SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Sidney Crosby was nowhere to be seen near a podium inside the Civic Auditorium for Thursday night's NHL All-Star Media Day. That's more than Alex Ovechkin can say. He wasn't even in Northern California.
And you know what? It was all good.
For the past 14 seasons, Sid and Ovi have been more than just personal rivals. They've been the faces of the NHL, guiding it out of the dark days of the 2004-05 lockout and raising the profile of the league to heights previously unimagined.
But at the ages of 31 and 33, the torch is -- slowly, but surely -- being passed to a new generation of stars like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Elias Pettersson, Sebastian Aho, Mathew Barzal, Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Seth Jones and, well, you get the point.
The new NHL is in good hands, or feet, as Johnny Hockey, the NHL's third-leading scorer, was explaining to me:
All the aforementioned were on hand for Media Day and will take part in Saturday's All-Star Game, a three-on-three tournament, as will Crosby. But these young guys -- all 25 and under -- are fast, they are skilled and they making an impact at increasingly younger ages. As the league moves away from physical play and fighting altogether -- the latter at its lowest level since the 1967 expansion -- the NHL has come to be defined by offense, and all the players here can certainly bring that.
"It's getting younger and younger," Jones, the Blue Jackets defenseman, was saying. "It's great that the younger guys are getting recognized and coaches are putting these guys in positions; first line center, second-line center, important positions and in important parts of the games. A lot of the guys are succeeding. Younger guys are becoming bigger and bigger pieces for their team."
Due to the salary cap, implemented in 2005-06, teams have had to rely on younger options to supplement their rosters and younger usually means faster and more offense. But there's more to it than just that, Devils forward Kyle Palmieri says. He points to the growth of the game in non-traditional areas like here in San Jose and in Arizona, which produced Matthews, the Maple Leafs' 21-year-old phenom.
"It's crazy," said Palmieri, who also passed along that his 20-year-old teammate Nico Hischier just passed his New Jersey state driver's license test.
"I think it's just the way the game is kind of trending," said Matthews, who will captain the Atlantic Division team. "Obviously, a lot younger now. Faster, more speed, more skill. You see younger guys come in and make an impact immediately. Which I guess wasn't the case in years past, but it's changing now. It's pretty fun to see, fun to be part of."
Through 770 games this season, teams are averaging 3.08 goals per game, according to Hockey-Reference.com. That's the first time that it's been above 3.00 since 2005-06, the first season following the lockout. There have been 64 games already this season with 10-plus combined goals. That's the most at the All-Star break since 1995-96.
Forty-one players are averaging at least a point per game, 19 of them are 25 or younger (46.3 percent). Of the league's top 10 point producers so far this season, only one -- Patrick Kane -- is above the age of 25.
"These guys are really good players and what they do on the ice, I don't think age matters," Pettersson, the Canucks' 20-year-old Calder Trophy favorite was telling me.
"Young guys are ready to play in the league at a young age now," Aho, the Hurricanes' star was telling me. "Everyone seems to be ready for when they first get here. It's impressive."
The Jets' captain, 32-year-old right winger Blake Wheeler, has been in the league for a decade and says the real winner in this development toward younger, faster players has been the game itself and fans:
"I think it's in a great place," he was saying. "The level of talent throughout lineups is higher than it's ever been. Guys are skating faster than they ever did and I think it makes it a very exciting product for fans."
____________________
Want our latest content at your fingertips? Download the FREE app today:
