After four months of waiting, the 2024-2025 NHL campaign is nearly upon us, with the preseason already well underway. This year’s regular season slate offers a ton to be excited about too. Here are a few of the biggest reasons to start getting jacked up for the return of pro puck in North America.
Connor McDavid: The Best Player in the World
LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Mahomes. These guys are all rightly viewed as the pinnacle of their sport right now. That guy for the NHL is without a doubt, Connor McDavid. He might be the most dominant of the bunch. Since his first 100-point season in 2016-2017, McDavid has racked up 934 points in just 600 games. This was nearly 150 more than the next best guy, who just so happens to be his teammate, Leon Draisaitl.
When you go to or watch an Oilers game with McDavid out there (not to mention Draisaitl at his side), you know you’re going to see something special. Heck, over the last four years, he’s averaged nearly two points a game (1.74). You can count on getting your money’s worth every time you pay to see the Oilers.
Edmonton hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since Wayne Gretzky – whose dominance is often compared to McDavid’s—was in town back in the 1980. But, they’ve been knocking harder and harder on the door each year. In 2021, they were bounced in the first round proper. The year after that, they were in the Conference Finals. Two years after that, in 2024, they lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Don’t take your eyes off McDavid and company this year.
Alex Ovechkin Chasing the Great One
Speaking of Gretzky, aka “The Great One”, he is the best to ever lace up a couple of skates. He holds the NHL record for career points (2,857, nearly 1,000 more than 2nd place). The same is said for career assists (1,963, over 700 more than 2nd place). Neither is likely to be eclipsed any time soon. However, Gretzky’s record for career goals (894) could be under fire as soon as this year. Why, you ask? Look no further than the greatest Russian to ever swing a stick, Alex Ovechkin.
Though he just turned 39, Ovechkin scored 31 goals last year and was top 10 with 42 the year before. He seems to be an ageless one. Ovy is now sitting on 853 career goals, just 41 behind the Great One’s mark. A slightly more productive season than he had last year would do the trick.
He has scored at a 42-goal pace in 15 of 19 seasons. “Ovechkin-Gretzky Record-Watch” will be one of the most popular ongoing stories across the league this year. We will all sit back and watch as one of the most beloved players the NHL has ever seen continues his chase for hockey immortality by eclipsing a record previously believed to be insurmountable. We are likely to be witnesses to history in 2025.
NHL Betting Is Back!
Another reason to embrace your jones for NHL hockey is that with its return comes NHL betting. Its ever-increasing popularity cannot be ignored anymore. People don’t bet on hockey like they do basketball and football. But, tons of hockey junkies like to add a little flavor to their viewing experiences by placing a wager or two with one of Canada’s top betting apps which are becoming more numerous by the day.
Betting on hockey, and sports in general, has never been easier than it is now. As long as it’s done responsibly, it can add a level of excitement to the game. Choosing which sportsbook you want to roll with is crucial. Some are more hockey-focused than others, offering better odds, more markets, and more hockey-related bonuses and offers.
The NHL Goes Global
Another reason for NHL fans to get riled up for this season? The league is starting to commit more to taking their show on the road to give the rest of the world a taste of the best hockey league in the world.
The opening games of the season were contested between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils in Prague, Czechia. This was on October 4 and 5 as part of the league’s new NHL Global Series, which has run for three years straight now. The Devils won both games. There will be two more featuring the Dallas Stars and the reigning champion Panthers on November 1 and 2 in Tampere, Finland. The 2024-2025 season will also go on a temporary hiatus in mid-February. This is so players from Canada, USA, Sweden, and Finland can compete in the “4 Nations Face-Off” Tournament, held in Montreal and Boston.
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Featured Image: Joel Auerbach/Getty Images
