LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE OLD GUARD

In an issue where we celebrate the next generation of NHL stars, let’s tip our caps to the greybeard greats who are still getting it done in a big way

BY JARED CLINTON

THE WAY THINGS ARE going, the days of the worn-and-weathered NHL veteran are starting to look numbered. Though it has never been easy for those in the league’s greybeard community to keep up with those darn kids, there was a time early in the post-lockout era where salary-cap considerations actually worked in the old guard’s favor. In the first four seasons following the lost 2004-05 campaign, the NHL averaged nearly 68 players who were 35 or older by February, including an all-time high of 72 such veterans during 2007-08. In fact, the six seasons with the most 35-plus players in league history occurred immediately after the lockout. But times are getting tougher for the league’s senior cohort. In 2023-24, those in the 35-plus category totalled just 39, and the past four years…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, Rookie Issue 2024

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