Greatest Moments of NHL Season … So Far: first round, matchup 8

The 2019-20 NHL season had many incredible moments before it paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, and now fans can decide which one was the best.

The Greatest Moments of the NHL season … So Far
have been placed into a bracket of 64 entries, and fans will vote on one matchup per day, ultimately deciding the greatest moment up until this point.
Fans can vote on Twitter and Instagram each day from noon until 10 a.m. ET the next day. Each day, the winner of that matchup will be revealed, and a new set of moments will go head-to-head.
Though fans will have the ultimate say, two NHL.com staff members will weigh in on the matchup each day to give his or her opinion on which one should advance to the next round.
In the matchup Sunday, the Vancouver Canucks retiring the numbers of Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin defeated the Vegas Golden Knights becoming the second-fastest team in NHL history to 100 victories.
The matchup Monday pits Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers
trading a puck for his choice of candy
Feb. 29 against the St. Louis Blues raising their first
Stanley Cup banner before the season opener
at Enterprise Center on Oct. 2.

Jon Lane, staff writer

I'm always partial to an athlete making a young fan happy, and what Ehlers did for one before the Jets played the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place was a sweet deal. Fans getting creative hoping to receive a gift, usually a puck, became a trend prior to the pause of the season. This one took it to a new level with the youngster not only offering a trade, but letting Ehlers choose between two packs of Tic Tacs. The Jets forward got candy, and the fan got a puck and a big smile in return. Such moments are priceless. There's no denying the Blues raising their banner was cathartic for St. Louis fans, but connections between kids and their favorite players help spawn a new generation of fans and their devotion to the NHL. Ehlers made a kid's night. That's very cool.

Tom Gulitti, staff writer

I like making kids happy and feel included in the game too, but from having been at Enterprise Center for the Blues' Stanley Cup banner raising ceremony, I saw how special it was. Banner raising ceremonies give teams and their fans an opportunity to wrap up the celebration of the previous season's championship before starting the new season. This ceremony had added meaning because it was the Blues' first Stanley Cup chammpionship in their 51-season history. Because the Blues won on the road, defeating the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden, it also was their first opportunity to have the Cup on the ice at Enterprise Center. The Blues hit all the right notes, including having inspirational superfan Laila Anderson in attendance and playing "Gloria," Laura Branigan's 1982 pop hit that became their victory anthem, while the banner was raised to the rafters. I can't hear that song without thinking of the Blues now.