The Knights have played 97 games and compiled a 63-27-7 record, finishing first in their division and now winning their conference. The St. Louis Blues made the Stanley Cup final as an expansion team in 1968, but to get there only had to beat fellow first-year clubs Philadelphia and Minnesota. No sport has ever really tried to measure the impact of an expansion team in its first year — if that team was immediately able to be among the best. They put down season-tickets deposits, bought merchandise and were treated to one of the two best teams in the NHL this season. It’s a wonderful tale, the hockey story of the year, but also one that detracts from many of the traditional beliefs of the sport.

Source: thestar May 22, 2018 01:18 UTC