Had the Sharks won on Sunday, tonight would have been Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Pittsburgh. So for this post, I will allow you all to discuss some of the best and worst moments of the 2015-2016 season of NHL hockey. I invite all of you to discuss some of the different moments of this season. Maybe talk about what you are looking forward to for next season for your favorite teams and players.
Here are a few musings of mine to take a look back at this season...
* Maybe the thing I think of most is how the Montreal Canadiens had an absolutely ballin' start... only to fall apart like a badly built car.
* Let's go from one Original Six team to another- AnthonyD1993 and Joey D's Detroit Red Wings. Despite adversity, the Detroit Red Wings still managed to make the playoffs for the 25th successive season. They had a real physical series against Tampa Bay ranging from hostility to bloodied faces. Making the postseason 26 straight seasons is going to be tough once the 2016-2017 season rolls around. I think their coach moved on to the University of Wisconsin. So if you fancy Big Ten hockey, I'd surely want to see how the Wisconsin/Michigan rivalry shapes up in hockey.
* Keeping up the Original Six talk, Boston wished they could have done more to help their playoff cause. Unfortunately, they didn't make the postseason.
* I do think the New York Rangers had a great season and a talented lineup. Could they possibly do more to maybe go further into the postseason than they did this past season?
* RedDragon and Northstar's Minnesota Wild had an up-and-down season. Mike Yeo got canned as coach, and yet the Wild still managed to make the playoffs. Maybe with more star players, they probably could have stood a better chance against the Dallas Stars in their first-round match. They still did quite well playing on house money. The future seems bright for Minnesota. All I wonder is if the Wild can parlay that into a deep playoff run next season or some season in the near future.
* I am thinking if the Philadelphia Flyers are going to be any future threat, Shayne Gostisbehere will have to be that next-level player. And you know nothing hurts than seeing an in-state or near-state rival win the championship. So you bet the Flyers will want to give the Penguins something to think about for next season.
* Ken Hitchcock will coach one more season as he's currently with the St. Louis Blues. In a stacked division like the Central Division, the question will be on kolio's Blues can still deliver and maybe improve upon this past season. St. Louis missed out on the Stanley Cup Finals after a wild series with the San José Sharks.
* What was most shocking to me was how not one single Canadian team made the postseason. This was the first time in a few decades that no Canadian teams qualified for the postseason. The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup was the 1992-1993 Montreal Canadiens.
* Both Florida teams did quite well this past season. The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning both had fine seasons. Both have had to deal with the New York Islanders in the postseason. Omnis' Miami Dolphins were defeated by the Islanders in the first round. However, the Islanders couldn't beat the other Florida NHL team in the second round.
* How far did you have the Washington Capitals advancing? This was a great team that was not great enough to (seemingly) waltz their way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Alex Ovechkin was still money in the bank for the Capitals.
* In the 2014-2015 season, it was the Chicago Blackhawks that won it all. This past season, they were knocked out early. The big factor was mostly about stuff like Patrick Kane's issues off the ice. At least this incident wasn't as bothersome as (to use another sport)- D. Rose of the NBA's Chicago Bulls. Still, you can't fault the Blackhawks' Batman and Robin tandem of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
* All congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins on winning Lord Stanley's Cup and hoisting it high for the world to see.
* Finally, and most of all... I'd be remiss if I failed to recognize the lives we've lost in hockey this past season. Certainly remember lives like Ed Snider and of course- "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe among many others whom we've lost this season.
That was a pretty big start. What are some of your memories of this past season? How would you look back on this past season? What are some of your thoughts about next season? The floor is yours!
, didn't get to see the game because I had to work 
. I did get to listen to it on the radio though.
