

*Martin Brodeur is still active at the time of publication
1.) Most Stanley Cups – Henri Richard, Montreal Canadiens – 1956-1975

Eleven. That is a massive number of championships for one payer to have been a part of as a player. This record tops our list as the most unbreakable playoff record for good reason. If we can assume a relatively long career in the NHL lasts 20 seasons, a player would need to win the Stanley Cup on average more than every two years to eclipse this record.

With the current parity in the league and the salary cap affecting players’ tenure with clubs, we think this record will stand for a very long time.

Of note is that Richard’s Montreal teammate, Jean Beliveau, has his name on the Stanley Cup 17 times. However, 7 of those were as a member of management. Imagine having 17 Stanley Cup rings!

Your Thoughts

So, what do you think?

Are these playoff records in the correct order?

Are there other NHL playoff records that you would include in this list?

Resources:
Legends of Hockey.net
Wikipedia NHL
HockeyDB.com
Hockey Hall of Fame Records

Who Was In Goal For The Bruins When Darryl Sittler Score His 10 Points?

We All Focus on the Winners, Right?

Darryl Sittler’s record for most points (10) in one game still stands. He scored his amazing six goals and four assists on February 7^th 1976 for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Boston Bruins. This is a legendary record that many hockey fans will never forget. But there is one person who would like nothing more than to forget that night!

Who Else, But the Goaltender for the Bruins?

Dave Reece was in goal for the Bruins as their starter that season, Gilles Gilbert, was injured and they opted not to take the risk with the Gerry Cheevers; who was just back from a stint in the WHA with the Clevland Crusaders. Don Cherry, who was coaching the Bruins at the time, was saving Cheevers for a game versus Detroit the next night in Boston.  Cherry claims he had to hang Reece out to dry because Cheevers hadn’t even practiced with the team since returning.
(Source: Don Cherry video on Sittler’s 10 point game)

Maybe it was Cherry’s decision to leave Reece in goal? Or, maybe it was a matter of chance or coincidence?  Whatever the cause, this chain of events led to Darryl Sittler setting the NHL record for best individual statistical performance in a single game.

Unfortunately, the result of this accomplishment is what Dave Reece became infamous for. In fact, he was even nicknamed “In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time Reece” and is remembered by the moniker to this day.

Reece, a fantastic college and minor league goaltender, did not have any more memorable achievements with either the Boston Bruins or the United States Olympic Team. Certainly, nothing that would overshadow that night.  In fact, Reece never did play another NHL game after that fateful Saturday night in Toronto.

Food For Thought

Reece was allegedly told prior to that game that he would be sent to the minors in order to make a roster spot available for the newly acquired Cheevers. That said, is it possible that Reece was so distraught about the news that he intentionally played poorly? Highly unlikely, but considering the circumstances, it begs the question.

Could this record ever be broken? It’s possible, though highly unlikely, that a player might get 10 points in one game again. But, how probable is it that a goaltender would be left in the game after giving up 6,7,8… goals? Especially if they all came from the stick of the same player?

Video: Colton Orr Fights Milan Lucic

When the Boston Bruins visited Toronto to play the Maple Leafs, many hockey fans wondered if Colton Orr would drop the gloves with Milan Lucic. Lucic, even though there is no doubt he is a tough customer, had only fought three times this season prior to this tilt with Orr.  One has to wonder if his early season injury has played a factor in his confidence?

Orr on the other hand has racked up 18 fighting majors this season with Toronto, exhibiting the truculence that GM Brian Burke so desires.  There is no doubt after watching the video of this fight between Lucic and Orr that Orr certainly got the better of Milan in this one.

After watching the video of this fight, I still wonder why Lucic wasn’t more aggressive in throwing punches early in the fight when he had Orr’s jersey over his head. Of course, that’s easy to say when you’re sitting behind a keyboard and not tangled up with one of the NHL’s toughest customers!

Shawn Thornton Fights Jared Boll

It’s becoming more and more common in the National Hockey League to see players policing the game by their own hand. Such an incident happened once again last night. An inadvertent fall that caused Bruins’ goaltender, Tuukka Rask, to be tripped resulted in no penalty being called.

However, Boston players felt otherwise and as play continued tempers began to flare!

Chuck Kobasew started the skirmish by fighting Michael Blunden at the start of this video, but the bigger tilt was between two heavyweights.  Shawn Thornton and Jared Boll ended up fighting in the corner with both players landing some heavy shots.  The decision in this fight goes to Thornton even though Boll ended up on the top of the pile as they fell.

Joe Sakic Versus Steve Yzerman

The following is a compilation of hockey links from the NHL Digest Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/nhldigest.  I’ve added some additional comments around these links.  I hope you enjoy them!

Joe Sakic’s Retirement

With Joe Sakic expected to officially retire on Thursday, Adrian Dater wants to know who was better – Sakic or Yzerman? http://ff.im/-4Yxzr

That’s a tough call.  Both had the intangible qualities of leadership and both are certainly in the best class of people both on and off the ice.

Adrian outlines some statistics in his article- They are eerily similar!

Stanley Cups Yzerman 3, Sakic 2.
Career pointsYzerman 1,755, Sakic 1,641.
Career playoff points: Sakic 188, Yzerman 185.
Postseason goals: Sakic 84, Yzerman 70.
Conn Smythe trophies: Sakic 1, Yzerman 1.
Olympic MVP awards: Sakic 1, Yzerman 0.

Sakic’s retirement and the turnover rate of Avalanche coaches got me thinking. How cool would it be if Joe Sakic pulled a “Gerry Cheevers” becoming the team’s coach the following season after his retirement?

According to @weeklyslapshot the name even (kinda) works: “Easy to confuse Joe Sakic with Joe Sacco… LOL”

Both players were very influential to me as a young hockey player and their careers so close statistically, it comes down to just Stanley Cups. That said, if I had to choose, I choose Steve Yzerman.

Free Agent Signings

@dchesnokov reported that former Detroit Red Wing and free agent, Jiri Hudler, will play for Dynamo Moscow of the KHL (per Sovetsky Sport).

Kuklas Korner had a translation of Hudler speaking on why he signed in Moscow  http://ff.im/-4YxWa

The article at Kuklas Korner has some great speculation as to the actual advantages to this signing for the Detroit Red Wings.  In particular, Detroit doesn’t have to give up anything in the form of money or draft picks and they retain Hudler’s NHL rights.  It is possible that when Detroit clears some salary cap space, in a year or two, that Hudler could be lured back to the Red Wings.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed Saku Koivu to a one-year, $3.25 million contract. via TSN http://ff.im/-4XYB4

There was much speculation that Koivu would go to Anaheim to play with Teemu Selanne for one season prior to Selanne’s retirement.  That speculation came true and Koivu stated for the record that Selanne did influence his decision to join the Ducks.

According to @TBLightning http://twitpic.com/9pn47 – The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to terms with former Minnesota Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster.

More Hockey Links

RT @BladeTape Gillian Ferrari & Jayna Hefford have signed with BladeTape for the ’09-’10 hockey season! 2 of the best female players around!

Does anyone know of any certified medical doctors that have played in the NHL other than Randy Gregg?

Wednesday was also useless NHL Trivia day over at the NHL Digest Facebook page – check it out!  http://bit.ly/a7LfI

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