Chase Agnello-Dean via Getty Images

On the day that Matthew Schaefer could have been celebrating his high school graduation, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft had an appointment that was close to his heart.

While in Buffalo for the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month, the newest New York Islanders defenseman spent the day at the Western New York Compassion Connection. There, Schaefer shared his story with an audience of young people between the ages of 7 and 17 who recently lost a loved one — a life experience that he’s still grieving through.

As Schaefer’s NHL prospects rose in 2023 while playing for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, his billet mom, Emily Matson, died by an apparent suicide. Months later, his mother, Jennifer, passed away following a two-year battle with breast cancer.

The following December, Otters owner Jim Waters died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

That amount of tragedy in such a short period of time is a lot for anyone, let alone a 16-year-old. But Schaefer was inspired by his mother’s fight and allowed it to push him forward rather than hold him back in his journey to the NHL.

"My mindset has changed a lot with everything. Just seeing what my mom went through, having a smile on her face with cancer kind of trying to bring her down, but she wouldn’t let it,” Schaefer told reporters recently. “She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

Helping others through their own grief

What Schaefer dealt with inspired him to want to assist other young people who might benefit from hearing from someone with a shared experience.

“There’s young kids that are going through tough times,” Schaefer said. “A lot of people love to keep it in, and I want to try to put their minds at ease in any way. If love could have saved them, they would have lived forever. That’s a good saying I go by. But everything happens for a reason in life. Makes me super strong. And I want to help people.”

There is a lot that goes into developing a professional hockey player, and Jennifer played a role beyond mother as Schaefer went about bettering himself away from the rink. It wasn’t odd to see her throw on the goalie pads and take shots from Schaefer and his brother, John.

While Jennifer may no longer be here, she’s not far from Schaefer’s mind when he’s shooting pucks in his basement. She’s there in spirit, he says, still trying to save her youngest son’s shots. When he misses the net, Schaefer says he credits his mom “because she's probably blocker saving [them].”

Jennifer was still with Schaefer at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday night when he heard his name called first by the Islanders. Inside his custom suit jacket were family pictures of his mom.

Bruce Bennett via Getty Images

More obstacles on his way to becoming a top prospect

Schaefer’s draft year saw more challenges that he needed to overcome. He missed the Otters’ first nine games of the season after battling mononucleosis, and in December, he suffered a season-ending clavicle fracture while representing Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Despite only playing 17 games with Erie this past season, Schaefer scored seven goals and recorded 22 points. He had already played his way into being one of the 2025 NHL Draft’s top prospects after a six-point performance last August while helping lead Canada to a win at the U-18 Hlinka/Gretzky Cup.

Schaefer’s play, while a limited sample size, was enough to convince scouts and those around the NHL that he could become an impact player at the next level.

“He is the complete package playing a dynamic style that generates results and influences the outcome of games,” said Dan Marr, Vice President of NHL Central Scouting. “Schaefer easily projects as a future All-Star in the NHL.”

"He is consistent, mature, and has all of the tools to be a No. 1 defenseman in the NHL,” writes Chris Peters of FloHockey. “His skating is among the best in the class and his hockey sense is right up there, too. Schaefer has been through a lot in his young life, but has met his challenges with grace well beyond his years. As a pick, he is not without risk, but there’s so much upside that teams have mostly dismissed the long absence and still view him as a potential long-term No. 1 defenseman at the top of his projection."

Schaefer will turn 18 in September and, weeks later, will enter his first NHL training camp. He will be prepared for his next challenge — making the Islanders — and he will be inspired by his mom, who may no longer be here, but supported him on his road to a budding professional career.

"She's always with me in spirit,” Schaefer said. “I know she has a front-row seat every game. I get to play for someone even more. She was a strong woman. I like to talk about her. If she was here, you guys would know exactly who she was even though you haven't met her because I love talking about her."

Michael Miller/ISI Photos via Getty Images

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday by the New York Islanders.

The 17-year-old Schaefer, the No. 1 ranked player by NHL Central Scouting, had a shortened 2024-25 season with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters after missing the first nine games due to mononucleosis and then suffering a broken clavicle during the IIHF World Junior Championship in December.

The 6-foot-2, 186-pound Schaefer recorded seven goals and 22 points in 17 games with Erie this past season. 

"He does it all on the ice – defends well as an elite skater with good gap control and has the ability and smarts to consistently produce offensively," according to NHL Central Scouting's report on Schaefer. 

"He has a great feel for the game and knows when to make a simple play, when to block a shot and how to get the job done. His puck retrievals are on point, he can skate his way out of trouble and capably lead the rush offensively. He quarterbacks the power play and is an offensive threat to score or set up teammates."

Schaefer is now just the fifth defenseman to be selected No. 1 overall following Owen Power (Buffalo Sabres, 2021), Rasmus Dahlin (Sabres, 2018), Aaron Ekblad (Florida Panthers, 2014) and Erik Johnson (St. Louis Blues, 2006).

2025 NHL Draft, first round selections

1. New York Islanders: Matthew Schaefer, D - Erie (OHL)
2. San Jose Sharks: Michael Misa, F - Saginaw (OHL)

Minas Panagiotakis via Getty Images

The NHL and NHL Players Association announced Friday that the two sides have agreed to an extension to the collective bargaining agreement, ensuring labor peace through at least 2030.

League team owners and NHL players still need to vote on the deal before the agreement can be officially ratified.

The four-year extension will begin Sept. 16, 2026 — the day after the current agreement expires — and will run until Sept. 15, 2030.

"While we didn't agree on everything, we had a very constructive, professional, collaborative collective-bargaining process," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said during a Friday news conference. "I think we identified the issues that were important to both sides and I think that [NHLPA executive director] Marty [Walsh] and I have established a very good tone and a very good basis for our relationship going forward."

Bettman and Walsh, who was appointed in 2023, have said over the past few months that the relationship between the two sides has been productive and talks have not been contentious — a drastic change from CBA discussions in the past involving previous union heads that led to three lockouts since 1994.

Few specifics of the agreement were released Friday with the full deal to be made public once the ratification process is done.

Here's what we know so far, via Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff:

2 more regular-season games per team

Beginning in 2026-27, NHL teams will play an 84-game schedule, up from the current 82 games. This will allow the league to schedule more division games, which it believes will help raise attendances and television ratings.

Teams will still visit an opponent at least once during the regular season.

An 84-game schedule was last used by the NHL for the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons when two neutral-site games were played by all teams.

The increase of the regular-season schedule will see the preseason schedule cut down to four games per team, with players who have at least 100 career games played allowed to play in a maximum of two preseason games.

A limit on player contract term

Teams re-signing their own players will be able to offer contracts featuring a maximum of seven years and six years when signing free agents. 

The 2013 CBA saw limits to player contracts, with the longest term allowed for a player re-signing with his own team being eight years and the longest term for free agents capped at seven years.

Christian Petersen via Getty Images

Playoff salary cap for teams

NHL teams have been able to exceed the salary cap ceiling if they have players on long-term injured reserve. That has allowed clubs to activate star players who missed time during the regular season at the beginning of the postseason.

Once the new CBA kicks in in September 2026, teams will have to ice rosters in the Stanley Cup playoffs that are compliant with the current salary cap limits. Specific details on how that will work will be released once the agreement is made official by the club owners and players.

Other notes about the new CBA:

• 50/50 revenue split between team owners and players and definitions of hockey-related revenue will not change.

• Teams will hold the rights of draft picks until they are 22 years old.

• As was previously announced, the salary cap ceiling for the next three seasons will be $95.5 million, $104 million and $113 million.

• Deferred salaries will no longer be allowed, which previously helped teams lower the salary cap hit of contracts.

• A 60% cap for player signing bonuses.

• Player playoff bonus pool fund increased.

• Teams will now have a full-time emergency backup goalie to avoid amateur goalies entering games following unique injury circumstances.

• No more dress code for players as they enter/depart arenas for games.

Dave Sandford via Getty Images

The 18-member committee met Monday and Tuesday to nominate and elect a class of eight players and builders. Players must not have played in a professional or international game in any of the previous three seasons. Builders are eligible even if they are still active in the game. 

Candidates must receive at least 75% of the vote from the Selection Committee in order to be elected.

Jennifer Botterill (Player) — A three-time Olympic gold medalist, Botterill helped Canada win five IIHF World Championship gold medals while averaging over a point per game in her international career (62 goals and 164 points in 162 games). Before starring on the international level, Botterill was a standout player at Harvard and was a back-to-back winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award, which recognizes the top women’s collegiate player.

Zdeno Chára (Player) — "Big Z" played for the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals over a 1,680-game NHL career that saw him score 209 goals and 680 points. An unmistakeable presence on the ice at 6-foot-9, Chara was one of the best defensemen of his era winning the 2008-09 Norris Trophy as the league's top blue liner. He was also a three-time NHL first-team All-Star and was a part of the 2010-11 Stanley Cup winning Bruins squad. Chára also holds the hardest shot record with a 108.8 mph blast during one of his five Hardest Shot competition victories during NHL All-Star Weekend. Internationally, Chára won silver medals at the IIHF World Championship and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey representing Slovakia.

Brianna Decker (Player) — Decker finished her decorated hockey career in 2017 with a mantle full of individual and team honors. While playing collegiately at Wisconsin, she won the 2011-12 Kazmaier Award. She began her international career while still in college and would go on to win six gold and two silver medals at the IIHF World Championships, along with one gold and two silvers at the Olympics. Decker also claimed two CWHL Clarkson Cups and the NWHL's Isobel Cup, where she was also two-time league MVP.

Duncan Keith (Player) — Keith spent all but one season of his 17-year NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks where he helped the franchise win three Stanley Cups. During that time he also won two Norris Trophies, was named the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP and was twice voted a first team NHL All-Star. Over his career, he scored 106 goals and recorded 646 points. He was also a part of the 2010 and 2014 Canadian Olympic teams that claimed gold.

Alexander Mogilny (Player) — Mogilny was the first Soviet player to defect west and when he arrived in the NHL he quickly made his mark. His 76-goal season in 1992-93 tied him for the NHL’s goal scoring lead with Teemu Selänne. He would finish with 127 points that season. A year later the Sabres named him the first European captain in league history. When it was all said and done, the six-time All-Star had scored 473 goals and recorded 1,032 points. He’s a member of the IIHF’s Triple Gold Club after winning the Stanley Cup, Olympics and IIHF World Championship. He also helped the Soviet Union to gold at the World Junior Championship.

Jack Parker (Builder) — Parker coached Boston University for 40 years and helped the Terriers claim three NCAA national championships and six Hockey East tournament titles. He's a three-time Spencer Penrose Award winner as the top Division-I men's coach and owns the record for most wins with one school with 897 and the most NCAA tournament appearances with 24.

Danièle Sauvageau (Builder) — Sauvageau is the first woman to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category and earned the honor following a coaching career that saw her guide Canada's women's team to a silver medal at the 1998 Olympics and then gold four years later in Salt Lake City. She's been part of seven Olympics with Canada serving as head coach, general manager and consultant.

Joe Thornton (Player) — Thornton's 24-year NHL career saw him suit up for the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NHL draft. He fell short of Stanley Cup glory, but did win an Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer, a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and was a first team NHL All-Star. Thornton did find success on the international stage with Canada winning gold at the 1997 World Junior Championships, 2010 Olympics, and two World Cups of Hockey. "Jumbo" finished with 430 goals and 1,539 points in 1,714 games. He is one of only 16 players in NHL history to have reached the 1,500-point mark.

The Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2025 will be inducted in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 10.

Wayne Gretzky knew this day was going to come.

After he set the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring record in 1994, Gretzky’s father, Walter, told his son that the record wouldn’t last — someone would come along in the future and break the mark. And when that happened, Walter said, he hoped his son would show the same amount of respect and admiration to that player that Gordie Howe did when he watched Gretzky approach his then-record goal total of 801.

That message has stayed with Gretzky three decades later.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

When Alex Ovechkin scored 219 goals in his first three NHL seasons, the speculation started.

Could Gretzky’s "unbreakable" record actually fall one day?

The goals kept coming, and what was once a speculative What If? started becoming a real possibility. Each time Gretzky has been asked about Ovechkin’s chances at the record, “The Great One” has been rooting on the Washington Capitals captain. He understood that the chase has brought positive attention to the league and has been good for the sport.

He remembered the words his father told him all those years ago.

When goal No. 895 was scored on Sunday afternoon, Gretzky was there in attendance at UBS Arena in New York to be part of hockey history and celebrate the Capitals superstar. After Ovechkin beat Ilya Sorokin for the record, the game was paused for a brief ceremony. There on the ice was Gretzky, who has been following Ovechkin around since last week. They exchanged hugs and a handshake. One era of hockey celebrating another.

The conclusion of the record chase is a freeing moment for Ovechkin. He has been reticent to talk about passing Gretzky. The questions have been asked for years about whether he could do it. Now that he has, the full focus can shift to the Capitals’ season, one in which they’re leading the Eastern Conference and have eyes on a second Stanley Cup title in franchise history.

That’s how hockey players are programmed: It’s about the team, not me.

What happens next, now that the chase is over, will serve as the next batch of questions facing Ovechkin, however.

Ovechkin turns 40 in September and his contract runs through the 2025-26 season. He’s talked about finishing his career where he started — with Dynamo Moscow of Russia’s KHL. But he’s also said he sees himself retiring once his deal expires after next season. He has not scored fewer than 30 goals in a full NHL season ever and the goal-scoring magic is still there with the record-breaking goal also serving as his 42nd this season — the 14th time he’s hit the 40-goal mark in his 20 seasons.

“The Great 8” doesn’t sound like he’s planning to hang around and be a liability on the ice as the grays in his hair increase. He’s content with going out on top with his powers still intact.

It’s not outlandish to think the goal record could end up being around 950 when all is said and done with his career. Ovechkin’s shot remains lethal and opposing teams have been unable to figure out a way to limit his effectiveness in his favorite spot on the ice — the left faceoff circle, also known as the “Ovi spot.”

Dave Reginek via Getty Images

Ovechkin moving past Gretzky and eventually settling on a final total when he retires will spark the next great debate: Who could threaten Ovechkin’s record?

Among active NHL players under the age of 30 in the top 13 on the list of career goal scorers are Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl (29) at 399 goals; Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (27) at 397; and Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak (28) at 383 goals.

Only Matthews is averaging over 0.6 goals per game in their career, like Ovechkin has. He may be the biggest threat now, but he has a lot of work to do.

Whether it’s Matthews or another future NHL star, the hockey world will be waiting a while — possibly a long while — before we have a goal chase like this again.

When Howe originally set the record that Gretzky would eventually break, he did so in 1963 with his 545th goal to pass Montreal Canadiens great Maurice "The Rocket" Richard.

It took 26 years for someone to leap-frog Gretzky. As NHL players get bigger, faster and stronger — including goaltenders — the wait for Ovechkin’s record to come under threat may take much longer, if someone like Matthews is even able to come at the goal-scoring king and not miss.

Alex Ovechkin is the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring king.

The Washington Capitals superstar scored his 895th career goal on Sunday against the New York Islanders, breaking the NHL record held by Wayne Gretzky since 1999. Ovechkin scored on a power play during the second period.

Gretzky, who was in attendance at UBS Arena as Ovechkin broke his record, said on Friday that he was "very proud" after Ovechkin tied his record with two goals against the Chicago Blackhawks. After Ovechkin broke the record on Sunday, Gretzky was one of many to congratulate Ovechkin, and spoke during a brief on-ice ceremony.

Ovechkin entered the 2024-25 season with 853 career goals. After starting the season red-hot with 15 goals in 18 games, his season was put on pause after a broken fibula suffered in November caused him to miss five weeks. He didn’t need long to shake off any rust as he resumed his chase of Gretzky with four goals in his first five games back from injury.

Another stretch beginning at the end of January saw Ovechkin score seven times in seven games, which included his 33rd career NHL hat trick and second this season.

As Ovechkin approached Gretzky’s mark, he added even more milestones to his Hall of Fame résumé.

On Feb. 25, Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season — the 19th time in his 20 NHL seasons where he scored at least 30 goals. He is the fourth player age 39 or older to have a 30-goal season, joining Gordie Howe, Johnny Bucyk and Teemu Selanne.

Ovechkin’s 33rd goal of the season, on March 9 against the Seattle Kraken, made him the 10th member of the 1,600-point club with seventh to do so with a single NHL franchise after Howe, Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and Joe Sakic.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft entered the league and immediately made an impact, scoring 52 goals during his first season and earning the 2005-06 Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. Ovechkin has hit the 50-goal mark nine times during his career and the 60-goal mark once. His ability to beat goaltenders on a regular basis has earned him the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies as the league’s top goal scorer in nine different seasons.

NHL all-time goal scorers

1. Alex Ovechkin - 895
2. Wayne Gretzky - 894
3. Gordie Howe - 801
4. Jaromir Jagr - 766
5. Brett Hull - 741
6. Marcel Dionne - 731
7. Phil Esposito - 717
8. Mike Gartner - 708
9. Mark Messier - 694
10. Steve Yzerman - 692

Josh Lavallee via Getty Images

Alex Ovechkin scored career goal No. 892 for the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, putting him three away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record of 894.

The goal was a one-time scored at the end of a second period of a lopsided game against the Carolina Hurricanes, narrowing the deficit to 4-1. Jakob Chychrun and Dylan Strome both notched assists on the play.

Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will both be in attendance at Capitals games from here on out to ensure they are present for Ovechkin's record-breaking goal. 

Ovechkin's goal was his 39th of the season, inching him closer to the 14th 40-goal season of his 20-year NHL career. He's currently tied for third in goals scored this season and will likely come up short in his bid for a 10th Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.

The Eastern Conference-leading Capitals have seven games to play in the regular season.

Capitals remaining schedule

Fri: vs. Chicago, 7 p.m. ET
Sun: at Islanders, 12:30 p.m. ET
Thu, Apr 10: vs. Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET
Sat, Apr 12: at Columbus, 7 p.m. ET
Sun, Apr 13: vs. Columbus, 6 p.m. ET
Tue, Apr 15: at Islanders, 8 p.m. ET
Thu, Apr 17: at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET

NHL top 10 in career goals

1. Wayne Gretzky (894)
2. Alex Ovechkin (892)
3. Gordie Howe (801)
4. Jaromir Jagr (766)
5. Brett Hull (741)
6. Marcel Dionne (731)
7. Phil Esposito (717)
8. Mike Gartner (708)
9. Mark Messier (694)
10. Steve Yzerman (692)

Jonathan Kozub via Getty Images

Alex Ovechkin scored career goal No. 891 for the Washington Capitals on XXXX night against the XXXX, putting him four away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record of 894.

Ovechkin notched the goal, the record 322nd power play score of his career, on a rebound from John Carlson that was deflected by Dylan Strome.

Ovechkin's goal was his 38th of the season, inching him closer to the 14th 40-goal season of his 20-year NHL career. He's currently tied for third in goals scored this season and will likely come up short in his bid for a 10th Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.

The Eastern Conference-leading Capitals have eight games to play in the regular season. Now that Ovechkin is in striking distance of Gretzky's record, "The Great One" will soon be accompanying NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to every Capitals game until the record is broken.

Capitals remaining schedule

Wed, Apr 2: at Carolina, 7 p.m. ET
Fri, Apr 4: vs. Chicago, 7 p.m. ET
Sun, Apr 6: at Islanders, 12:30 p.m. ET
Thu, Apr 10: vs. Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET
Sat, Apr 12: at Columbus, 7 p.m. ET
Sun, Apr 13: vs. Columbus, 6 p.m. ET
Tue, Apr 15: at Islanders, 8 p.m. ET
Thu, Apr 17: at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET

NHL top-10 in career goals

1. Wayne Gretzky (894)
2. Alex Ovechkin (891)
3. Gordie Howe (801)
4. Jaromir Jagr (766)
5. Brett Hull (741)
6. Marcel Dionne (731)
7. Phil Esposito (717)
8. Mike Gartner (708)
9. Mark Messier (694)
10. Steve Yzerman (692)

Bill Wippert via Getty Images

Sidney Crosby's first-period goal on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres secured the 20th point-per-game season for the Pittsburgh Penguins captain, breaking a tie with Wayne Gretzky.

The goal also clinched Crosby's 14th 80-point season since entering the NHL during the 2005-06 season, putting him three behind Gretzky for that record.

Among all active NHL players, Crosby is ninth in points with 1,676 and his goal was the 26th of the season and the 618th of his career.

The 37-year-old Crosby is one of 11 players in league history to play with one franchise for at least 20 seasons and his 1,676 points are the fourth-most ever with one team in NHL history.

“I’m running out of words to try to describe Sid’s legacy that he’s built here,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said via NHL.com this week. “What I will say with respect to just his consistency of play, I think it directly correlates with his passion to the game, his drive to be the best and then his willingness to put the work in to do so. I think that combination of those three things is unique.

“I haven’t been around too many guys that have those three characteristics associated with their respective games. When you add his elite talent and just his capability with his work ethic and his willingness to put the time in to hone his craft, so to speak, I think that’s what’s allowed him to sustain the level of play that he’s been able to do for virtually two decades now.”

Following Crosby and Gretzky for most point-per-game NHL seasons is Gordie Howe (17) and a number of players with 15, including Crosby's teammate Evgeni Malkin and Penguins great Mario Lemieux

This story will be updated.