This year was a compelling one in the hockey world for a handful of reasons.
From international intrigue to new domestic frontiers, and from controversial new officiating protocol to trade talk that just wouldn't die, some of 2017's most talked-about subjects were previously unforeseen, while others were all too familiar.
Here are five things that consumed hockey in 2017:
The Olympics
The NHL made it clear in April that it will not take part in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, much to the chagrin of fans and some of the league's biggest names.
Alex Ovechkin was the brightest star to resist, sticking to his guns even after the NHL's decision, then finally accepting it in a September statement that came one day after Russian Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretiak publicly encouraged him to acknowledge the reality of the situation.
Plenty of other players chimed in, too, both before and after the league made its stance official. Following the announcement, Tyler Seguin admitted he was heartbroken, and Jonathan Toews said the ramifications of the decision could lead to a lockout in 2022.
Then, as if the 2018 Olympic hockey tournament wasn't depleted enough, the IOC banned the Russian Olympic committee from competing in the games altogether in a Dec. 5 vote based on the findings in the doping investigation surrounding the 2014 Games in Sochi.
That left many to wonder whether the KHL would follow through on its threat to prohibit players of all nationalities who play in the Russian-based league from suiting up in Pyeongchang, and that cloud of uncertainty could hover over these Olympics when the calendar flips to 2018.
Expansion
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Expanding the NHL was a huge storyline this year, both in terms of the league's foray into a tantalizing and previously untapped market and its acknowledgement that another long-speculated potential future NHL city was being allowed to apply for a franchise.
The city of Las Vegas intrigued the hockey world long before the Vegas Golden Knights existed, but the league's 31st franchise took shape in 2017. The expansion draft in June - which featured some unprecedented rules - stirred a ton of debate among fans and undoubtedly caused headaches for opposing teams' general managers.
Those GMs had to agree to some questionable side deals to ensure many of their best players wouldn't be chosen by the Golden Knights, so Vegas general manager George McPhee had all the power, and he was quickly able to build what we've now seen is a legitimately competitive club.
The newcomers continued to be a major talking point well into the fall by setting numerous records in the first few months of their inaugural season.
Seattle also became a significant subject late in the calendar year when its city council approved a $600-million plan to redevelop KeyArena, prompting the NHL to reveal it invited the prospective team owners to formally apply for an expansion team.
The fight for equality
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Arguably the most important hockey story of the year didn't come on the men's side.
The U.S. women's national hockey team's fight for better wages and conditions dominated headlines and transcended sport in the lead-up to the Women's World Championship on American soil in the spring.
A threatened boycott of the tournament by the American players was ultimately averted, but not before a bitter dispute with USA Hockey - the nation's governing body of the sport - that resonated as far as the U.S. Senate.
The players allowed a USA Hockey-imposed deadline to pass without relenting, ultimately forcing the organization to increase its funding and support of the women's program.
The Americans won the Women's World Championship in Michigan with an overtime win over Canada in the gold-medal game, an impressive accomplishment in its own right, but the U.S. women's team's more significant legacy will be the courage the players showed standing up to perceived injustice and the progress they made off the ice.
Matt Duchene
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The reports and ensuing speculation persisted for months, and when the deal was finally consummated, it had an unexpected wrinkle.
Duchene was, at long last, traded by the Colorado Avalanche in early November, and it took three teams to get it done. The talented center was shipped to the Ottawa Senators and Kyle Turris went from Canada's capital to Music City, giving the Nashville Predators some center depth of their own in a swap that also included several prospects and draft picks.
The Duchene saga dragged on throughout most of 2017, though, with the Senators' interest in him dating back to February, when Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion first acknowledged talking to the Avalanche, then escalating in September when the Senators reportedly ramped up their pursuit.
There was also a failed first attempt at a three-way deal by the same trio of clubs that ultimately succeeded, and teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Boston Bruins reportedly looked into landing Duchene over the summer before Colorado finally found a package to its liking.
The Flames' arena situation
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One saga that had an impact beyond hockey in 2017 was the Calgary Flames' dispute with local lawmakers over their hypothetical future home, and the fate of their current one, the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The conflict escalated after the club's much ballyhooed "CalgaryNEXT" project fell apart, and soon directly pitted the Flames' ownership group against Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, who repeatedly insisted taxpayers were unwilling to pay for a new facility.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who in the past said the league doesn't get political, thrust himself into the impasse as well, threatening that there would be "consequences" without a deal for a new arena.
The Flames made a stunning statement in September, announcing they were no longer pursuing a new facility to replace the oldest non-renovated building in the league.
Calgary's arena squabble became the biggest issue in the October mayoral election, which the incumbent Nenshi won, ensuring that the saga likely won't be resolved without more of a commitment from the Flames' owners.
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