Over 21 years ago, the New Jersey Devils drafted a goaltender by the name of Martin Brodeur. Fast forward to 2011, he’s one of the most accomplished athletes of all time. What does the future have in store for the looming Hall of Famer? Depending on how 2011-12 unfolds, fans might see anything from a contract extension to retirement.

As several NHL franchises can attest, permanently shaking the “expansion team” tag is not an easy task. Fortunately for hockey fans in Tennessee, the Nashville Predators have battled valiantly to do exactly that. Reliable coaching, consistent player development and a disciplined management staff have put this team on the map.

Lindy Ruff has been with the Buffalo Sabres so long that it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest that he might be the organization’s most recognizable icon. Having withstood three ownership changes to claim the title of the NHL’s most-tenured coach, he’s not going anywhere any time soon.

The most obvious contender in the Northwest Division is the team that made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last June. We all know how that ended. Is this the year the Vancouver Canucks finally bring home a Stanley Cup or is a youth-inspired power shift brewing?

The Trolley Tracks, the Bermuda Triangle of the National Hockey League: a place in the neutral zone where few dare skate, for the open ice is fraught with danger. Players are taught from the earliest age to keep their heads up, especially when venturing into this no-man’s land simply defined as the passageway spanning the […]

Last season marked the first in which all three Californian NHL teams found their way into the postseason at once. With the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings in particular having taken measures to shore up their rosters for the 2011-12 campaign, the Pacific Division is once again shaping up to be a competitive one.

Though it takes a team effort to thrive in the NHL, there’s no denying the fact that certain individuals tend to get a lot more of the attention than others. If that means defensive-minded game changers so frequently get swept under the rug, don’t you think we ought to change the way we value our stars?

You’re an aspiring sports star with access to the most coveted resource availability: a professional athlete. What do you talk shop about? Arm slots on the mound? Mental focus at the free-throw line? TheGP Hockey contributor Patrick Hoffman recalls the day Mike Richter used a handful of chocolate bars to teach him how to stop a breakaway.

Though a future Hall of Famer, Chris Pronger has been somewhat of a journeyman over the course of the past half decade, bouncing around from team to team but somehow always finding his way to a winning club. Is there a reason behind the nomadic lifestyle and what does it mean for the rest of his career?

It’s happened before and it will happen again, a little-known hockey prospect taking the NHL by storm with a startlingly impressive preseason. When the player goes on to thrive in the regular season it’s a feel good story for all, but more often than not it’s simply just the disappointing result of The Viktor Stalberg Effect.