Best moments of season through quarter mark shared by NHL.com writers

The NHL reached the quarter point of the 2024-25 regular-season during the 15-game slate Saturday.

It has been a wild ride through the first seven weeks of the season, filled with highlights, disappointments and unforgettable moments.

We asked a panel of NHL.com staffers for their favorite moment from the first quarter of the season.
Here, in chronological order, are some of the most memorable moments since the season started.

Jessica Campbell's historic day

As the Seattle Kraken staff was introduced in their regular-season opener against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 8, the camera panned to assistant coach Jessica Campbell, whose face and name announcement drew a massive cheer from the crowd. Campbell, who made history as the first woman to be a full-time assistant in the NHL, gave a little smile as the camera moved to coach Dan Bylsma. It was a monumental moment for women in this sport as well as the sport itself. Campbell has earned the opportunity to be part of Seattle's staff with Bylsma, who had Campbell as his assistant for the past two seasons at Coachella Valley, the Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate. I consider myself fortunate to be there to watch Campbell's debut, to see that reaction and revel in a little history. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Utah makes a splash

The NHL established a new franchise in Utah in April. Less than six months later, the Utah Hockey Club played its inaugural game on Oct. 8, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 at Delta Center. So much happened in so little time, and now here were the players -- many from the Arizona Coyotes, who became an inactive franchise due to arena issues -- walking down a blue carpet through a raucous crowd to put on new uniforms in a new locker room. Lauri Markkanen of the NBA's Utah Jazz skated out to deliver the puck to Ryan and Ashley Smith, the owners of both teams, for the ceremonial face-off. The fans roared when forward Dylan Guenther scored the first goal in Utah Hockey Club history at 4:56 of the first period. "This is history," captain Clayton Keller said. "It's only going to happen once, so you just try to soak it all in. … It was super cool and something I'll remember forever." – Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Gaudreau tribute in Columbus

It was no ordinary face-off to begin a hockey game, but it couldn't have been a more appropriate way to honor one of the NHL's most beloved stars -- Johnny Gaudreau. Of the many memorable tributes to begin the NHL season for Gaudreau, this one tugged at the heartstrings for me. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed Aug. 29 when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver who was charged with two counts of death by auto, while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey. Johnny Gaudreau, who played 11 NHL seasons, including two with the Columbus Blue Jackets, was 31 years old. When Columbus and the Florida Panthers lined up for the opening face-off on Oct. 15 at Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets were without a left wing, the spot usually reserved for Gaudreau. Referee Trevor Hanson dropped the puck and Columbus center Sean Monahan, who played with Gaudreau on the Calgary Flames (2014-22), slapped the puck to his left where his longtime friend should have been standing. Panthers right wing Sam Bennett settled the puck in Gaudreau's empty spot as 13 seconds elapsed off the clock -- Gaudreau wore No. 13 on his jersey. A wave of emotion fell upon the sellout crowd of 18,484, before they all rose and began chanting, "JOHN-NY HOCK-EY!" -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

Joseph brothers combine on a goal

It's the best brother act of the season thus far. Mathieu Joseph combined with younger sibling Pierre-Olivier Joseph on a goal for the St. Louis Blues in the second period of a 4-3 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 19. Pierre-Olivier, a defenseman, received the puck up top and passed it to Blues captain Brayden Schenn in front of the net, who then passed it to Mathieu, a forward. He took the puck and spun around for a wrist shot in front of the net and tied the game 1-1. The brotherly connection brought their elated parents to their feet at Enterprise Center. It was a far cry from when mom and dad sat stunned with their hands in the air after Mathieu, then with the Ottawa Senators, and Pierre-Olivier, then with the Pittsburgh Penguins, were whistled for high-sticking each other during Pittsburgh's 4-1 win at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 20, 2023. -- William Douglas, staff writer

Stamkos returns to Tampa

Steven Stamkos spent 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the face of the franchise from the time he was the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft until he left in July as a free agent, signing a four-year, $32 million contract with the Nashville Predators. Stamkos won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning twice and holds countless team records. On the night of Oct. 28, he made his much-anticipated return. During the first stoppage in play, the crowd rose to its feet as No. 91 -- a number that will soon hang from the rafters at Amalie Arena -- was projected on the ice and a montage of highlights played on the Jumbotron. Stamkos sat on the bench and watched stoically. His former teammates on the other bench watched appreciatively. When it was finished, Stamkos hopped over the boards and did a quick celebratory lap, stick raised in the air as the crowd bellowed. Then it was back to hockey. Stamkos had two assists but the Predators lost 3-2 in overtime -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Flower bids adieu to Pittsburgh

It's not often that guys from the home team stick around to watch an opposing player skate around the ice after being named the first star of the game, let alone the crowd. Yet there were Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and teammate Kris Letang, leaning on the boards and doing exactly that after a 5-3 defeat against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 29. The reason? This was goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's final game in Pittsburgh, where he'd helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017), and he said goodbye in the perfect way, stopping 26 shots to claim first-star honors. With his wife and kids in attendance, the 39-year-old exchanged hugs with Crosby and Letang before doing a final victory lap around PPG Paints Arena accompanied by a standing ovation. Fleury, who is expected to retire at the end of the season, couldn't help himself and broke down in tears in the locker room after the game. It's a safe bet he wasn't the only one in the building who did that on this special night. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Barkov lives dream in perfect homecoming

On Nov. 1, after a 6-4 win against the Dallas Stars in the first of two games in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland presented by Fastenal, Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov said, "This game obviously is an NHL regular-season game, but for me it's not just a regular-season game." Barkov, the Panthers captain, is from Tampere, where the Global Series was played. He grew up 10-15 minutes from Nokia Arena, where the games were played. He lives there in the offseason, about a 25-minute drive from the arena. He grew up playing in the Tappara program and watched his father, Alexander Barkov Sr., play for Tappara's pro team in Tampere. He played for them too. So, you can imagine that it was indeed a dream come true for Barkov to bring his NHL team, the defending Stanley Cup champions, into his town to play in front of his family and his friends. It was already going to be memorable for him before the puck dropped. Barkov made it special with how he performed. He had a goal and three assists in the 6-4 win and followed it with an assist in Florida's 4-2 win the next day. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Roenick's Hall of Fame dance

Jeremy Roenick was the star of the show during Hockey Hall of Fame weekend in Toronto; he made sure of it. While Roenick was one of seven members of the 2024 Hall Class, he was front and center most of the weekend, especially during the Hyundai Legends Classic on Nov. 10. Sure, he had three goals in the game, but the most memorable moment came in the second half of the game when, during a timeout, the 54-year-old forward grabbed a microphone, stood at center ice and asked the fans to dance along with him. As Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance" played on the speakers, he showed off another set of moves. What followed was Roenick dancing all over the ice, replicating something he first broke out during a preseason game in Las Vegas in 2005. It thrilled the crowd and set the tone for what was a memorable speech the next night. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Ovechkin's hat trick in Vegas

Alex Ovechkin already enjoyed his best moment at T-Mobile Arena when he helped the Washington Capitals win their first championship there with their Game 5 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. Oddly, the Capitals had never won a regular-season game at Vegas (0-5-1) before Ovechkin led them to a 5-2 victory there by scoring a goal in each period on Nov. 17. It was the 31st hat trick of the 39-year-old's career and first since Dec. 31, 2022, against the Montreal Canadiens, continuing his climb toward Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 goals. Ovechkin scored two more goals the next night in a 6-2 win against the Utah Hockey Club to increase his NHL-leading season total to 15 goals and career total to 868, moving him within 27 goals of passing Gretzky. Unfortunately, Ovechkin's record chase was put on hold while it was red hot because of a broken leg he sustained in a collision with Utah's Jack McBain in the third period, sidelining him 4-6 weeks. -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

McDavid's latest historic night

Connor McDavid brought the energy back to Rogers Place this season with his quest to reach 1,000 points. Much like the Edmonton Oilers, it took time for fans to get worked up for the new season, still processing the disappointment of losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers last season. Yet, McDavid, looking to become the fourth-fastest player to reach the milestone, gave fans a reason to get excited again. McDavid had 999 points going into his 659th game when the Oilers hosted the Nashville Predators on Nov. 14, and there was an air of excitement in the building as fans anticipated history was about to be made. McDavid gave everyone what they were hoping to see, scoring 2:44 into the second period, burying a one-timer off a pass from Leon Draisaitl on a 2-on-1 rush. It was a fitting way for McDavid to get to 1,000 points, Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse providing the assists, with each among the longest-tenured players on the team. Once the goal was scored, the crowd erupted, and the Oilers came off the bench to celebrate with their captain. It was a special moment for McDavid, the fans and the Oilers. Edmonton went on to win the game 3-2 in overtime with McDavid setting up Nurse for the winning goal. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer