The 2023-2024 NHL season was filled with many memorable moments. From iconic headlines to notable highlights, there were many moments we won’t soon forget. So, while we wait for the 2024-2025 season to start, let’s reminisce about the Top Ten Moments of the 2023-2024 NHL Season.
10. Knights Banner Raise
The Knights may not be every hockey fan’s favorite team… and for lots, they may not even make the top 30. However, their historical Stanley Cup win and iconic banner raise deserves a spot on this list.
9. Coyotes Final Game in Arizona
For some hockey fans, this may be a top-ten moment because the Yotes are finally free from Arizona and moving to what will surely be a better market. Yet, this moment also makes the list because of how the fans showed up for their team. I don’t know what’s more impressive, the fact that they packed the arena, or that they came out with the win! In all seriousness, it was the end of an era in Arizona and marked a new beginning for the Utah Hockey Club franchise. Something deserving of a spot on this list.
8. October 24th’s “Frozen Frenzy”
On October 24th, hockey fans were blessed with a day full of NHL Games. This was the first-ever “Frozen Frenzy,” a day where all 32 teams played. it looks like it may become an annual thing as it looks like October 22nd, 2024, will feature 16 games as well.
7. Matt Rempe NHL Debut
The young slugger Matt Rempe made his highly anticipated NHL Debut on February 18, 2024, at MetLife Stadium, playing the New York Islanders in the Stadium Series. His debut was full of action as not only was he the first player to ever make his debut at an outdoor game, but also got into a fight with the Isle’s Matt Martin in his very first shift, just 1:29 into the game.
6. Tim Stutzle Overtime Goal in Sweden
Tim Stutzle and his baseball-style goal put an exclamation mark on the Senator’s trip to Sweden. Despite how early in the season it was, the Global Series in Sweden was big for Ottawa. Their roster featured a pair of Sweds in Brännström and Forsberg, and they were matched up against former teammate Alex DeBrincat. The Sens had been leading that game 4-0 but blew the lead to let the Red Wings send it to overtime. With just two seconds left in the extra period, Stutzle put the game to rest with a baseball swing of his stick, knocking the puck into the back of the net from mid-air. To top it all off, the German has the best post-game presser, saying, “To be honest, I hate watching baseball. I think it’s pretty boring.”
5. Toronto All-Star Weekend
Toronto brought back everything fans loved about the All-Star Game. The draft format was back and having celebrities coach the teams alongside the game’s biggest stars was a win. This game was full of a lot of iconic moments. The Justin Bieber-Sidney Crosby–Nathan MacKinnon photo moment was hilarious and went viral for all the right reasons and Micheal Buble essentially admitting he was on shrooms during the whole ordeal was certainly a hilarious detail. Overall, this weekend brought back the true spirit of All-Star Weekend and many fans were in agreement that it was the best one they’ve had in a while.
4. Leafs vs Bruins Game Seven
Anytime these two teams match up in the playoffs, fans are in for a treat. Unless of course, you are a Toronto fan, then it’s almost a given that the Bruins will upset your team. But this series was like a blast from the past. The whole series, let alone game seven, was a nerve-wracking, back-and-forth event. It gave us the now-famous quote “This isn’t the f*cking juniors” from Nylander, and a highlight reel Pastrnak overtime winner, not to mention what we now know as one of the last Swayman–Ullmark goalie hugs in Bruins history.
3. Jagr Bobblehead Gate
If you weren’t following this story on X as it developed in real-time, you were missing out. In what was some of the “hardest-hitting” journalism of the year, the Jagr bobbleheads were reported stolen from their course to PPG Paints Arena. The bobbleheads were tracked and eventually returned safely to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
2. Connor Bedard Debut
You may be tired of hearing him by how many awards, and press he’s won and how many headlines he’s made, but Connor Bedard is a generational talent, and making his NHL Debut will always be a bright spot on this season. Despite an injury, Bedard managed to win the Calder Trophy and lead all rookies in points despite missing 14 games.
It is an honorable mention on this list, but it can be grouped in with Bedard and his talent in the Zegras-Bedard Michigan night, where they both scored a lacrosse goal in their respective games on the same night, on December 23rd, 2024. The goal itself is impressive, but what made the moment so memorable was that Zegras heard about Bedard’s goal in his pregame interview and called his shot before the game, scoring the lacrosse-style goal with ease. The goals went viral, many comparing the two.
Honorable Mentions: Winter Classic, Hughes Bowl, Matthews Scoring
The NHL Season is long, and not every moment could fit onto this list, so here are some nods to moments that didn’t quite make the list.
The 2024 Winter Classic featured the NHL’s two newest teams when Seattle hosted Vegas for the mid-day classic. The jerseys, as always, were impressive, and the walk-in photos were notable.
It’s becoming an annual thing. The “Hughes Bowl” comes when the Devils face the Canucks, and all three Hughes brothers face off in the same game. Even better, Quinn Hughes was mic’d up for the game and could be heard not only praising his brothers as they made nice plays but also yelling at them while they were on the ice together.
You can’t talk about this season and not talk about Auston Matthews’ offensive dominance. In one of the few positive headlines for the Leafs this season, finishing with 69 goals and 107 points. His race to 70 goals was followed closely until the last game of the season, but he just couldn’t get there in the 82 games.
1. Stanley Cup Final
It feels a bit like a cop-out to put the Cup finals at #1, but how could you not after the drama and the storylines? Edmonton made an incredible run, coming back from a 3-0 series deficit to force a game seven. But in the end, they couldn’t get it done and the Florida Panthers secured their first-ever Stanley Cup Championship. A great story either way you slice it and an outcome well-deserving of number one.
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