Hemmed in their own zone for minutes at a time, unable to complete simple passes over and over and over again, and generally looking ordinary most of the night, the Calgary Flames didn't deserve a win on Saturday.

Yet they only narrowly lost, dropping a 3-2 decision in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche. The Western Conference first-round series now shifts to Denver, tied 1-1. With Game 3 set for Monday, this is not how the NHL's second-best team drew it up.

The Avalanche are not world-beaters. The under-construction club might blossom into a dominant outfit in a few years, but right now it is essentially comprised of superstar Nathan MacKinnon (who scored the overtime winner), 87-point winger Mikko Rantanen, a handful of supporting pieces, and solid goalies. They are incomplete.

So while Calgary should - and still could - dispose of Colorado in short order, it's kind of complicated. The 2018-19 Flames, for better or for worse, seem to dine on three specific things. And when one, two, or all three of those things aren't clicking, the results can get ugly in a hurry.

The first thing: In order for the Flames to win meaningful hockey games, their goaltenders must provide stability. No issues in that department through two games. Mike Smith, who earned a shutout in Game 1 and has turned aside 62 of 65 total shots, appears up to the task.

The second: Calgary's team defense must protect its goalies from being overworked. No team limited opponents to fewer shots on goal in the regular season than the Flames. So far in the playoffs, there's been mixed results.

The third: The Flames' transition game must be humming. Nobody pushes the pace like Johnny Gaudreau and Co., but they've been uncharacteristically careless with the puck at various moments in this series.

All told, the Flames, though well-coached and well-built, have pressure points.

Their sloppiness was front and center Saturday. The official tally was 20 giveaways, but it sure felt like 30 or 40. Colorado was all over them. After two periods, according to the Sportsnet broadcast, the Avalanche had somewhere around eight minutes of offensive zone time versus about two minutes for Calgary.

The Flames were constantly chasing the puck. When they happened to come across a loose puck, they often failed to make crisp passes:

Transition offense is ultimately Calgary's bread and butter, so a constructive video session could probably fix any bad habits; strong neutral-zone play is a hallmark of this group is because the roster is perfectly suited to play an up-tempo brand of hockey.

Every forward in the Flames' top 12, aside from maybe James Neal and Garnet Hathaway, can really wheel around the rink. Versatile defenders like captain Mark Giordano and Noah Hanifin not only provide a reliable first pass, they join the rush too.

Smith, probably the league's best stickhandling goalie, is a huge contributor as well, often starting the breakout from behind the goal line:

The above clip is from Game 1. Just a few days ago. It's incredible how much can change over such a short period of time.

As this series chugs along, the Flames' pace of play - and goaltending - will dictate their future. The same can likely be said of Calgary's entire playoff run, however deep it may be. Better to stumble early against a lesser foe like the under-construction Avs.

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have screwed up. Big time.

In an unexpected plot twist, Tampa is down 2-0 in its opening-round playoff series against the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets. Making matters worse, they will be without the services of presumptive league MVP Nikita Kucherov for Sunday's Game 3 in Columbus.

Not exactly exemplary work thus far from the Lightning, a tremendously skilled and deep squad that just authored the greatest regular season in recent memory. Realistically, they must get their act together overnight, as only four teams in NHL history have clawed back from a 3-0 series deficit and advanced to the next round.

So, what’s going on here? Let's dig into Tampa's troubles.

The unsettling trends

Atop head coach Jon Cooper's list of worries: the Lightning's star power has been a giant net-negative through two games.

Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman - the tone-setting skaters in Tampa's lineup - have combined for zero points and 32 penalty minutes. Their lack of production is a major reason why the Lightning have been outscored 9-1 since the first period of Game 1.

Kucherov, who quietly goes about his business most nights, racked up half of those PIMs Friday. He justly received a tripping minor, boarding major, and 10-minute misconduct for upending and then plastering Markus Nutivaara into the halfboards late in Game 2. The incident deserved supplementary discipline.

Overall, the Jackets have done a terrific job irritating Kucherov and limiting his wizardry with the puck. The usual gaps between the Russian winger and opposing defensemen have been narrowed, while the passing lanes he typically feeds have been swallowed up by a defensive structure rooted in puck support.

Kucherov has been unable to draw a single penalty, while Point, normally a disciplined two-way center, felt the need to fight Jackets blue-liner Zach Werenski late in the first period of Game 2. Clearly, Columbus is straddling the fine line between productive and unproductive aggression. Can't say the same about Tampa.

Hedman, meanwhile, hasn't looked sharp at all in his 37 minutes at 5-on-5. His skating, for starters, seems off and hindered by something. Perhaps the upper-body injury that sidelined the stud defenseman for the final four regular season games is contributing to some uncharacteristic output.

Another concern: Hedman and his teammates are losing 50/50 puck battles like it's going out of style. Columbus' Josh Anderson and David Savard, in particular, have proven to be too powerful and quick. This has led to an inordinate amount of breakaways, partial breakaways, and odd-man rushes.

Moving forward, the Lightning can't be caught sleepwalking, regardless of the score. The final goal Friday was a pretty sad display of positional awareness and effort. Sure, it happened in the latter stages of a 5-1 game, but c'mon:

Andrei Vasilevskiy has faced the same amount of shots (53) as the Jackets' Sergei Bobrovsky and both goalies deserve praise for their work between the pipes through 120 minutes. Plain and simple, though, Columbus is capitalizing on their high-percentage shots right now, and Tampa isn't.

The excusable trends

Among the handful of underperforming stars, Stamkos deserves the most slack.

The Lightning captain has been incredibly unlucky versus Columbus. One of the NHL's premier snipers has produced a series-high 11 scoring chances for himself, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, yet has nothing to show for it.

In Game 2, Stamkos whipped a hard, accurate slap shot during a second-period power play. It clanked iron. Then, early in the third, he had another glorious opportunity to bag his first of the post-season. From below the hashmarks, Stamkos fired the puck toward the yawning cage, but it struck Point's leg and trickled out of harm's way:

Really, when you peel back the statistical layers, it's not just Stamkos who's held his own. Tampa, as a team, is actually doing alright at even-strength. They have the slight edge in shot attempts, are basically even with Columbus in shots on goal and scoring chances, and own a sizeable advantage in the high-danger chances department. Translation: Neither club is dominating.

Now, from a fan's point of view, the advanced stats argument (hold tight and trust the process, because the attempts and shots and chances will eventually turn into goals) can feel rather hollow come playoff time. After all, there are no moral victories in a seven-game battle and a series can get away from even the best teams in a hurry.

Inside the Lightning dressing room, however, Cooper and his coaching staff can use data to form a positive narrative. They have some ammo, evidence to reference before saying, Guys, you're doing PLENTY right! Let's clean up the details in our game and get this thing back on track in Game 3!

Easier said than done, of course, but it's better than the alternative. And Cooper, a former lawyer with a coaching reputation built on communication skills, is the ideal guy to deliver an underlying theme of staying the course.

The 30,000-foot view

Indeed, perspective is key for the Lightning.

Sure, Columbus' 28th-ranked power play is suddenly humming. Yes, Matt Duchene, the Jackets' prized trade deadline acquisition, is finally scoring. But there's no reason why both team and player can't be brought back to earth by an opponent whose body of work is unparalleled in the salary cap era.

If there's a group capable of rattling off four wins in the next five games, it's the 2018-19 Lightning, the same team that didn't lose three games in a row all season, and were the heavy favorites prior to Game 1 puck drop.

Two losses don't erase 62 wins, best-in-class special teams, and top-10 results at 5-on-5. Their DNA as a supremely talented, battle-tested team doesn't disappear into the abyss after a couple rough days at the office.

Let's not forget that Columbus won the first two games on the road last year against Washington, before losing the next four and exiting the playoffs after just one round. Different seasons, changed personnel. Still.

Widespread panic in Tampa should subside for now. But there's no denying the hourglass has been flipped, especially with the Kucherov discipline news.

And the sand will start falling at a feverish pace when the teams line up Sunday night in Ohio.

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mitch Marner’s Thursday began with a healthy dose of self-deprecation.

Ahead of Game 1 against the Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs winger poked fun at his imminent playoff beard, telling a group of reporters assembled in Boston that it's "probably just going to look gross."

The 21-year-old then disappeared from the public eye. Physically, anyway.

Around that time, the New York Times - perhaps the most respected news organization on the planet - published a 1,000-word web article on Marner's path from minor hockey to NHL stardom.

A few hours later, at roughly 6:30 p.m. ET, his mug reappeared in a taped Sportsnet TV feature focused on veteran Patrick Marleau's close relationship with Auston Matthews and Marner, the franchise's tent-pole forwards for the foreseeable future.

It's safe to say that if you were a media-consuming hockey fan on Thursday, you probably would have needed to go out of your way to escape Marner-related frivolity, hype, or aw-shucks behavior.

Next came the much-anticipated opening game in a first-round playoff rematch between fierce Atlantic Division rivals. In front of 17,565 fans inside TD Garden, Marner came roaring out of the gate, because of course he did, notching his team's first two goals in the opening 23 minutes of action.

In the meantime, two separate commercials starring Marner and a Leafs teammate - Apple with Matthews and Visa with William Nylander - aired during breaks in the three-hour broadcast. Finally, at the conclusion of Toronto's convincing 4-1 victory, it was Marner who donned the famous Hockey Night in Canada towel for a walk-off interview with reporter Kyle Bukauskas.

All in all, he finished the night with two goals and a boatload of publicity. Call it the Mitch Marner Hat Trick.

It's been that kind of year for Marner, who's on a trajectory seemingly headed for the moon. Already in 2019, he's appeared in plenty of spots for big or emerging companies like Under Armour, Red Bull, Beats Electronics, Chevrolet, Goodfood, and Intact Insurance. And this summer, he's primed to command eight figures annually as a marquee restricted free agent.

Most importantly for Leafs fans right now is his performance on the ice. And Marner, the club's regular-season points leader with 26 goals and 68 assists in 82 games, was an absolute handful in Game 1.

Late in the first period, he buried a rebound created by his own deflection that hit the post. In the second, he scored on a penalty shot produced moments earlier by his speed and seam-finding ability on the penalty kill. Both tallies beat Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask cleanly.

For the game, the fourth overall pick of the 2015 draft finished tied for first among Leafs in shot attempts with six. He skated for 19 minutes and eight seconds, trailing only Matthews among forwards, and was even deployed in a defensive role by coach Mike Babcock with time winding down in the third period.

Throughout the contest, Marner, John Tavares, and Zach Hyman outdueled the incredibly tough Bruins line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak. They produced more shot attempts, scoring chances, and goal battles at five-on-five despite Boston holding the upper hand with last change. Top Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy didn't get caved in, but they failed to minimize the Toronto trio.

At this point, the Hyman-Tavares-Marner trio is simply one of the best in hockey. It may not have the track record or respect of the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak grouping or the power-and-skill blend of Colorado's Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen line, but it can hang with the headliners. All three Toronto players hit new highs in goals and points in the regular season, with Marner driving the bus seemingly every night.

Now in his third season, Marner is far from a secret. He's certainly not overrated, and his game is much more than scoring. Case in point: Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper heaped serious praise on the young forward in March, saying Marner's "as smart a player as this league has not only seen this year; has ever seen." What a compliment.

Cooper was referring to Marner's elusiveness, sky-high hockey IQ, and well-roundedness, and it sounds like Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy might concur. "We need to find an answer to him," Cassidy told reporters after Game 1.

It's still obvious that Matthews, the 6-foot-3, 216-pound goal-scoring machine, is the face of the Maple Leafs franchise and likely to be its next captain. There's no denying that, or goalie Frederik Andersen being the team's regular-season MVP, or Morgan Rielly putting forth a Norris Trophy-caliber season, or Tavares being, well, John Tavares.

But Marner, at least based on recent results, is the most consistent and noteworthy contributor of them all. He stirs the drink and is the ultimate creator of time and space. He's dangerous in all three zones, and his level of play has never dipped when the stakes are high. Following Game 1, he's up to 15 points in 14 career playoff games.

Many pegged Andersen and/or Matthews as the X-factors in this Toronto-Boston series. Which is fair. Upon further review, though, it may be Marner, the guy who has it all going on. "Gross" playoff beard included.

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mitch Marner’s Thursday began with a healthy dose of self-deprecation.

Ahead of Game 1 against the Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs winger poked fun at his imminent playoff beard, telling a group of reporters assembled in Boston that it's "probably just going to look gross."

The 21-year-old then disappeared from the public eye. Physically, anyway.

Around that time, the New York Times - perhaps the most respected news organization on the planet - published a 1,000-word web article on Marner's path from minor hockey to NHL stardom.

A few hours later, at roughly 6:30 p.m. ET, his mug reappeared in a taped Sportsnet TV feature focused on veteran Patrick Marleau's close relationship with Auston Matthews and Marner, the franchise's tent-pole forwards for the foreseeable future.

It's safe to say that if you were a media-consuming hockey fan on Thursday, you probably would have needed to go out of your way to escape Marner-related frivolity, hype, or aw-shucks behavior.

Next came the much-anticipated opening game in a first-round playoff rematch between fierce Atlantic Division rivals. In front of 17,565 fans inside TD Garden, Marner came roaring out of the gate, because of course he did, notching his team's first two goals in the opening 23 minutes of action.

In the meantime, two separate commercials starring Marner and a Leafs teammate - Apple with Matthews and Visa with William Nylander - aired during breaks in the three-hour broadcast. Finally, at the conclusion of Toronto's convincing 4-1 victory, it was Marner who donned the famous Hockey Night in Canada towel for a walk-off interview with reporter Kyle Bukauskas.

All in all, he finished the night with two goals and a boatload of publicity. Call it the Mitch Marner Hat Trick.

It's been that kind of year for Marner, who's on a trajectory seemingly headed for the moon. Already in 2019, he's appeared in plenty of spots for big or emerging companies like Under Armour, Red Bull, Beats Electronics, Chevrolet, Goodfood, and Intact Insurance. And this summer, he's primed to command eight figures annually as a marquee restricted free agent.

Most importantly for Leafs fans right now is his performance on the ice. And Marner, the club's regular-season points leader with 26 goals and 68 assists in 82 games, was an absolute handful in Game 1.

Late in the first period, he buried a rebound created by his own deflection that hit the post. In the second, he scored on a penalty shot produced moments earlier by his speed and seam-finding ability on the penalty kill. Both tallies beat Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask cleanly.

For the game, the fourth overall pick of the 2015 draft finished tied for first among Leafs in shot attempts with six. He skated for 19 minutes and eight seconds, trailing only Matthews among forwards, and was even deployed in a defensive role by coach Mike Babcock with time winding down in the third period.

Throughout the contest, Marner, John Tavares, and Zach Hyman outdueled the incredibly tough Bruins line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak. They produced more shot attempts, scoring chances, and goal battles at five-on-five despite Boston holding the upper hand with last change. Top Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy didn't get caved in, but they failed to minimize the Toronto trio.

At this point, the Hyman-Tavares-Marner trio is simply one of the best in hockey. It may not have the track record or respect of the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak grouping or the power-and-skill blend of Colorado's Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen line, but it can hang with the headliners. All three Toronto players hit new highs in goals and points in the regular season, with Marner driving the bus seemingly every night.

Now in his third season, Marner is far from a secret. He's certainly not overrated, and his game is much more than scoring. Case in point: Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper heaped serious praise on the young forward in March, saying Marner's "as smart a player as this league has not only seen this year; has ever seen." What a compliment.

Cooper was referring to Marner's elusiveness, sky-high hockey IQ, and well-roundedness, and it sounds like Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy might concur. "We need to find an answer to him," Cassidy told reporters after Game 1.

It's still obvious that Matthews, the 6-foot-3, 216-pound goal-scoring machine, is the face of the Maple Leafs franchise and likely to be its next captain. There's no denying that, or goalie Frederik Andersen being the team's regular-season MVP, or Morgan Rielly putting forth a Norris Trophy-caliber season, or Tavares being, well, John Tavares.

But Marner, at least based on recent results, is the most consistent and noteworthy contributor of them all. He stirs the drink and is the ultimate creator of time and space. He's dangerous in all three zones, and his level of play has never dipped when the stakes are high. Following Game 1, he's up to 15 points in 14 career playoff games.

Many pegged Andersen and/or Matthews as the X-factors in this Toronto-Boston series. Which is fair. Upon further review, though, it may be Marner, the guy who has it all going on. "Gross" playoff beard included.

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

"So, you’re telling me there’s a chance!? Yeah!!"

Don't be surprised if that classic "Dumb and Dumber" soundbite becomes the Columbus Blue Jackets' rallying cry following their dramatic, come-from-behind 4-3 victory in Game 1 against the mighty Tampa Bay Lightning.

The upset stopped everybody in their tracks during an action-packed opening night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It turns out the Lightning, a historically great squad, is not perfect. Sure, they may end up running the table in Games 2-5, but at least this series has life.

With that in mind, let's take a look at what factored into the Jackets erasing a three-goal deficit - and then scoring a fourth goal - to beat the 62-win Lightning on Wednesday.

Bob's your difference

Sergei Bobrovsky played out of his mind in the second and third periods, turning aside all 16 shots he faced after allowing three goals on 13 shots in the first.

His brilliance was especially key in the middle frame, as he kept the Blue Jackets in the game before their offensive explosion in the third. Here's a sampling of the two-time Vezina Trophy winner's work.

A lunging pad save on Nikita Kucherov 30 seconds into the period:

A nifty glove stop on Mathieu Joseph 13 minutes later:

Consecutive point-blank pad saves with 40 seconds left in the period:

That's some fine work from Bobrovsky, a brand-name netminder who enjoyed a tremendous end to the regular season but came into Wednesday's contest with a career playoff save percentage of just .891.

It's safe to say his confidence will be high heading into Game 2 on Friday night.

Kucherov (relatively) quiet

The Lightning's forward group isn't just incredibly dangerous; it's relentless, too, as all four lines contain offensive punch.

Kucherov, the regular season's scoring champ and presumptive MVP, presents both of those qualities most nights. So, if you intend on stopping Tampa, you better put a muzzle on its top dog. Or at least try your hardest to limit his impact.

Columbus accomplished that feat in Game 1, holding Kucherov to two shots on goal in 22 minutes. Linemates Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde, two creative and energetic players in their own right, combined for just five shots.

Overall, the Lightning lost the shots battle 11-8 when Kucherov was on the ice at five-on-five - a rarity for the player and his line. With coach Jon Cooper holding the last change, Tampa's top trio faced a mixture of the David Savard-Markus Nutivaara pairing (eight minutes) and the Seth Jones-Zach Werenski duo (four and a half). Both Columbus tandems deserve a pat on the back.

Meanwhile, Steven Stamkos was another Tampa star who failed to mark the score sheet. The Lightning, almost to a man, were too cute with the puck in Game 1. It's an understandable symptom of dominating the competition for months, and not something that's unfixable.

PP wakes up

This series pits the NHL's best penalty-killing teams against each other. Power play success, on the other hand, is not shared.

Tampa converted on 28.2 percent of its power-play opportunities in the regular season, finishing first in the league. Columbus, at 15.4 percent, ranked a woeful 28th.

It's been a puzzling and frustrating reality for the Jackets. Why can't this boatload of talent - Matt Duchene, Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, Jones, and Werenski, just to name a handful - capitalize with the man advantage?

Well, on Wednesday, the talent came through at the perfect moment. After some deft puck movement inside Tampa's zone, Jones buried a shot from the high slot with about six minutes left to take the lead.

With that, the Lightning, who won 39 of 43 games when leading after two periods in the regular season, fell to the Jackets, who won only two of 26 games when trailing after two. Incredible.

In the playoffs, there's always a chance.

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

(Warning: Story contains coarse language)

It was late February in Columbus, Ohio, and the San Jose Sharks were in the middle of a seven-day road trip. As Brent Burns processed a question about the aura of Joe Thornton, his longtime teammate and close friend, a tsunami of laughter and chatter robbed his attention.

"He's always talking - I mean, listen to him, he's fucking nonstop," Burns said of Thornton, who was holding court nearby with a handful of Sharks personnel. Burns couldn't see what was going on, but it didn't really matter. "Fuck," the defenseman barked. "He's a mess. He's unreal."

Minutes earlier, hollering teammates had rushed to hug Thornton after the 6-foot-4, 220-pound center scored during a routine practice drill. The goal held no significance whatsoever, yet a group of grown men felt compelled to swarm a grey-haired guy affectionately known as "Jumbo."

"There's a lot of people who create a great culture around here, starting with our management and our coaches," Burns continued. "But he's a huge, huge part of creating that."

At that point, a familiar frame came into view, half-naked. "I mean, look at the idiot," Burns said of Thornton. "Look at him. He's just incredible. He's a special guy."

It's clear the admiration comes from all corners - both inside and outside the Sharks organization.

Joel Ward, a former teammate in San Jose, called Thornton "the epitome of the game, if I had to pick one person." Steven Stamkos perked up at the mention of his countryman - "He's a legend, right?" the Lightning superstar asked rhetorically. And Los Angeles Kings blue-liner Drew Doughty, who's skated against Thornton for 800 minutes during their careers, only needed one word to express his feelings: "Respect."

Now in his 21st NHL season, Thornton's time in the public eye is winding down, with his playing future uncertain beyond the Sharks' upcoming playoff run, which will begin Wednesday at home versus the Vegas Golden Knights. He'll be 40 in July and, aside from finally winning the Stanley Cup, has nothing left to prove.

But whenever Thornton does decide it's all over, the sport will dearly miss one of its greatest players - and greatest characters - ever.

'No bad days at the rink'

The legend of Joe Thornton has been marinating for 25 years.

Ever since the lanky kid from small-town St. Thomas torched Ontario's 1993-94 minor midget loop for 168 points in 67 games, he's left an unmistakable impression on everyone in his path.

When bumping into Thornton on the street, though, you wouldn't guess he's earned north of $100 million, captained two NHL franchises, and won Olympic gold among a host of other international medals. A boyish charm persists to this day, even for a seasoned veteran who recently passed Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman in career assists and leap-frogged Stan Mikita and Teemu Selanne in career points. He's now eighth and 14th, respectively, on those all-time lists.

"I have a smile on my face every day. Because I know it can be taken away at any time," Thornton told theScore at his stall in a quiet moment after the room cleared in Columbus.

"I knew as a kid how much I enjoyed playing street hockey with my brothers, or my dad flooding the backyard to skate until 1 o'clock in the morning. I just always remember that feeling."

Thornton's remained unapologetically himself throughout two years of junior hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, seven-plus NHL seasons in Boston, two lockout years in Switzerland, and 13-plus campaigns in San Jose. By all accounts, his personality is some mixture of happy-go-lucky, competitive, loyal, warm, and zany. Burns lovingly labels Thornton "a piece of work."

"I first met him in 1997 at the world juniors, and he had it then and he hasn't changed to this day," longtime Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. "Pure, unadulterated passion and love for the game. I've been in the business for 40 years, and I've never been around anybody like that."

Even now, in the twilight of his career, amid peers nearly half his age, Thornton is still the nucleus of joy within the Sharks' dressing room. "Magnetic personality," head coach Pete DeBoer said. "You want to find him in the morning, really, because after a bad game he energizes you, always in a positive way. There's no bad days at the rink for Joe."

Nor is there any shortage of tales about Thornton's habit of turning the mundane into a carnival.

Is a Sharks trainer suddenly growing a beard or shaving his head? That was probably the result of a friendly bet with Thornton. Did a San Jose player laugh hysterically on the bench because someone screwed up the lineup card and accidentally scratched teammate Mirco Mueller? Yup, that was Thornton. How about when the team badly needed a lift following a tough loss? That's a Jumbo Joe special.

The latter is one of Burns' favorite Thornton stories. "We get cleaned out, and you can hear a pin drop on that bus (back to the team hotel). It's like a morgue," the defenseman said with the excitement in his voice rising. "And then you hear him go, 'Fuck, boys! What a life we got!'

"It's just fucking unbelievable."

Hal Gill, an old Bruins pal, added that Thornton would help the team bond away from the ice. "We used to always play the credit-card game at lunch," he said. "Put your cards in a hat. That was his doing.

"And he was the first one doing a whiteout - where he'd be waving his towel around in the middle of a restaurant to get all fired up."

Senators defenseman Dylan DeMelo spent the first three years of his career in San Jose. On the topic of Thornton, he got straight to the point. "Jumbo's a once-in-a-generation player," DeMelo said, "and a once-in-a-generation human being."

Team Canada teammates Claude Giroux and Ryan O'Reilly both said Thornton is hilarious in the room and on the ice, but stopped short of revealing any specific details.

"Getting a chance to play on a line with him, it's the little comments he makes during a game," O'Reilly said. "He's still going out there and playing intense, but he's also keeping it loose."

Thornton's antics have been even more of a hoot in the social-media era. Everybody chuckled when he and Burns posed naked for ESPN Magazine in 2017. Ditto for Thornton's R-rated insinuation ("I'd have my cock out, stroking it") following a four-goal performance from teammate Tomas Hertl in 2013. And there was the classic lawn mower photo from two summers ago, in which Thornton beamed with a gigantic beard while signing a contract extension in flip flops.

"There's no other Jumbos," Burns concluded.

When asked how he's able to maintain such a sunny disposition - shift after shift, game after game, season after season, summer after summer - Thornton shrugged. "It's a grind," he said of the NHL's peaks and valleys. "We've got to enjoy the grind together."

'Wow, did you see that play?'

On March 18, with two Sharks streaking toward the Golden Knights' crease, Thornton slung a no-look shot from the high slot with his head turned to the left. The puck swooped under goaltender Malcolm Subban's glove, nicked the post, and then bounced past the goal line.

It was the 16th and final regular-season goal for No. 19 in teal this season - and the 413th of his NHL career.

The unexpected snap shot from just inside the blue line was prototypical Secret Sniper Thornton. He's always been a picky shooter - processing the game through a less-is-more lens - while saving that hard, accurate shot for the right moments.

While the gaudy career assists tally (1,065) is his statistical calling card, Thornton certainly wouldn't have all those goals without a trick or two up his sleeve. Sneakily, he's one of only 11 NHL players with at least 400 tallies and 1,000 assists.

"If you cheat (for the pass), you're going to give him an easy goal," Ducks goalie John Gibson said. "You definitely respect his playmaking; it's in the back of your mind, but you do what you can. ... He can shoot it or make a great pass."

NHL points leaders since Jan. 1, 2000

Since his early days, Thornton's playing style has been the result of elite vision, a special feel for the game, an enviable wingspan, a healthy dose of dad-strength, and a rare ability to alter the pace of any matchup.

When added together, those traits allow Thornton to play with equal parts grace, finesse, and power.

"I could talk about him for hours," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. "I just love watching him play, and to be on the same ice with a guy like that, and to see some of the things he's able to do, you come back to the bench and say, 'Wow, did you see that play?'"

"At the end of the day, hockey sense trumps speed," Wheeler added. "The guys that are able to think the game at a very high level are going to be the best players. In terms of hockey IQ, he's up there with the best there ever was."

Overall, an incredible 63 total goal-scorers have been on the receiving end of Thornton's offensive wizardry in San Jose. The list stretches from Rob Blake, who's now 49 years old and GM of the Los Angeles Kings, to current 22-year-old teammate Timo Meier.

"His fingerprints," Wilson said, "are all over this organization."

Remember Devin Setoguchi? He recorded a career-high 31 goals in 2008-09 while playing with Thornton. How about Jonathan Cheechoo, who somehow bagged 56 in 2005-06 to win the Rocket Richard Trophy. Even bona fide stars such as Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Pavelski can attest to the Thornton effect, owing chunks of their respective successes to the all-time great distributor. The same goes for Glen Murray, Thornton's top running mate back in Boston. "You find a spot, put your stick where it's supposed to be, ready for the pass, and it'll be in the spot where you need to shoot it," Murray said.

And for years, frustrated opponents have failed to contain any line driven by Thornton. "If there's a hole the size of a puck in between your skates, he'll find it and thread it through,” former NHL defenseman and childhood friend Brian Campbell said. "You know what he's going to do and you still can't find a way to defend it."

This year, Thornton is flanked by late bloomers Kevin Labanc, 23, and Marcus Sorensen, 27. In 399 minutes together at five-on-five, the trio has accounted for 53 percent of the on-ice shot attempts and 51 percent of the scoring chances while outscoring the opposition 23-12, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

Labanc (17 goals, 56 points) and Sorensen (17 goals, 30 points) ranked sixth and 10th, respectively, on the Sharks' end-of-season leaderboard for 2018-19. For his part, Thornton broke the 50-point barrier once again, finishing with 51.

"Statistically, you go way up when you play with Joe Thornton, and that's the ultimate compliment," Wilson said.

Growing up, but staying the same

Thornton, for all of his on-ice accomplishments and off-ice shenanigans, can be an acquired taste. That was especially true in his early days, long before he earned league-wide respect.

For instance, in Thornton's 1997-98 rookie season, Bruins bench boss Pat Burns wasn't always impressed with the 18-year-old hotshot who'd been taken first overall in the previous draft.

"Pat called him into his office between periods, and we could hear him just screaming at Joe," Gill said, retelling one of several hairy moments from Thornton's Boston days. "Joe came out of there after getting yelled at - we all heard it and had our heads down trying to pretend like we didn't hear it - and he looked at all the boys and started giggling and laughing."

It's easy to forget that Thornton, a surefire future Hall of Famer, began his career buried on the fourth line and in the coach's doghouse. That debut season yielded a measly seven points in 55 games, and it took four years to truly establish himself as a premier point producer.

Amid that growth period, some within the hockey world questioned Thornton's worth as a player and a leader. A slow burn to elite production could be tolerated, sure, but would this dude with a big grin and natural talent actually care about team success? "That's such bullshit," Murray said. "He’s the most competitive guy."

Clearly, the Bruins didn't see Thornton as part of their long-term plan. On Nov. 30, 2005, general manager Mike O'Connell shipped his captain to San Jose for forwards Wayne Primeau and Marco Sturm, and blue-liner Brad Stuart. The blockbuster trade flabbergasted the room. Gill still remembers Bruins defenseman Nick Boynton standing up and grilling O'Connell in front of everyone:

What did you do? Why would you do that? And why did you just give away our best player?

Seven months later, with a career-high 125 points in his back pocket, Thornton was named league MVP. "Players of that ilk rarely come available," said Wilson, who 13 years later would snag another superstar, Erik Karlsson, via trade. "And when they do, you do not hesitate."

Even in San Jose, there have been obstacles to overcome. Wilson says he and Thornton have maintained a "very close" and respectful relationship since the franchise-altering trade, which is notable because it was the GM who infamously stripped Thornton of his captaincy in 2014, citing the need for a cultural reset in San Jose.

The polarizing decision set off a five-alarm fire and a war of words between the organizational pillars. In hindsight, would Wilson do it again? As an ex-Sharks captain himself, he had difficulty finding the right words on the topic. For 37 seconds, he false-started his answer before finally settling on a reply.

"I would say this: It was done to probably spread the leadership out on our team and have other people step up and be involved in it," Wilson said.

"Joe's a huge, huge part of this team, always has been. And we've got a group of guys who bring that to the table. You have to go forward in your life, with your decisions, but my respect for Joe's never changed, never has, and never will. I guess that's the best way of putting it."

One final Cup chase?

The captaincy controversy is now a distant memory. And, quite simply, both Wilson and Thornton just want to win a damn Cup. It's been disappointment after disappointment - 26, to be exact - for a franchise founded in 1991.

This time around, San Jose finished second in the Pacific Division with 101 points, and the veteran-laden roster stacks up fairly well against other Western Conference contenders. Objectively, the West is crowded, and every team is imperfect. The Sharks' concerns - namely shaky goaltending and a 3-9 end to the regular season - are largely counteracted by a glance at their lineup card, which features four 30-goal scorers and two Norris Trophy-caliber defensemen. There's no doubt that this club has an opportunity to succeed.

For his part, DeBoer didn't hesitate when asked if the 2018-19 Sharks are the strongest team he's coached in 11 NHL seasons. "Absolutely," he said. "Not even close. I look back at the two teams that I took to the finals (the 2011-12 Devils and the 2015-16 Sharks), and this team on paper is much deeper."

On the whole, the Sharks are faced with another seize-the-moment postseason. Besides Thornton, captain Pavelski turns 35 in July, Burns is already 33, and younger star pieces - the 29-year-old Karlsson and No. 1 center Logan Couture, 28 - are not exactly spring chickens. The latest infusion of talent, led by Hertl and Meier, won't have this multi-layered, battle-tested support forever.

On an individual level, this could be Thornton's final stab at achieving the dream. Father Time is taunting him. There's that ever-present 1979 birth certificate, and now lower-body injuries galore. ACL and MCL tears in both knees - the left in 2017, the right in 2018 - forced Thornton to undergo multiple surgeries and extensive rehab periods. And, earlier this season, he endured a right knee infection and a broken toe.

But despite his relatively limited role compared to seasons past, San Jose's third-line center remains as motivated as ever to lift the Cup. It makes him tick.

"Yep, that's it," Thornton replied, acknowledging both the complexity and the simplicity of the task at hand. "That's what I've been driving for, trying to do for my entire career. I think it could be the year."

Has he thought about the next step? Will it be a third one-year deal next season? How about retirement?

"I haven't. Even five years ago, I've always been day to day," he said softly, later adding: "I'm just going. I had a great skate today, I'll have a great lunch, and I'll come out and compete tomorrow and just repeat it all over again."

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, ESPN's Emily Kaplan and Bowen Byram of the WHL's Vancouver Giants join John to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• What it will take for the Stars to upset the Preds
• Can the Jets find their stride before it's too late?
• The Avs are about to have a week to remember
• Major goaltending concerns in San Jose
• Byram's self-scouting report
• Byram's prep for the NHL draft

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - Barely 19 years old and only 80 games into his NHL career, Andrei Svechnikov is crafting a scene for a Hollywood movie script, whether he realizes it or not.

Roaming the ice past midnight, the rink emptied out after Carolina Hurricanes home games, Svechnikov will shoot pucks until it hurts. The next morning, the Russian rookie will arrive for a team function like everybody else, sometimes with cuts and calluses on his hands - marks from pushing himself to the limit.

It's a late-night routine that legendary workhorse Jaromir Jagr would be proud of, and it's no stunt. He's already developed a reputation for being a tireless worker in the gym and on the ice, including last season while playing for the OHL's Barrie Colts.

"I'm young, you know, I have to work," Svechnikov smiled Tuesday, downplaying the late-night sessions in an interview prior to the Hurricanes' 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Linemate Jordan Martinook nods at a suggestion that Svechnikov's postgame regimen belongs in an inspirational sports flick. "They might have to do one on him and have Drago play Svech," Martinook said with a laugh, referencing Rocky Balboa's Russian nemesis in "Rocky IV."

Despite that cinematic appeal, little fanfare has accompanied Svechnikov's strong rookie season. The Calder Trophy conversation is dominated by Elias Pettersson and filled out by the likes of Rasmus Dahlin, Jordan Binnington, Brady Tkachuk, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Miro Heiskanen. Svechnikov, despite being the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft, probably won't crack the top five in voting.

Even in Raleigh, Svechnikov's progress has been overshadowed by the Storm Surge phenomenon, the "Bunch of Jerks" rally cry, an 82-point season from No. 1 center Sebastian Aho, owner-driven headlines, trade rumors, and a late-season playoff push. With a regulation or overtime win against the Devils on Thursday and a Canadiens loss, the Canes will secure a playoff spot for the first time in a decade. (They'll also clinch with a shootout win if Montreal loses to the Capitals in regulation.)

"I love it," Svechnikov said of the stretch drive. "Everything from the games to having fun in the locker room. We've already been playing for three weeks like it's playoffs. I've never played in the playoffs but it feels that way. We have to win every game."

Svechnikov's basic stat line - 20 goals, 17 assists, plus-2 rating, 58 penalty minutes, 189 shots in 14:40 per night - may not jump off the page. His raw skills and physical package are tantalizing, though. Get used to seeing some variation of this power move for the next two decades:

"He's so good at driving the net, drawing people to him, and creating chances for his linemates," said Warren Foegele, a fellow first-year NHL forward. "You saw that at the beginning of the year, too, but it's his rookie year and there's a learning curve. He's such a smart hockey player - has so many tools - and you can just see now how much more comfortable and confident he is with the puck."

Against the Maple Leafs, Svechnikov skated for 13 minutes and 52 seconds, fifth among Hurricane forwards. The third-line left winger failed to collect a point, yet the team finished with a 12-4 shot margin with him on the ice. He registered five of those shots himself.

In the second period, Svechnikov prolonged an offensive-zone possession that led to Dougie Hamilton's second-period power-play goal. Moments later, he flashed that aforementioned confidence with the puck by going for a cross-ice skate through the slot before whiffing on a backhand:

Veteran Jordan Staal says he's noticed better "situational awareness" lately from Svechnikov, who's been a prolific goal-scorer at every level but needed to plow through some rough patches in the NHL.

“You could see it tonight," Staal said following the Toronto game. "When he's got the puck, he's got some strength, some speed, and some skill. He's learned how to play the NHL game. In juniors, he was probably freewheeling and he could probably do whatever he wanted."

In early January, Svechnikov experienced a nine-game goal-scoring drought. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder - described by Martinook as a "bulldozer" whose shot is "second to none" - expressed his frustration to the Canes inner circle, but he didn't brood for long.

"A couple of guys talked to him, coaches talked to him, and he comes back the next day and he's got a smile on his face," Martinook said. "Then he goes out and has a three-point night in Calgary. He's just very good to rebound and let stuff wash away."

Svechnikov, one of only nine Hurricanes to dress for all 80 games, is tied with Teuvo Teravainen for third on the team in goals. All 20 tallies came at even strength, giving him the rookie lead in that category. And it's no small feat considering that he's predominantly lined up with Martinook and Lucas Wallmark, a pair of depth NHLers.

As the table below shows, Svechnikov's produced basically the same amount of even-strength offense throughout the season, though he's recently improved his possession metrics and tidied up in the discipline department.

(All even-strength stats via NaturalStatTrick.com; "shots" refers to shot attempts for percentage; "chances" refers to scoring chances for percentage)

With two regular-season games remaining, the third-youngest player in the league has also accumulated 29 minor penalties, ninth-most in the NHL. That would normally be an alarming statistic. However, Svechnikov has settled down, taking just six minors in the 30 games since Feb. 1.

"When you're 17 and you're probably one of the best players in the OHL, you're not going to get called," Martinook explained. "When you're a rookie in the NHL ... those guys don’t get the benefit of the doubt. I'd say for a couple of (the penalties) this year, he was on that side of it. Just growing throughout the year, he's started to understand where he can get away with one or he needs to pull the reins back a little bit."

There's one important contribution the table doesn't properly capture: Svechnikov has also influenced how frequently Carolina attacks from prime goal-scoring areas. Shot volume heat maps from HockeyViz.com suggest the Canes are much more dangerous in the crease and slot areas when Svechnikov is on the ice at five on five:

Hurricanes, with Svechnikov on the ice

Hurricanes, without Svechnikov on the ice

In these heat maps, red denotes a higher-than-average volume of shot attempts. The bottom map, without Svechnikov, includes a blanket of blue and an abundance of white.

The youngster's been a welcome addition to a franchise hamstrung for years by poor goaltending, along with an inability to generate and capitalize on scoring opportunities. Converting zone time and shot attempts into goals has been a major issue throughout the playoff drought. Drago - er, Svechnikov - is a comfy fit.

"To only be 18 - or 19 now - and to be able to do what he's doing at that age is, I think, unreal," said Hamilton, one of Svechnikov's closest friends. "He's a really good kid, works so hard every day. He's the last guy off the ice, always trying to improve. He's just going to get better and better."

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, Sportsnet's Ryan Dixon joins John to hand out end-of-season awards. Trophies discussed:

• Calder (most proficient rookie)
• Hart (most valuable player)
• Jack Adams (coach of the year)
• Lady Byng (most gentlemanly player)
• Masterton (best example of perseverance)
• Norris (best all-around defenseman)
• Selke (best defensive forward)
• Vezina (best goalie)

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alan May can't recall every single game of his dizzying pro hockey career. After all, he skated for 16 teams across five leagues from 1986 to 1999.

But he does remember the night in February 1994 when a players' bench inside Richfield Coliseum - a since-demolished arena near Cleveland - literally fell apart in the middle of a heated Capitals-Flyers game being aired on national television.

"Washington-Philly games were always super physical back then," said May, who had a five-year run with the Caps and now analyzes their games on TV for NBC Sports Network. "And at one point, the door on our bench fell off. So you're full sweat, you're in a rivalry game, and I believe we were waiting for over half an hour, 45 minutes before the door was put back on … It kinda sucked the life out of the game."

Of course, neither the Capitals nor Flyers called Richfield, Ohio, home. (No NHL franchise has represented the Cleveland area since the Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978.) In the early 1990s, however, the NHL made a cameo. The league staged 50 neutral-site regular season games across North America in an effort to broaden its appeal, also hoping to take advantage of Wayne Gretzky's presence on the global sporting scene and in popular culture.

Richfield Coliseum made the cut for venues, despite what May describes as its "horrendous" dressing rooms and excessive cold. The Washington Post's game story suggests that fixing the bench door took only 15 minutes, but also mentions that after Al Iafrate was checked into the side boards, "the top two feet of plexiglass snapped off and fell into the laps of fans. No one appeared to be hurt."

"I don't think the NHL won hockey fans that night," May said.

Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of the last game in the NHL's neutral-site experiment, which covered the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons.

In game No. 50, Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings smashed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in front of 10,363 fans at ARCO Arena in Sacramento on April 3, 1994. The nearby San Jose Sharks were only a few years old, and downstate, Anaheim had just welcomed the Mighty Ducks. Gretzky had broken Gordie Howe's record for career goals about two weeks earlier. California hockey was booming.

Of the 50 neutral-site games, Hamilton, Ontario, led the charge with eight dates. Six each went to Cleveland, Minneapolis, Sacramento, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Five games were played in Phoenix; three in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and two in Milwaukee. Eight one-offs were held in Miami, Dallas, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Providence, R.I., and Peoria, Ill.

In relatively short order, the NHL managed to hit 16 cities in 15 states/provinces, splitting the profits between franchise owners and the players' association. To accommodate the initiative, the schedule increased from 80 games per team to 84 in 1992-93 and 1993-94, with every club playing two neutral-site games per season. (The current 82-game format was introduced after the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign.)

Joe Cirella, a defenseman for the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers during this time, skated in three games, one in Sacramento and two in his hometown of Hamilton. He considers the neutral-site project a low-risk, high-reward endeavor similar to today's stream of outdoor games.

"Looking back, I think they were testing the waters for expansion and franchisees," Cirella said, "to see if there was enough support in these areas or the arenas to support an NHL team."

The forgotten experiment

A whole generation of fans is unaware of this gigantic grow-the-game concept drummed up by the pre-Gary Bettman NHL and designed to - as the New York Times reported then - "repair its image" in the wake of the 10-day players' strike in April 1992.

Hands up if you knew the Nordiques and Canadiens - bitter Quebec rivals - played a game in Phoenix in January 1994? Or that the powerhouse Penguins and conference-foe Bruins battled in Atlanta in February 1993, more than a decade after the Flames moved to Calgary and six years before the Thrashers arrived on the scene? How about the Islanders and Oilers flying across the continent in December 1992 for a one-off in Oklahoma City?

"It was in the middle of nowhere, hockey wasn't a part of the area, we were playing the Oilers," former Islanders goalie Glenn Healy said of the game at the Myriad Convention Center. "Why would these people in Oklahoma City care about a Canadian team?"

Oklahoma City, however, had been the home of Central Hockey League teams off and on since 1972, and more than 11,000 people showed up to see the NHL in person. "I've always wondered if the NHL could have gone there, to a place with such a rich hockey history, and beat the NBA," May said.

If you include Columbus, Ohio, which is a short drive from both Cleveland and Cincinnati, six of the 16 neutral-site cities have been awarded a relocated or expansion franchise in the intervening years. Clearly, the NHL identified fertile ground over this period - though the tour itself wasn't immune to hiccups.

Exhibit A: Healy's experience in Dallas a handful of months prior to the North Stars' move to Texas in 1993. The apparent lack of air-conditioning inside Reunion Arena wasn't Healy's only problem as the Islanders faced St. Louis.

"I can recall going out for warmup and sticking my head between the panes of glass at the back of the rink and saying, 'We need the nets out for warmup!'" Healy said.

A local asked: "'You need the nets for warmup?! Not just the game?' 'Yeah, they’re going to warm up and shoot on me. It would be nice to have a net.'"

Some neutral-site arenas either had to make ice for the first time or hadn’t done so in years. This led to inconsistent playing conditions for regular-season games, even if ice standards weren't as high as they are today.

"For both teams, it was a road game," said Cirella, now an assistant coach for the AHL's Stockton Heat. "All the logistics behind it - just like any neutral-site game, now or then - it's a nightmare for whoever's setting that up."

The amateur feel didn't stop there. May remains amazed at how naked the boards looked without advertisements. Healy remembers chairs being placed over holes in the ice during warmup, and the entertainment and dining options outside the rinks underwhelmed visiting players, coaches, and staff.

“When you look at NHL cities today, whether it's L.A. Live or Maple Leaf Square, or All-Star Games where there's tents set up and a fan fest … Sorry, no, none of that back then," Healy explained. "Go play your game, order pizza, get out of town.”

May said, "It was a mom-and-pop league the way some of these owners were. You still had some teams not televising games, teams not wanting to put nameplates on jerseys so people would buy a $1 program. It was a lot of small-minded thinking."

The league grows up

The players were gung-ho to help grow the game. They understood the peaks and valleys of attendance and could look past the poor ice conditions. But they had a job to do and games to win, the same way players do in 2019.

"The luster kind of wore off, you know? Much like these outdoor games nowadays," said Warren Rychel, another member of the Gretzky Kings. "I know they sell them out, but as a player, once you've done one, it's like, 'OK, that was great. I got my picture on the outdoor ice with my family. We got to skate.'

"It is what it is," he continued. "It's all about the fans, that's for sure. They're No. 1."

Attendance for neutral-site games varied greatly; 18,782 people packed Richfield Coliseum for a Penguins-Oilers showdown in March 1993, but only 6,222 were on hand to watch Devils-Nordiques at the Target Center in Minneapolis a year later. Hamilton's Copps Coliseum, which is situated between Toronto and Buffalo, and Milwaukee's Bradley Center - a place Rychel describes as the "best arena in minor pro hockey" at the time - drew large crowds.

According to records curated by Kenn.com, the average attendance for the 50-game package was 11,196. Not great, but not bad considering the games were held almost exclusively on weeknights (none were played on Saturday and six were played on Sunday).

The initiative was also part of the league's larger focus on getting the greatest player in the world in front of as many prospective fans as possible. However, Gretzky couldn't play in either of the Kings' 1992 neutral-site games; in September, he'd been diagnosed with a herniated disc, an injury that threatened his career. He was healthy for the team's visits to Phoenix and Sacramento in 1994, though, and recorded three points in each game.

"We all recognized there's a unique opportunity and that we'd be going into different markets," said Kelly Hrudey, Gretzky's teammate in L.A. for eight years. "It didn't seem like anything unusual because, starting when I arrived at my first Kings training camp in 1989, we were traveling North America anyways during the preseason … It was a natural fit for a lot of us."

Higher standards, on and off the ice, were beginning to replace the wild west of the 1970s and '80s. The neutral-site experiment feels representative of the NHL's place in pro sports at the time, just as Bettman was hired as the league's first and only commissioner.

"It's part of the building process. It's part of maturing. We grew up, figured stuff out," said Healy, who's now the executive director of the NHL Alumni Association.

"We tried the neutral-site games. We figured out chartering would be better (than flying commercial), figured out that maybe training would be better this way, or eating this way would be better. Team psychologists, sleep doctors. Everything is better than it once was. But we had to grow up - and we have."

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.