The 2024-25 NHL season began with the hockey world reeling from the tragic deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
Teammates carried the brothers’ spirits with them throughout the year, underpinning several major moments and paying fitting tribute to the two young men.
On the ice, the reign of one Central Division star came to a conclusion, while another had an unexpected re-beginning. Franchise players changed area codes (one even did it twice!).
International best-on-best men’s hockey returned with a bang. Florida tasted glory again. And Alex Ovechkin did what once seemed impossible.
Here are the top moments of the 2024-25 NHL season.
1. Alex Ovechkin Breaks All-Time NHL Goals Record
Wayne Gretzky holds many NHL records, but he has one fewer now that Alex Ovechkin achieved something once thought impossible: breaking Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894.
On April 6, 2025, Ovechkin sent a wrist shot past New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin for the Washington superstar’s 895th career goal, setting off a jubilant celebration with his Capitals teammates.
Ovechkin dove across the ice on his belly to mark his record-breaking tally, which happened to occur 21 years to the day after Washington won the 2004 draft lottery. With that pick, the Caps selected Ovechkin first overall.
In the wake of the big goal, the game was stopped for a 15-minute ceremony featuring commissioner Gary Bettman and Gretzky himself, who had been supportive of Ovechkin’s run in the lead-up to 895.
2. Panthers Win Back-To-Back Cups
It was a rematch of the previous final, and once again, the Florida Panthers came out on top against the Edmonton Oilers.
This time, it only took six games, and the Cats were dominant when they had to be. Sure, three of the first four games in the series went into overtime, and the final was tied at two games apiece, but for Games 5 and 6, the Panthers brought down the hammer.
Sam Reinhart had four goals in the clinching 5-1 victory, while Sam Bennett earned the Conn Smythe Trophy on the strength of a league-best 15 post-season goals. Like the complete team they are, the Panthers got contributions from everyone, whether it was the suffocating defense of captain and center Aleksander Barkov, the clutch goal-scoring of new addition Brad Marchand or the 18 goals scored by defensemen. And when Florida needed a save, Sergei Bobrovsky was there as usual.
For the second straight year, the fans in Sunrise got to see their franchise win it all on home ice. And with back-to-back Stanley Cups and three straight appearances in the final, the dynasty discussion has begun in earnest.
3. Canada Wins 4 Nations
What started as atournament few people were enthused about turned into a white-hot geopolitical showdown between North American neighbors – or is “neighbours” more accurate?
The mid-season 4 Nations Face-Off kicked off in Montreal, and with all due respect to Finland and Sweden, it was all about Canada-USA.
The two rivals literally battled in Montreal after a booed Star-Spangled Banner, with three fights in the first nine seconds, turning the 4 Nations into one of the most buzzed-about hockey stories in years and drawing in loads of non-hockey fans. Team USA won that match, but Canada got revenge in Boston days later, winning the tournament on a Connor McDavid overtime goal.
The players had always said they wanted a best-on-best international tournament, and the skeptics who wanted more teams participating quickly quieted down when the event turned into a barnburner.
4. Columbus Honors Gaudreau Brothers
It was a tragedy thatshook the entire hockey world.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, taking a bike ride on the eve of their sister’s summer wedding, were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver in New Jersey.
While everyone mourned the loss of the brothers, the epicenter of grieving was in Columbus, where ‘Johnny Hockey’ was a star with the Blue Jackets. The franchise honored the gifted winger before their home-opener against Florida, raising a banner in Gaudreau’s memory as part of a moving ceremony.
The tributes would not end there, however. The Blue Jackets and Flames (the team Gaudreau began his NHL career with) got together to remember him when they played in December, while his legacy was also stitched into the festivities of Columbus’ outdoor game against Detroit. Gaudreau Team USA jerseys were also kept in the dressing room of the gold-medal winning American WJC team and by the U.S. squad at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
5. Marc-Andre Fleury Plays Final NHL Game
While the celebrations came at the end of the regular season, let the record show that Marc-Andre Fleury’s final NHL appearance came on April 29, 2025, against the Vegas Golden Knights.
‘Flower’ came in to replace starter Filip Gustavsson, who fell ill during the game. Before that, however, a Hall of Fame career concluded in earnest two weeks prior when Fleury was inserted into the crease for OT against Anaheim. His Wild won in the extra frame, and the opposing Ducks congratulated Fleury after the game.
Fleury also suited up for Canada at the World Championship in the spring, hooking up with former Pittsburgh buddy Sidney Crosby one more time.
But it’s in the NHL where he made his mark. A legendary teammate and prankster, Fleury retires after 21 seasons. That run included three Stanley Cup rings with the Pittsburgh Penguins and a Vezina Trophy with Vegas. Fittingly, the French-Canadian Fleury also posted a shutout against the Canadiens in his last appearance in Montreal.
6. Mikko Rantanen Gets Traded... Twice
It was shocking enough when it happened the first time, but the second? That nearly broke the hockey internet.
Colorado traded lifelong Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen to Carolina on Jan. 24 in a blockbuster three-way deal that also saw Taylor Hall join the Hurricanes, with Martin Necas, Jack Drury and a couple of picks heading to the Avs. Chicago served as the intermediary on Rantanen’s cap hit, and the Hawks received a third-rounder for their troubles.
But Rantanen never felt comfortable in Carolina – he didn’t want to leave Colorado in the first place, but the Avs were worried about his upcoming contract extension – and soon, the rumors crept in that he would be traded again.
Sure enough, right at the deadline, Dallas swooped in and grabbed the Finnish power forward in a deal that sent promising young Logan Stankoven the other way, plus four draft picks, including two conditional firsts.
Rantanen repaid the Stars by helping them eliminate his old mates from Colorado in the first round of the playoffs, then going wild against Winnipeg in the second round. Unfortunately, a Cup final against Carolina was not meant to be, as the Canes and Stars were both eliminated in the conference final.
7. Gabriel Landeskog Plays Again After Three Full Seasons Away
No one would have guessed that the last time we would see Gabriel Landeskog was when the Colorado Avalanche captain was hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head back in 2022. But it had started looking like a possibility after a debilitating knee injury kept him off NHL ice for three whole seasons.
Still, Landeskog kept working, and after more than 1,000 days, he finally put a Colorado sweater back on for Game 3 of the Avalanche’s first-round playoff series against Dallas. Before that, the only competitive action Landeskog had seen was two games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles as he prepared for his NHL return. The Avalanche ended up losing to Dallas in that series, but it sure was good to see the captain back on the ice.
8. Brad Marchand Goes From Boston Bruins To Florida Panthers
When you think of Brad Marchand, you think of the Bruins. But a shocking trade at the deadline turned the career Boston left winger into a key member of the Panthers as they went on another Stanley Cup run.
Yes, ‘The Rat’ became a Cat.
Marchand fit in seamlessly, joining a team that already had top agitators Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett in the lineup. Marchand’s exit from Boston was controversial, as it became public that negotiations on a potential contract extension had gone poorly. Marchand was the Bruins’ captain, after all, and didn’t have a burning desire to leave. But Florida got him for a conditional first-round pick, an absolute steal. He also started a new tradition, as players began shooting the plastic rats tossed on the ice after playoff wins directly at Marchand.
9. Winnipeg Jets Win First Presidents' Trophy
In a top-heavy Central Division featuring Dallas and Colorado, Winnipeg managed to thrive in the regular season.
The Jets earned 116 points to lead the NHL and earn the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy. They won seven of their final 10 games, helping them take the crown over second-place Washington. The Jets had a lot of help, too.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was a monster all year and won the Hart and Vezina, while Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele put up career highs to lead the offense. Perhaps most impressively, however, is that the Jets got it done under first-year coach Scott Arniel, who headed an NHL bench for the first time since being fired by Columbus in January 2012.
Unfortunately for Winnipeg, the Presidents’ Trophy curse hit once again, as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs fell to Dallas in the second round.
10. J.T. Miller Traded To New York Rangers And Drama In Vancouver
Who needs soap operaswhen you have the Vancouver Canucks?
The animosity between star players Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller leaked out into the public sphere, and the rift reached an untenable point as the team struggled. On Jan. 31, the Canucks finally dealt Miller to the New York Rangers in a blockbuster deal that saw Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round draft pick come back to Vancouver.
Miller felt right at home on Broadway, as he began his career with the Rangers, and Vincent Trocheck is one of his best friends. And while he averaged better than a point per game for New York in the second half, the Rangers still missed the playoffs, as did the Canucks.
This article appeared in our 2025 Champions Collector's Edition, where we commemorate the Florida Panthers' back-to-back Stanley Cups. Also, we feature the champs from leagues across the hockey world, count down the season's top 10 moments and look at breakout players to watch for 2025-26.
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