2024 was memorable, emotional year for hockey world | NHL.com

18. Barkov celebrates homecoming in style

Aleksander Barkov got to do something he could never dream of doing; bring the Stanley Cup home to Tampere, Finland at the same time he brought his NHL team to his hometown to play regular-season games. That happened in early November, when the Panthers and Dallas Stars played in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland presented by Fastenal. Barkov had five points (one goal, four assists) in the two games in Tampere, both Florida wins on Nov. 1 and 2.

19. McDavid reaches 1,000 points

With his father in attendance, McDavid hit the 1,000-point milestone in typical picturesque McDavid fashion on Nov. 14. The Oilers captain buried a one-timer off a pass from Leon Draisaitl on a 2-on-1 rush at 2:44 of the second period against the Predators at Rogers Place. McDavid later added an assist on Darnell Nurse’s overtime goal to give him 1,001 points. With his second-period goal, McDavid became the 99th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points and the fourth-fastest to do so, accomplishing the feat in 659 games. Only Wayne Gretzky (424), Mario Lemieux (513) and Mike Bossy (656) got to 1,000 points faster than McDavid.

20. Crosby scores 600th goal

Sidney Crosby scored his 600th NHL goal in a 6-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club at PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 23. Crosby became the 21st player in NHL history to reach the 600-goal milestone. He is the second player to do so with the Penguins, joining Mario Lemieux (690). He is also the second active player with 600 goals, joining Ovechkin.

21. Boston hits 100

It was a year — and 100 years — in the making. After a season filled with Boston Bruins reunions, with celebrations of memory-rich eras in the franchise’s history, it all culminated on Dec. 1 in a game against the Montreal Canadiens that marked the 100-year anniversary of the Bruins’ first game, also against Montreal. The hour-long pregame ceremony that honored the first U.S.-based franchise to hit 100 years included appearances from Willie O’Ree, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Rick Middleton, Cam Neely, Ray Bourque and Patrice Bergeron, along with family members of Milt Schmidt and Eddie Shore, among others. It culminated with those legends passing pucks to local kids, a passing of the torch to the next generation of Boston hockey players — and potential future Bruins.

22. Flames honor Gaudreau brothers

The Calgary Flames had a special night honoring Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau before their game against the Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Saddledome on Dec. 3. They had a special ceremony on the ice with the late brothers’ family joining the teams on the ice. They played a video tribute to Johnny Gaudreau highlighting his nine seasons with the Flames. Both teams wore Gaudreau No. 13 sweaters in warm-ups. Calgary won 3-0 and the Flames then announced Johnny Gaudreau as the game’s No. 1 star.

23. Rosters revealed for the 4 Nations Face-Off

Excitement about the 4 Nations Face-Off hit a high note on Dec. 4, when the 23-man rosters for the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland were revealed. The tournament will be played Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. It will be the first best-on-best tournament featuring NHL players since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.