THW’s Best of the Week: Oilers' Win Streak Ends, 2025 Winter Classic Revealed & More
A Sunday Edition of The Hockey Writers Substack
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Sunday Edition…
Our in-season Sunday Edition features the BEST OF THE WEEK throughout the NHL.
In today’s edition, we have the historic winning streak for the Edmonton Oilers ending, news on the 2025 Winter Classic matchup, and much more.
Check Out Some THW Premium Substack Content:
Colorado Avalanche: Avalanche Prospect Update: Calum Ritchie, Jeremy Hanzel & More by Stefano Rubino
New Jersey Devils: Devils' Prospect Update: Gritsyuk Shining in KHL by JP Gambatese
Nashville Predators: Grading the Nashville Predators After the All-Star Break by Emma Lingan
Vancouver Canucks: Canucks Prospects Report: Bains All-Star MVP, Lekkerimaki, Sasson, Mynio & More by Matthew Zator
Chicago Blackhawks: Brooke's Blackhawks Blurbs: Return to the Rink, Injury Updates & Winter Classics by Brooke LoFurno
Edmonton Oilers: Oilers Overtime: Trade Deadline Primer... Everything I'm Hearing by Jim Parsons
Tampa Bay Lightning: Time to Bolt Audio Report: Sergachev Undergoes Surgery, Out Indefinitely by Harrison Smajovits
Check Out THW’s Professional Women’s Hockey League Coverage
Let’s dive into the Best of the Week…
U.S. & Canadian Roster Outlooks for the Four Nations Face-off
The NHL is looking to reignite International play with their return to the Olympics and the Four Nations Face-off event next year. Here’s a refresher from last week’s Sunday newsletter…
The NHL is going to hold an International best-on-best Tournament in 2025 instead of the All-Star weekend. The four nations taking place in this tournament will be the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. It will consist of seven games in nine days from Feb. 12-20, 2025.
The U.S. team will be very talented with Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, the Tkachuk brothers, and more leading the way. They’ll also have unmatched goaltending with Connor Hellbuyck, Jeremy Swayman, Thatcher Demko, Jake Oettinger, and others as options. The Canadian team will have roster decisions to make with potentially shaky goaltending and a loaded skater pool. The likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and other studs will lead their squad.
Oilers’ Historic Winning Streak Comes to an End
The Edmonton Oilers’ historic winning streak came to an end with a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The Oilers went from 27th in the NHL standings to 10th during this 16-game winning streak. It was a terrific run that put the club right back in the thick of things.
Blues, Blackhawks Will Play in the 2025 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field
The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues will go head-to-head in the 2025 Winter Classic. The venue will be Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley also hosted the event in 2009, where the Detroit Red Wings beat the Blackhawks 6-4.
The Blues are 2-0 in the event, while the Blackhawks are 0-4. This will be a great stage to see this rivalry and superstar Connor Bedard on a major stage.
Alex Ovechkin Makes History in Capitals’ Win Over Bruins
In the Washington Capitals 3-0 win over the Boston Bruins, Alex Ovechkin netted the 57th empty net goal of his career. He passed Wayne Gretzky for the most of all time. Ovechkin continues to break records on his quest to surpass Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history.
A Look at the Stadium Series Rink in New Jersey Being Built
The 2024 Stadium Series will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 between the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders going head to head the next day.
Click below to take a look at how the rink was built in New Jersey…
We hope you enjoyed today’s THW Substack, and we hope you enjoy our “Best of the Week” Sunday Edition. Stay tuned for THW Daily as it continues tomorrow and beyond. Cheers!