Must-see moments from opening night of the NHL’s 2020-21 season

January 14, 2021, 12:58 AM

Hockey is back and it feels so good.

Fans had five games to enjoy on the opening night of the 2020-21 season, including two all-Canadian matchups in the new North Division.

Although this season doesn’t look the same as previous ones with only 56-games, four re-aligned divisions and the new COVID-19 protocols as the league deals with the ongoing pandemic, the excitement for hockey remains the same.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers kicked things off as the first game of the season, with the Flyers coming up with the “W” in a 6-3 victory.

We were also treated to our first overtime of the season, with Morgan Rielly sealing the win for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first battle against the Montreal Canadiens.

Before the second all-Canadian matchup of the night began, the Edmonton Oilers paid tribute to their long-time dressing room attendant, Joey Moss. The team wore Moss’s name on the back of their sweaters during warm-up and the club honoured Moss and the late John Muckler ahead of puck drop.

Opening night also provided us with a few firsts. For example, Vancouver Canucks rookie Nils Hoglander scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game on Wednesday.

Plus, with no fans in the building due to COVID-19 protocols, it was the perfect time for a quick game of solitaire during intermission at the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues game.

With any season, there’s new faces in new places sporting new team threads — and that was no different on this opening night. Who else is still getting used to seeing Joe Thornton in a Leafs jersey?

We also saw new two new goalie masks in action. Carey Price‘s mask turns the star goaltender into a part man, part machine, while Braden Holtby‘s mask is a collaboration between Coast Salish artist, Luke Marston, and mask artist David Gunnarsson.

Of course, nothing says “hockey’s back” more than some excellent highlights. Check out a few memorable clips from the first games of this season:

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