“Next year we want to be, right now, coming off the ice with our skates on and we’re preparing for our first-round opponent.”

From the depths of tragedy—a bus crash in Saskatchewan that took the lives of 16 Humboldt Broncos last April—the grieving family of Logan Boulet finds comfort in knowing their loss has led to a movement of selflessness and generosity.

No NHL franchise matters more in Canada than the Maple Leafs (sorry Canadiens), and as Brendan Shanahan and his team of local stars look to end a 51-year Stanley Cup drought, the passion in Toronto feels renewed. 

The Islanders were dismissed as the cellar-dwellers when John Tavares left but have instead risen in the Metro Division, quickly turning Barry Trotz into the savior of "the f------ Island."