Top 15 NHL stories of 2014

15. Teams buy into advanced stats: The summer was filled with stories of teams hiring “Moneypuck” whizzes to get an edge. Key was the Maple Leafs naming Kyle Dubas, 28, as assistant GM. Some of the hires had run popular websites, and advanced stats aficionados were left scrambling for alternatives.

12 (tie). Red Wings continue playoff streak: With Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg missing time after the Olympics, Detroit’s 22-season playoff streak appeared in jeopardy. But youngsters such as Gustav Nyquist, left, and Tomas Tatar, right, stepped up to make it 23. Points: 44

12 (tie). Martin St. Louis is traded: The Tampa Bay Lightning star was unhappy his general manager, Steve Yzerman, originally passed him over for Team Canada. He demanded a trade — only to the Rangers — and then led New York to the Final.

12 (tie). Connor McDavid awaits lottery winner: The NHL changed its lottery weighting to make sure no one tanked to be able to draft the generational talent. McDavid matched the hype with 51 points in 18 Ontario Hockey League games before he broke his hand during a fight.

11. Chicago Blackhawks stars land major deals: The Blackhawks got Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane locked up in July with matching eight-year, $84 million contracts. The record $10.5 million cap hit could cause problems next season, when the deals kick in.

10. Teemu Selanne and Daniel Alfredsson retire: We all knew that Selanne was retiring after last season. Alfredsson wanted to stick around, but a bad back forced him to hang up his skates, too. He signed a one-day deal to retire a member of the Ottawa Senators, where he played all but one of his 18 seasons. Sweden’s Alfredsson and Finland’s Selanne won medals in Sochi.

9. Gordie Howe’s illness: Mr. Hockey, battling dementia, suffered a major stroke Oct. 26. After the Hall of Famer had another scare in December, he made a major turnaround after he received stem-cell injections.

8. Outdoor game in Ann Arbor, Mich.: A steady snow and a record 105,491 fans got the calendar year started out on a great foot. The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout.

7. T.J. Oshie becomes household name in Sochi shootout: The St. Louis Blues knew Oshie was great in shootouts. So did the NHL and USA Hockey. But when Oshie single-handedly beat Russia in a shootout in the Olympics, all of America seemed to sing his praises.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins clean house: After blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Rangers, the Penguins fired general manager Ray Shero and later coach Dan Bylsma. Jim Rutherford, left, and GM Mike Johnston, left, run the show now.

5. Slava Voynov suspended for domestic abuse: Learning a lesson from criticism of the NFL’s handling of domestic-abuse cases, the NHL suspended the Kings defenseman immediately after he was arrested on suspicion of hitting his wife. He is being paid during his indefinite suspension, which created cap problems for the Kings until the league gave the team a break.

4. Jean Beliveau’s death: The beloved Hall of Famer died Dec. 2 and received a state funeral in Montreal, where he had won 10 Stanley Cups as a player. The Montreal Canadiens left his Bell Centre seat empty, ending their 383-game sellout streak.

3. Mumps outbreak: There were 21 confirmed cases by Dec. 27, spread over five teams. Sidney Crosby, right, was the 13th, followed by Beau Bennett, left. NHL players used to play through illness. Now players are being isolated immediately and teams are offering booster shots to try to stem the tide.

2. Los Angeles Kings win Stanley Cup again: The Kings rolled through the playoffs in 2012. Their 2014 path was tougher, starting with overcoming a 3-0 series deficit against the San Jose Sharks. They needed three Game 7s to reach the Final and then pushed out the New York Rangers in five games to become the second NHL team to win two Stanley Cups in the salary cap era.

1. Canada wins gold again: Canada had won gold in North America-based Olympics in 2002 and 2010 but struggled in Games overseas. Not so this time. Canada won all six games in Sochi and, after a quarterfinal scare against Latvia, it blanked the USA and Sweden in the medal round. Points: 163.

16 (tie). Canucks coach John Tortorella is suspended for entering the Calgary Flames hallway to try to confront coach Bob Hartley about putting out together a Fame line. Points: 35.

16 (tie). Brendan Shanahan, left, leaves as NHL disciplinarian to become Toronto Maple Leafs president, one of the few jobs that comes with as much scrutiny.

18. The Stadium Series takes NHL outdoor hockey to 62-degree Dodger Stadium (pictured), frigid Yankee Stadium and snowy Soldier Field. Points: 34.

19. A March Columbus-Dallas game is stopped when Stars forward Rich Peverley collapses on the bench and is revived by a defibrillator. He had surgery to correct an abnormal heartbeat and has yet to return. Points: 31.

20. Montreal gets under Milan Lucic's skin. He allegedly threatens two Canadiens in the handshake line after a playoff loss, then is fined in October for making an obscene gesture toward Canadiens fans.

21. The Montreal Canadiens and P.K. Subban go through arbitration, but he and the team agree to an eight-year, $72 million contract before a ruling was made. Points: 16.

22. Martin St. Louis' mother dies during the second round, but his family wants him to continue playing. St. Louis scores on Mother's Day to help the New York Rangers overcome a 3-1 series deficit and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins.

23. Barry Trotz, the lone coach in Nashville Predators history, is fired after a second consecutive missed playoff berth. He lands in Washington and new Predators coach Peter Laviolette had the team soaring early. Points: 7.