NHL.com writers thankful for hockey on holiday

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and find gratitude for the blessings in our lives -- family, friends, good health and the like.

Hockey fans also have a lot to give thanks for these days, with the game as skilled as it has ever been and the NHL as competitive as it can be.

We asked a panel of NHL.com writers to offer up something hockey-related that they are thankful for as the United States celebrates this holiday.

Here are their answers.

NHL’s return to Olympic stage

It’s been 11 years since NHL players last played in the Olympics, and not only have the players been waiting with bated breath for their return, so have the fans. That includes me. I can’t wait to see Sidney Crosby pull on that Canada sweater, can’t wait to see Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk turn up the noise as the United States tries to get revenge for the 4 Nations Face-Off, can’t wait to see the upsets that we didn’t anticipate. I had a front-row seat at the 4 Nations to how much this all matters to the NHL players who have been waiting so long -- for some, their whole careers -- which is why I’m thankful that we get to see it all unfold at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in three short months. -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

Winter Classic wonderland

I’m old enough to remember when the New Year was just another time amid the marathon of the NHL season. Some teams turned New Year’s Eve into a bit of a bash, but that was it. The Winter Classic changed everything. Thinking outside the box of indoor arenas, the League has taken the game outdoors to incredible venues New Year after New Year, generating buzz and drawing huge crowds. It has become a pillar of the schedule. Each time, the show is a little different, tailored to the local market. This season, the 17th edition of the event, the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic, will be played in Miami. Miami! The Florida Panthers will host the New York Rangers at loanDepot park, normally home of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball, on Jan. 2. I’m thankful for all the work and creativity that goes into making it possible. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Stadium Series Florida celebration

Florida gets its second day in the sun -- probably after sunset -- with the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Feb. 1. The ambitious outdoor event is a well-deserved stick tap and testament to the growth of hockey in the Sunshine State due to the Stanley Cup success of the Lightning (champions in 2004, 2020, 2021) and Florida Panthers (2024, 2025). Floridians aren’t just watching hockey, they’re playing it, and the state is producing elite-level players and coaches. What better way to celebrate those accomplishments than by playing a game outdoors, then hitting the beach? -- William Douglas, staff writer

Global Series impact

I’ve been fortunate to cover the NHL Global Series the past two seasons and witness the pride those games bring out in the players who get to play NHL games in their home countries. Last season, it was the Florida Panthers (Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Niko Mikkola) and the Dallas Stars (Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Esa Lindell) in Tampere, Finland. This season, the Pittsburgh Penguins (Erik Karlsson) and Nashville Predators (Filip Forsberg, Adam Wilsby) played in Stockholm, Sweden. Barkov had a memorable four-point game (one goal, three assists) in his hometown last season. Forsberg scored a late tying goal to help Nashville to a much-needed overtime win this season. These events also give people in these countries the opportunity to experience NHL games and, hopefully, inspire the next generation of players and fans. -- Tom Gulitti, Senior Writer

World Junior Championship memories

Some of my most vivid hockey memories involve the World Junior Championship. I was in Ottawa in 2009 when Jordan Eberle's goal for Canada with five seconds left in the third period against Russia in the semifinals nearly rocked the roof off the arena, and in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 2010 when 7,000-plus Canada fans went silent after John Carlson scored the gold-medal winning goal in overtime for the United States against the host country. I was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2023 for Connor Bedard's dominance, and I was back in Ottawa for a first-ever U.S. repeat gold medal in the 2025 tournament. What could happen at the 2026 edition in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota? Who will be the next NHL star to emerge? The beauty is no one knows, and that's what makes the World Juniors such an amazing event. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Schaefer’s play, positivity

It's great to see that New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer continues to thrive and excel in the game he loves because, quite honestly, there's no one more deserving. The positivity he exudes despite the tragedies he’s endured, including the death of his mother from breast cancer in February 2024, is truly remarkable. His effervescent personality and play have given Islanders fans a vision of optimism and hope. Hockey evaluators occasionally use the word "generational" to describe the on-ice ability of a once-in-a-lifetime player prior to being chosen in the NHL Draft. Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, has a rare aura about him. Combine his on-ice skills with what he is as a person, and there's no doubt, to me, that this 18-year-old is generational. -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

Bedard’s impact with Blackhawks

Chicago sports are looking up, especially at United Center, where the Chicago Blackhawks are playing much better hockey this season. Leading the way is Bedard, who was selected by Chicago with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. The center has been on a roll this season, getting two hat tricks in less than a month and ranking among the League’s point leaders. He’s leading a crop of young talent determined to get the Blackhawks back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There have been a few lean years recently for the Blackhawks, but things are looking up, and the newest face of the franchise is leading the way. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Tkachuk brothers’ presence

Let’s face it, the hockey world is even more exciting when the Tkachuk boys are a part of it. Hardcore hockey fans have known for a few years now what these two bring each night, but the whole world saw it during that memorable U.S.-Canada game at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Yes, everyone will recall Matthew, of the Panthers, dropping the gloves with Brandon Hagel of the Lightning, and Brady, of the Ottawa Senators, doing the same seconds later with Matthew’s Panthers teammate Sam Bennett, but there is so much more to these two. They bring energy, attitude, personality and a world of talent to each of their teams. They are following in the footsteps of their dad, Keith Tkachuk, and making a huge impact on the game. I’m thankful for what they bring to the NHL, hope they can return from their injuries, and can’t wait to see what they do at the Olympics for the United States. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

The young and the restless

There is so much good, young talent in this league that it’s possible the NHL fan is becoming spoiled. Center Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks is 19 and is tied for second in the League with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists). Bedard, 20, is fourth with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists). Center Leo Carlsson, 20, of the Anaheim Ducks has 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) and was tied for eighth. On the blue line, it’s Schaefer and 21-year-old Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens who are turning heads. Yes, the kids are all right, and the NHL is better for it. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Crosby and Ovechkin, still

We're in an era of players entering the NHL having grown up idolizing and trying to emulate the greatness of two stars who inspired a generation of hockey players: Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. The beauty of it is that these hockey idols are still skating among the greats of the game today, elite and continuing to inspire. Hockey is the greatest team sport, but the NHL as a product has never been better because the star power in the League has never been greater. The change started with Crosby and Ovechkin 20 years ago. Their grays are grayer these days, but it's still their era, and we all as hockey fans are so lucky that it is. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

NHL’s Centennial Six

Only the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs are in the truest sense Original Six teams, as they and the Bruins, Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and Blackhawks were collectively known in the six-team NHL between 1942-67. The Canadiens, born in the pre-NHL National Hockey Association in 1909, and the Maple Leafs (first known as the Arenas, then the St. Patricks) were charter members of the NHL upon the League’s birth in 1917. The Bruins were established in 1924-25, and this season the Rangers, Red Wings (previously known as the Cougars, then the Falcons) and Blackhawks are skating in their ceremony-sprinkled 100th seasons. The Original Six are now the Centennial Six, wonderfully rich histories linking cornerstone franchises on whose backs a good deal of the modern NHL was built. -- Dave Stubbs, columnist

McDavid magic

Connor McDavid is a generational talent and has been an absolute pleasure to watch with the Edmonton Oilers for 11 seasons. The center entered the NHL in 2015-16 with incredibly high expectations and has, remarkably, exceeded them. McDavid has won nearly every individual trophy there is for a forward to be awarded and is considered the most dynamic offensive player in the game. The only trophy that has eluded him is the Stanley Cup, which he continues to chase. Even if McDavid is unable to win the ultimate prize in his time with the Oilers, he will still go down as one of the best to ever play and seems certain to end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame when his incredible career comes to an end. I’m thankful to have had a front-row seat to this point of his career and am looking forward to watching the remainder of it. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

A trophy like no other

The Stanley Cup is the best trophy in sports. What’s better than seeing an exhausting nine-month odyssey end with the champions guzzling out of the Cup in raw jubilation? After all, because of their structures, you can’t drink out of the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy, the NFL’s Vince Lombardi Trophy or MLB’s Commissioner’s Trophy. Soccer’s World Cup isn’t even a cup. And what cooler tradition is there than players being able to spend a day with the Cup with friends and family? Babies have been bathed in it. Breakfast cereal has been grazed out of it. And who can forget the looks of sheer joy on the faces of kids in hospitals when a player brings the Cup in to brighten their days? Simply the best. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer