Top Father-Son Duos in NHL History & Worst Maple Leafs Free Agent Signings
Also, some "Today in Hockey History", history of the Los Angeles Kings, ranking Don Sweeney's drafts, and more.
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In today’s edition, we have a couple “Today in Hockey History” posts, the top five father-son duos of all time, the worst free agent signings in Toronto Maple Leafs history, the history of the Los Angeles Kings, and more.
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Today in Hockey History: Dec. 22
Dec. 22 is jam-packed with some of the biggest names and greatest players in National Hockey League history. Numerous members of the Hockey Hall of Fame had big moments and reached some significant milestones on this date. So, let’s start our daily journey through the decades and revisit all the memories.
Top 5 Father-Son Duos in NHL History
Father-son bloodlines are deeply rooted in the NHL. And with every passing NHL Draft, it seems there’s high-end talent continuing to be passed-on. It’s a family tradition.
Fathers teach their sons the little things that it takes to be an NHL athlete. They benefit from their knowledge, their connections, their coaches and often their financial well being. Scouts know that sons of NHLers have been coached by their fathers–NHLers. While being the son of an NHL player doesn’t make a better player, it has its advantages.
Starting with honorable mentions, presented below are the top 5 father-son combinations in NHL history.
Top 3 Worst Free Agent Signings in Maple Leafs History
In free agency, some clubs take a big swing at a player on the open market and after the first year, it looks to be a waste of money. This has happened a fair amount to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before the Auston Matthews era, they took chances on players to try and end the suffering. Unfortunately, it led to more of it.
This article is going to be the first of two parts that will look at the best and worst Maple Leafs signings. So let’s get into it with the three worst free-agent signings in franchise history.
Today in Hockey History: Dec. 21
Dec. 21 has been a very eventful date in National Hockey League history. Two NHL records were broken, memories were made in Los Angeles, 250 was a magic number, and one of the greatest goaltenders in league history performed well. It’s time for our look at today in hockey history.
Los Angeles Kings: The Foundation of Royalty
In March of 1965, NHL President Clarence Campbell began a formal process to expand the National Hockey League from six teams to an even dozen. The maneuver would see franchises placed in both the midwest and the west coast, in addition to the league’s already established “Original Six”.
Numerous cities sought to be a landing spot for one of the six new teams, including places that were initially passed over by the NHL such as Cleveland, Buffalo, Vancouver, Louisville and Baltimore. Some of these same cities would eventually house NHL franchises of their own as the league continued to experience growth and stability.
After much thought and consideration, it would be determined in early 1966 which cities would be awarded a new NHL team. Housed in a division of their own – the West Division – these “Second Six” teams would be the Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Los Angeles Kings. For the first time in league history, 12 teams would be competing for the Stanley Cup beginning with the 1967-68 season.
Boston Bruins: Ranking Don Sweeney’s Entry Drafts
The two-day 2023 Entry Draft is set to kick off in Nashville Wednesday night (June 28). Because of a very busy trade deadline, the Boston Bruins are not scheduled to pick until the third round on Thursday (June 29). General manager (GM) Don Sweeney used his first-round pick in a trade to acquire Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals on Feb. 23. The Black and Gold’s second-round pick belongs to the Anaheim Ducks as it was used at the trade deadline in March of 2022 to acquire Hampus Lindholm.
With no picks until the third round, it’s going to be a long wait for Sweeney and his staff before they’re on the clock. As we wait to see what Boston’s front office does, let’s rank Sweeney’s eight previous drafts.