NHL East

By now it’s no secret that the Washington Capitals have been celebrating their first ever Stanley Cup championship in impressive fashion and acting like there’s no tomorrow or an upcoming 2019 season. The city of Washington D.C. was able to celebrate its first championship parade yesterday for the first time in 26 years thanks to captain Alex Ovechkin and the …

Whether all-star forward Phil Kessel enters an offseason as a Stanley Cup champion or not, he always seems to make headlines during the summer season. Though those headlines aren’t always for the better, and at the moment for both he and the Pittsburgh Penguins that is the case. The Penguins and Kessel were finally bounced from the Stanley Cup Playoffs …

The Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin have been making headlines non-stop since they won the 2018 Stanley Cup and the first NHL championship in franchise history. The Capitals were lucky enough to win the Cup and be able to celebrate afterward in Las Vegas, and Washington’s tour with Lord Stanley headed back to D.C. earlier today for an appearance at …

The Washington Capitals have finally done it! Some thought Alexander Ovechkin would never get to see the day with his hands on Lord Stanley’s Cup. More than a dozen seasons and too many second round playoff exists to count have paved the way to glory. While the hockey world watched Ovechkin raise the Cup, many eyes quickly became drawn to …

For the first time since 2009 a team other than the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins won’t win the Stanley Cup. It’s also been 19 seasons since the Washington Capitals have made an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals (1998), as the Capitals will face-off with the Tampa Bay Lightning in to determine who will …

Brad Marchand is at it again, and he sure knows how to make the headlines. The Hallifax, Nova Scotia native appears to have a new trademark lately, which entails borderline licking or kissing his opponents somewhere in the face region. Just ask Tampa Bay Lightning forward, Ryan Callahan, about Marchand’s latest antics. Marchand and Callahan began to get in each …

The Grand Rapids Griffins qualified for the playoffs after winning the Calder Cup as American League champions last season. They face a do-or-die Game 5 tonight, as their First Round series with the Manitoba Moose is tied at two games apiece. Below is my interview with Finnish defenseman Vili Saarijarvi, followed by my regular season assessments of various Griffins players. …

For many younger hockey fans the Penguins vs Capitals rivalry started when superstars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin came into the league for their respective teams. However, the history of the two teams meeting up in the playoffs stems back much further with the Penguins getting the last laugh nearly every playoff series. Here’s how we got to where we …

McKenna’s weekly NHL Mailbag will be open via Twitter Wednesday through Friday for the remainder of the 2018 NHL season and Stanley Cup Playoffs. To have an NHL related question featured in Hooked On Hockey Magazine tweet to @KMcKenna_tLT5 by using the hashtag #McKennasDigest.  The Calgary Flames have a new head coach, and three finalists have been named for the 2018 Vezina …

It was just seven days ago when the Columbus Blue Jackets and Head Coach John Tortorella were all smiles, after the team had completed its second-straight overtime victory to take a 2-0 series lead against the Washington Capitals in round-one of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, one week later, the Blue Jackets find themselves losers of three straight (two overtime …

There’s no doubting that the most entertaining first round series of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been the Columbus Blue Jackets against the Washington Capitals. Considering that the Capitals blew another third period lead in Game 3, most NHL fans alike probably thought that the odds were against Alex Ovechkin and company to pull back within one game of …

Over the last decade the New York Rangers have had three different head coaches man the team’s bench on Broadway (Tom Renney, John Tortorella & Alain Vigneault), and all of whom had success leading the Rangers to numerous Stanley Cup Playoff appearances. However, New York only reached the Stanley Cup Finals (2014) once during that span — and was unable …

Joe Hicketts impressed in his short stay in Detroit. The small defenseman plays much bigger than he is, and is never afraid to play the body on his opponent. He demonstrated his booming slap shot and sound positioning. Having played the rest of the year with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American League, he adjusted seemingly with ease to …

McKenna’s weekly NHL Mailbag will be open via Twitter Wednesday through Friday for the remainder of the 2018 NHL season and Stanley Cup Playoffs. To have an NHL related question featured in Hooked On Hockey Magazine tweet to @KMcKenna_tLT5 by using the hashtag #McKennasDigest.  In a quick turnaround McKenna’s NHL Mailbag takes to Hooked on Hockey Magazine just in time for the …

The Detroit Red Wings closed their season out in dramatic fashion, falling 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders. They finished fifth in the Atlantic Division and also fifth worst in the NHL. Only the playoff-clinching Philadelphia Flyers lost more overtime games than Detroit’s 13 (14). Henrik Zetterberg scored first, as the Wings entered the intermission up 1-0. In …