NHL First Half Recap

Mid season has arrived for the National Hockey League. Now that the All-Star break has come to an end, teams are getting ready to return to hockey after a much needed rest. The first half of the season, though, was a lot of fun to watch. I mean look at what's happened around the league so far this year. We have 43 year old Jaromir Jagr being very productive for the Panthers, Florida and Chicago each had 12 game winning streaks. Montreal has hit a tailspin. Patrick Kane was hotter than a wild fire for a two month stretch. Teams are showing up out of nowhere to become contenders and some players have had seasons, at least to this point that have been below par. Streaks, records being set and a whole lot more has gone down in the first half of the year. So let's now take a brief look back at some of what has already gone down in the National Hockey League this season.

Here's what the standings look like right now as we hit the break:
ATLANTIC
1. FLORIDA 29-15-5 63pts
2. TAMPA BAY 27-18-4 58pts
3. DETROIT 25-16-8 58pts
4. BOSTON 26-18-5 57pts
5. MONTRÉAL 24-22-4 52pts
6.OTTAWA 23-21-6 52pts
7. BUFFALO 20-26-4 44pts
8. TORONTO 17-22-9 43pts

METROPOLITAN
1. WASHINGTON 35-8-4 74pts
2. NY RANGERS 27-17-5 59pts
3. NY ISLANDERS 25-16-6 56pts
4. PITTSBURGH 24-17-7 55pts
5. NEW JERSEY 25-20-5 55pts
6. CAROLINA 23-20-8 54pts
7. PHILADELPHIA 21-18-8 50pts
8. COLUMBUS 19-27-5 43pts

CENTRAL
1. CHICAGO 33-16-4 70pts
2. DALLAS 31-14-5 67pts
3. ST. LOUIS 28-16-8 64pts
4. COLORADO 27-22-3 57pts
5. NASHVILLE 24-18-8 56pts
6. MINNESOTA 23-17-9 55pts
7. WINNIPEG 22-24-3 47pts

PACIFIC
1. LOS ANGELES 30-16-3 63pts
2. SAN JOSE 26-18-4 56pts
3. ARIZONA 24-20-5 53pts
4. ANAHEIM 22-18-7 51pts
5. VANCOUVER 20-19-11 51pts
6. CALGARY 21-24-3 45pts
7. EDMONTON 19-26-5 43pts

We've had a few record setting numbers put up in the first half. First off there's Patrick Kane and his 26 game point streak, something we haven't seen since Sidney Crosby's 25 game point streak in 2010. Then you have both the Florida Panthers (Dec. 15-Jan 10) and the Chicago Blackhawks (Dec 29-Jan 19) each had 12 game winning streaks. Jaromir Jagr, who is going to be 44 years old in a couple of weeks, is 2nd on the Florida Panthers in scoring with 33 points, on behind team leader Jonathan Huberdeau. Jagr is 43 years old. Panthers teammate Aleksander Barkov had not even been born when Jagr won his first scoring title, while Aaron Ekblad was born on the night when Jagr scored his 200th goal. So the fact that Jagr is still producing big-time numbers, 15 goals and 33 points in 46 games, is sort of difficult to comprehend. He has been a key part in the Panthers’ climb to the top of the Atlantic Division. We only hope that he has saved more in the tank, because we not only want to see Florida make a long playoff push, but also for Jagr to keep playing for another two, maybe three, years (Sun Sports).

We've seen a new record set in the first half. Alexander Ovechkin has now scored more goals than any other Russian born hockey player. On November 19,  Ovechkin scored in a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, the goal broke Fedorov's record. On January 10, 2016, Ovechkin scored his 500th and 501st goals in a 7-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators, becoming the 43rd player to reach the 500-goal plateau, and the fifth-fastest player to do so.

We have more good going around the league right now. The NHL hasn't had somebody score more than 115 points in a year since 2007 when Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins finished with 120 points in his second season. It's been almost a decade, but the way things are going, Patrick Kane could be the one to do it. Right now he's projected to pass that 115-point finish. He's already tied his career high in goals with 30 (which he first set in 2009-10) and he has 73 points. Both of those numbers just so happen to lead the NHL right now! Then you have to mention some of the young guns in this league this year. It sucks that Conor McDavid has been hurt most of the year, denying fans a chance to see a real special talent. But we have had some studs this year: Jack Eichel of Buffalo, Dylan Larkin of Detroit, Artemi Panarin of Chicago, Max Domi and Anthony Duclair of Arizona are just some of the rookies who have been lighting it up this year.

But wait there's more. You're also going to have a few duds this year too. Phil Kessel was supposed to take the Pens to another level. Well, its been 48 games in the Steel City and he's got 15 goals, a number that's a little low for a guy of his talent level. Same thing for Sid the Kid. Sure he has 43 points (2nd on the Pens to the 47 of Evgeni Malkin) but for a guy of his talent level, he should have had at least 60 points by now. Sticking with the idea of total duds this year, how about Ryan Getzlaf. Three goals to this point on the year. THREE. That MIGHT possibly explain why the Ducks are sitting on the outside looking in at the playoffs right now. You also have to remember this was a team that was the best team in the Western Conference just last year.

Finally, there have been a few other notable milestones hit during the regular season. We already talked about Ovechkin hitting the 500 goal mark. On November 21, Patrick Marleau of the Sharks scored his 1,000th career point, becoming the 83rd player in league history to reach this milestone. Then, on November 27, Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett won his 500th game, becoming the 22nd coach in league history to reach this milestone. Once the calender changed over, a pretty exclusive club had a new member. On January 4, Jarome Iginla of Colorado scored his 600th NHL goal, becoming the 19th player in league history to reach this milestone. Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville hit rarefied air on January 14th. That's the night Coach Q won his 783rd game, surpassing Al Arbour to become the second winningest coach in league history. On January 21, Daniel Sedin of Vancouver scored his 347th NHL goal, surpassing Markus Naslund for most goals in franchise history. Finally, on January 26, Joe Thornton of the Sharks scored his 1,300th career point, becoming the 33rd player in league history to reach this milestone.

That's pretty much the long and the short of what's been an entertaining first half of the NHL season. If that's been any indication, we are in for one hell of a finish to the regular season!