It is time to give thanks.
As the holiday names suggests, Thanksgiving in the United States is an opportunity to reflect on the blessings in each of our lives.
Today, with no games on the NHL schedule, we asked our usually busy staff writers to tell everyone the thing they are most thankful for in hockey.
They did not disappoint.
Here are their answers, which span the gamut of all that our cherished sport has to offer.
Global hockey
Since I joined the NHL in 2016, I’ve gotten to watch and cover hockey in seven countries on four different continents, including Sweden in 2017, China in 2018, Czech Republic and Germany in 2022 and Australia this season. It’s been unbelievable to see how the game has been accepted, embraced and loved across the world, including when colleague Nick Cotsonika and I spotted apparel from all 32 NHL teams at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne this fall when the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings met in the 2023 NHL Global Series. Four teams just came back from Sweden now and it was awesome to see Swedish players like Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings and William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs show off their home country, while Sweden and its hockey fans packed Avicii Arena in Stockholm. I’m truly thankful for where hockey has taken me, and I can’t wait to see where the NHL goes next. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
NHL thinks big to grow game at home and overseas
I’m thankful for how the NHL thinks big to grow the game in traditional and non-traditional markets at home and overseas. Think of the NHL events in 2023 alone. Winter Classic in Boston. All-Star Weekend in Florida. Stadium Series in North Carolina. Stanley Cup Final in Florida and Las Vegas. Awards and Draft in Nashville. Heritage Classic in Edmonton. Global Series in Melbourne and Stockholm. To start 2024, the NHL will hold a Winter Classic in Seattle between the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken, two teams that didn’t exist a few years ago. Think of the joy and jobs this creates for so many people. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Diversity continues to grow
I’m thankful for seeing the evolution of hockey, more people of color -- men and women -- rising in the sport on the ice and behind the bench. I’m thrilled that Joel Ward is back in the NHL this season with the Golden Knights as an assistant coach, a position he’s prepared for since he retired as a player in 2020. It’s been exciting to see Quinton Byfield develop this season into the power forward that everyone expected him to be when the Los Angeles Kings selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. It was great seeing Sophie Jaques become the first Black player to receive the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award on March 18 as the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey and an equally special moment watching her make her Team Canada debut in the same Rivalry Series game on Nov. 11 that University of Wisconsin sophomore forward Laila Edwards debuted as the first Black woman on the U.S. women’s senior national team. -- William Douglas, staff writer
25 years of Hockey Fights Cancer
For a quarter of a century, the NHL, its players and teams have been teaming during Hockey Fights Cancer month to raise money, awareness and support those battling the disease. Entering this season, they had raised more than $32 million through Hockey Fights Cancer Night games and accompanying events and auctions. This season, beginning with the Boston Bruins on Oct. 30 through the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12, each of the League’s 32 teams are again holding a Hockey Fights Cancer game. It’s always a joy to see the smiles on the faces at these games and other events during the HFC campaign, such as the Washington Capitals’ annual Hockey Fights Cancer skate with children from the area who have been impacted by cancer. In addition, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association have joined forces with the V Foundation for Cancer Research and AstraZeneca, an official partner of Hockey Fights Cancer, that will donate $5,000 to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund and the V Foundation for every hat trick scored during the 2023-24 season with a donation goal of up to $500,000. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Fresh air and outdoor hockey
My home state of New Jersey is recognized for many things -- the birthplace of Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi, "The Sopranos" and home of the Jersey Shore (the beach, not the show). But I can't begin to express the excitement that's building for not one, but two outdoor games for the first time at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford at the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on Feb. 17-18. The New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers have the opening game Saturday, Feb. 17 and the New York Rangers and New York Islanders face off the following day at the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. Devils Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur probably said it best: "It's like being at your draft. It's like being at your first Stanley Cup [Final], if you have a chance to win one. It's all the same. It's a great moment for all the players." The Islanders' lone outdoor appearance also came against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium, losing 2-1 three days after the Rangers defeated the Devils, 7-3. I'm thankful that New Jerseyans will have a chance to witness two great hockey games in a packed stadium in the elements. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Women in hockey
Be it executive positions, scouting or other positions on the business or hockey operations side, I’m seeing more women working for teams or at the League level and I’m incredibly thankful for that. It’s always been about simply getting a chance to prove ourselves. There have been a lot of women who have earned the right to get opportunities and now we’re seeing more women get them. If you need more proof, check out Women in Hockey, weekly posts on NHL.com highlighting a woman from each of the 32 teams. I’ve been doing this for nearly 30 years, been covering hockey specifically for the past 13. I was one of those women who was given a chance back in 1995 to prove myself. Here's to those who will get the next ones. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Those who make the game happen
Let’s face it, none of this would be possible if it were not for the amazing players in our game, the greats of the past, the present and the future. They are the most incredible athletes in any sport and watching them on a daily basis is a pure joy. But there is so much more that goes into our game than the players. Working behind the scenes at the 2023 NHL Global Series Sweden, I not only got a firsthand look at the hard work the coaching staffs and supports staffs for each team do, but the dedication from the hundreds of NHL employees who help put the games together. Including the folks who plan the events, to the game presentation people, to those who help coordinate multiple broadcasts around the globe, it’s truly a team effort from the players on down. I’m not only extremely thankful to be a part of it, but also thankful to watch this wonderful sport and its players all season long. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief
This job we do
I arrived at the NHL on Oct. 15, 2007, understanding that I was stepping into the big leagues and that I better take it seriously. I felt privileged to have the opportunity to try to carve my way into a little slice of this League and sport. Little did I know that 16-plus years later I would still be here and still feel as privileged today as I did then to be working in the greatest sport and for the best league. The way we operate has changed dramatically. The business of the game has changed. So has the skill in it. It’s better. The Atlanta Thrashers are now the Winnipeg Jets. The Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken are here. They weren’t when I got here. Neither were Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor Bedard and so many more. The way we analyze the game is different. The stats we use and the technology we use is different. Maybe I’m aging myself. I’m only 45. But so what. I love it. I love every bit of it. I particularly love the people in hockey. Truly good humans. They have your back. They have mine. I have yours. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for what I do, for where I work and for whom I work. I can tell you this, living the dream is really fun and I hope the ride never ends. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
Working in a hockey-crazed market
Living in Canada where hockey is the No. 1 sport, I’m thankful for the opportunity to work for the NHL and watch the game for a living. I’ve never taken for granted the access I have and am privileged for the opportunity to talk to players, coaches and managers daily. I try to learn something new about the game, every day interacting with those who make their living in it. I immigrated to Canada when I was young, was introduced to hockey and fell in love with the game. I grew up playing hockey and though it was my dream to one day play in the NHL, I never really believed I would make a living watching the game. The Oilers have one of the most passionate fan bases in the NHL and to be in the middle of the excitement during a playoff run is truly special. I am fortunate to have joined the outstanding team at the NHL just prior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, after decades as a newspaper sports reporter. I take great pride in the job and look forward to many years of covering the game I grew to love. That is something for which I’m truly thankful. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer
Best teammates ever
This is an easy one for me. I’m writing this on Sunday from the press room of the Avicii Arena in Stockholm where I’ve been covering the 2023 NHL Global Series Sweden. How much better can it get for a kid from Scarborough who grew up playing road hockey with his buddies almost every night dreaming of one day playing in the NHL? It wasn’t realistic, of course, considering my skating skills -- or lack thereof -- required training wheels instead of blades but a penchant for telling stories allowed a marriage of two passions: hockey and writing. Now, all these years later, going to work constitutes going to hockey games, sometimes in foreign countries. I’m thankful to, first, the Toronto Sun, and now, NHL.com, for providing the stage to do the thing I love. And you couldn't have better teammates than Bill Price, Shawn P. Roarke, Nick Cotsonika, Tom Gulitti, Tracey Myers, Amalie Benjamin, Derek Van Diest, Dan Rosen, Dave McCarthy, Mike Morreale, Adam Kimelman, Dave Stubbs and a cast of others. In a sport where teammates are counted on to watch each other’s backs, consider it done. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
