Banner year for Nova Scotia hockey stars as NHL regular seasons wraps
Posted Apr 10, 2017 06:34:06 AM.
Last Updated Apr 10, 2017 07:38:08 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – Another regular season in the books, another award in the trophy case for no. 87.
As the curtain fell Sunday on the 2016/17 NHL regular season, Sidney Crosby nabbing his second Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy, scoring a league-leading 44 goals in 75 games. Crosby will pick up his hardware at the NHL awards in Las Vegas this June, where he’ll also find out if he is once again the league’s MVP – the Hart trophy expected to go to either Crosby or Connor McDavid, the NHL’s leading point scorer this season with 100.
In what was a statement season from the Cole Harbour native, the 29-year-old Crosby also set a personal milestone scoring his 1,000th NHL point in just 782 career regular season games.
A big season for Hammond’s Plains’ Brad Marchand as well. The gritty Bruins winger missed the final two games of Boston’s season for a nasty slash, but still managed to put up 39 goals and 85 points, marking the best statistical year of the 28-year-old’s career.
But Crosby and Marchand will now turn their attention to the Stanley Cup. When the playoffs open on Wednesday, Pittsburgh will host the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston will head north for a date with the Senators in the nation’s capital.
Both series’ will be broadcast on Sportsnet and Sportsnet 360.
Crosby looking for his third Cup win while Marchand will try to get his second.
This year’s playoffs will feature far more Canadian content – one year removed from every Canadian franchise missing the mark, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa will be in the dance.
