World of Sports: NHL expansion, season underway

Alexander Rurik

December 7, 2016

Calgary Flames goalie Joey MacDonald, right, swats the puck away as Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Sharp, center, tries to score and Flames’ Mark Giordano defends during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, April 26, 2013 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey)

[/media-credit] The 31st NHL team will be known as the Vegas Golden Knights.

The 100th season of the NHL is now a quarter of the way complete and the Montreal Canadiens are leading the standings at 37 points. The New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks have the second most, tied at 35 points.

The Canadiens, Rangers, Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers all lead their divisions, respectively. All of the divisions are close, but the Pacific division, while not far behind, needs to step up their game to avoid becoming a joke this season.

Carey Price, in my opinion, is the best player through the first 25 games. In 15 starts, Price boasts a 13-1 record and his goals against average (GAA) is an amazing 1.66%. His save percentage, .946% is fantastic.

The second-year wonderkid Connor McDavid leads the NHL by three points at 29 and there are two Blackhawks players in the top ten: last year’s MVP Patrick Kane and Rookie of the year Artemi Panarin.

The NHL and Las Vegas announced on Nov. 22 the nickname for their expansion team. The 31st NHL team will be known as the Vegas Golden Knights. The newly unveiled team has caused much conversation and controversy already. I personally am very excited about the new team and look forward to seeing how the team comes together.

The Vegas Golden Knights will take one player from each current team during the expansion draft. Current teams have a list of their top players who are protected through their contracts from this. After getting their 30 players from the current teams, they are guaranteed to have at least the sixth overall pick and the will own the third pick in each subsequent round. The final roster will contain 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.

Looking ahead to the annual NHL Winter Classic game, the Chicago Blackhawks will play the St. Louis Blues at Busch Stadium, Jan. 2, 2017. This rivalry game should excite hockey and sports fans everywhere.

I am excited for the 2016 to play out and definitely looking forward to the playoffs in April.

This author can be reached via twitter @Alexrurik23 and via email Alexander Rurik.

For more features read, Christmas around the world: Asia.