Around the Rink: No Doubt the NHL Is in a Golden Age of Young Talent

November 3rd, 2016 by Adrian Dater Leave a reply »

This is the centennial season of the NHL, but its identity today is more about the millennials. 

While it's true the NHL has the oldest player in any of the four major professional sports in the 44-year-old Jaromir Jagr, if there were a composite face of the league, it would be something more like: peach fuzz, no wrinkles and maybe a little leftover teen acne.

Two of the league's most popular and best players today, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, remain two years away from being allowed to legally have an alcoholic beverage in the United States.

Entering Thursday, only three of the NHL's top 20 scorers (Evgeni Malkin, Joe Pavelski and Shea Weber) were 30 or older. There were 12 rookies averaging better than a half point per game (minimum eight games played), including two (Matthews and 20-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs teammate William Nylander) averaging a point or better.

Tuesday night's game between McDavid's Edmonton Oilers and Matthews' Maple Leafs was a genuine marquee event, with even the Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky, flying into Toronto to take it in. Combine the NHL's M&M Boys with othe ...

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