#Brett Hull

Welcome to NHL 99, The Athletic's countdown of the best 100 players in modern NHL history. We're ranking 100 players but calling it 99 because we all know who's No. 1 - it's the 99 spots behind No. 99 we have to figure out. Every Monday through Saturday until February we'll unveil new members of the list. Brett Hull was just 21 years old and coming…

Raleigh, N.C. - The 2001-2002 version of the Carolina Hurricanes had no business being three wins from the Stanley Cup. At that point, they were just a few years removed from playing in front of sparse crowds at the Greensboro Coliseum, where a curtain regularly draped off much of the upper level seating. But the spring of 2002 brought the infancy…

Hockey players used to come from places like Moose Jaw and Medicine Hat and Prince Albert. Now they come - some of the biggest stars, it seems, some of the most explosive players - from Scottsdale and Phoenix and suburban Los Angeles. When Tage Thompson scored five goals the other night for the Buffalo Sabres, bringing his total to 21 in 26 games…

Or, well, he will be. Soon enough - possibly Monday night when the Detroit Red Wings visit the Washington Capitals - Alex Ovechkin will score for the 801st and 802nd time and pass Gordie Howe for No. 2 on the NHL's all-time goals list. Ovechkin already moved Mr. Hockey down one big list earlier this season; his second-period goal Nov. 5 against the…

The Toronto Maple Leafs look to extend their streak without a regulation loss to 16 games. Toronto is 12-0-3 over the last 15 games with the 1.87 goals-against average the best in the league during that stretch. This is the fifth consecutive time that Toronto is favored against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden after being listed as the favorite…

The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost two in a row and have not looked so good doing it. They did steal a point last week in Buffalo, but theft might be a kind word, and they were embarrassed by the New York Rangers, 5-1 on Friday. The Penguins face another trap game when they host the nothing-to-lose Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena on…

Imagine a starting rotation of Luis Castillo, Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman. And then add in a little hope for the future with Jose Berrios and Hyun-jin Ryu, and the dependability of Ross Stripling. It could have happened had Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins beat the Seattle Mariners to the punch at baseball's trade deadline this summer. It…

The NHL is back for the 2022-23 season and you're not likely to watch a hockey broadcast this year without seeing or hearing some mention of betting odds or an online sportsbook. As veteran bettors know, wins and losses don't only occur in the standings. Fantasy hockey has been popular for years and the player prop bet market has seen an increasing…

The best matchup on a seven-game NHL slate Monday features the Vegas Golden Knights making their lone visit of the season to the Washington Capitals. Check out our Golden Knights-Capitals picks below. The Vegas Golden Knights memorably made the Stanley Cup Final in their expansion 2017-18 season but were beaten in five games by the Washington…