A 21st birthday is cause for celebration - particularly in the United States, where young men and women are can partake in certain fun activities they weren't legally allowed to enjoy the day before.

Edmonton star Connor McDavid officially joins the over-20 club Saturday - and in the party capital of North America, no less, as the Oilers visit the Vegas Golden Knights. You can't blame McDavid for being a bit distracted - but regardless of how he fares, it'll be interesting to compare his performance to those of other NHL greats who hit the ice on their 21st birthdays.

Here's a list of the five most notable players to have done just that:

Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings (March 31, 1949)

"Mr. Hockey" celebrated turning 21 in style, scoring the final goal of a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of their Stanley Cup semifinal. It was Howe's sixth goal of the series; he added a seventh in a Game 6 loss before opening the scoring in Detroit's 3-1 triumph in Game 7. Howe's scoring surge ended there, as he was held goalless in a four-game final loss to Toronto.

Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins (March 20, 1969)

Like Howe nearly 20 years earlier, Orr had a successful 21st birthday, scoring to help the Bruins earn a 5-5 tie in the first of a home-and-home series with the Chicago Blackhawks. It was the 21st and final goal of the regular season for Orr, who added 43 assists in 67 games. He would officially make the leap the following season, recording 120 points to cement his place as one of the greatest defensemen to ever lace up a pair of skates.

Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers (Jan. 26, 1982)

Birthday, Valentine's Day, garbage day ... there wasn't a slot on the hockey calendar where Gretzky wasn't a threat to score. And that goes for "The Great One's" 21st birthday, as he potted a goal and an assist in a 6-4 triumph in St. Louis. It was Gretzky's fifth consecutive multi-point game, and kick-started a five-game goal streak in which he lit the lamp seven times. #GOAT

Dale Hawerchuk, Winnipeg Jets (April 4, 1984)

We hope Hawerchuk had a huge piece of cake after this one. The future Hall of Fame center was on the wrong end of a 9-2 thumping at the hands of the Oilers in the opener of their first-round playoff series; Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Paul Coffey combined to record 11 points and effectively ruin Hawerchuk's special day. Winnipeg went on to lose the series in three games.

Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (Nov. 19, 2009)

Kane is no stranger to big performances - and his 21st birthday fits that bill, as he converted one of Chicago's four second-period power-play goals and added an assist 36 seconds later in a 7-1 drubbing of the host Calgary Flames. That win was the fifth of an eight-game streak for the Blackhawks, during which Kane recorded five goals and four assists.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Jack Johnson reportedly wants out.

The veteran defenseman has asked the Columbus Blue Jackets to trade him, sources told The Athletic's Aaron Portzline on Saturday morning.

Johnson's reduced role was cited as a reason for the request, as was his desire to better position himself for free agency in the summer, but it's not that he's unhappy in Columbus or with his teammates, according to the report.

The request was reportedly made weeks ago. Neither Johnson nor Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen would comment when contacted by The Athletic on Friday.

The 31-year-old, who's one of Columbus' alternate captains, is a pending unrestricted free agent who has plummeted on the team's depth chart this season.

He ranks fourth among the club's blue-liners in average ice time, but is now playing on the third pairing with Scott Harrington.

Johnson has spent parts of seven seasons with the Blue Jackets after playing parts of six with the Los Angeles Kings.

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Al Montoya stepped up when the Edmonton Oilers needed him.

The recently acquired backup netminder was pressed into duty Friday after starter Cam Talbot allowed two goals on three shots in 3:17 against the Arizona Coyotes.

Montoya steadied the ship from there, stopping all 19 shots faced to earn his first victory with his new team.

While it won't go in the books as a shutout, it was the first time Montoya had not given up a goal in six appearances this season, including four games played in 2017 with the Montreal Canadiens.

Help for Talbot has been on Edmonton's list of needs for quite some time, and Montoya's performance was encouraging, even if only at the expense of one of the NHL's worst teams.

The Oilers have one game remaining before their bye week, and it's possible Montoya will earn the start Saturday in Vegas to give Talbot an extended and much-needed break.

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The Sunshine State was friendly to the Calgary Flames.

A night after beating the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning, the Flames got the best of the Florida Panthers on Friday to extend their winning streak to six games, currently the longest in the NHL.

The opposition has not been of the pushover variety, either.

The length of the streak is not staggering by any means, but it's an important run of success nonetheless.

Calgary has now amassed 52 points and sits one behind the Los Angeles Kings for second in the Pacific Division, albeit with two more games played. The Flames have also built a four-point cushion over San Jose, but the Sharks also have games in hand on Calgary.

Still, the Flames are taking care of business as of late, and as a result, are hot on the trail of a playoff berth for the second season in a row.

Calgary plays Sunday in Carolina before the team's bye-week break.

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It's not only the Tampa Bay Lightning who will be without Victor Hedman as a result of a lower-body injury sustained Thursday in a game against Calgary.

The defenseman will be sidelined three-to-six weeks with the ailment, thereby forcing him to miss several regular-season contests as well as the upcoming All-Star Game, which the Lightning will host on Jan. 28.

Hedman was one of three defensemen named to the Atlantic Division roster, along with Ottawa's Erik Karlsson and Detroit's Mike Green. Here are three players who could step into those skates:

Morgan Rielly

The easy choice here is the Toronto Maple Leafs' Rielly, whose 31 points (five goals, 26 assists) rank him second among Atlantic defensemen - two behind Hedman.

Rielly is also sixth in scoring at his position league-wide, and is already only five points off his career high of 36 set two seasons ago.

Superstar center Auston Matthews will also be in attendance, and the addition of Toronto's best defenseman would certainly garner further interest in the event from one of hockey's largest fan bases.

Torey Krug

The Boston Bruins will already be represented by Brad Marchand, and while the young Charlie McAvoy would be an exciting replacement - and make no mistake, his time will come - it's Torey Krug who could add more black and gold to this year's All-Star festivities.

Krug is coming off a breakout 51-point campaign in 2016-17, and has recorded six goals and 16 assists through 36 games this season. While his point total ranks him seventh among Atlantic blue-liners, his point-per-game average (0.61) puts him behind only Karlsson, Hedman, Rielly, and Shea Weber (currently injured).

He's also recorded the third-most points by a defenseman from that division since the beginning of 2015-16, with Karlsson and Hedman again leading the way.

Krug's game lends itself to three-on-three excitement, too.

Mikhail Sergachev

Despite Hedman's absence, the hometown Lightning will be well showcased, with forwards Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos set to suit up.

Still, there's an argument to be made for the inclusion of rookie defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, acquired by Tampa Bay this past offseason in a deal centered around Jonathan Drouin.

Sergachev would by no means be a reach to replace his teammate. In 44 games, the 19-year-old has scored eight goals and added 18 assists, and his 26 points slot him fourth in the division (trailing Hedman, Karlsson, and Rielly), and 16th around the NHL.

He'll take on a bigger role for the Lightning with Hedman out of the lineup, and while he's been outperformed by Rielly and Krug (on average), he has proven to be a star performer perhaps sooner than expected. His presence would be a nice boost for Lightning fans.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray has returned home to Ontario, Canada because of a personal family matter and will miss at least one game, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed Friday.

The Penguins are scheduled to play back-to-back games against the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers on Saturday and Sunday, and then travel to California for a three-game road trip beginning Jan. 17 in Anaheim.

Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith will be the Penguins' netminders in Murray's absence.

Through 31 games, Murray posted a record of 15-12-1 with a .903 save percentage for a Pittsburgh team currently on the playoff bubble.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without their best defenseman for at least the next few weeks.

Victor Hedman will be out three-to-six weeks with the injury he sustained Thursday night against the Calgary Flames.

The veteran rearguard left the game after appearing to hurt his left leg in a collision with Flames forward Garnet Hathaway.

Hedman ranks third in points among all NHL blue-liners with 33 in 44 games.

He has played 25:36 per game this season, which ranks eighth in the league.

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The most durable player in the NHL is staying with the Anaheim Ducks.

Andrew Cogliano agreed to a three-year contract extension Friday, which carries a $3.25-million average annual value, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Cogliano was a pending unrestricted free agent carrying a cap hit of $3 million in the final year of his contract, according to CapFriendly.

He holds the fourth-longest consecutive games played streak in NHL history (829) and hasn't missed a game in his NHL career since entering the league with the Edmonton Oilers in 2007-08.

The left winger is one of the most underrated players in the game, and he's been playing on Anaheim's second line alongside Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg this season.

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