In compiling our Alternative Hockey Awards for 2013, we amassed an elephantine list of odd, weird, wonderful, deplorable and generally awesome stories from around the puck world.
Then we realized we had only reached the end of February in our research …
Yes, it was a wack-tastic year in hockey. Crazy coaches. Angry birds. The Harlem Shake. Chewbacca playing for the San Jose Sharks. But it also had some really interesting and heartfelt moments worth remembering too.
Here is our annual look back at the other stuff that happened in the last 12 months, beyond the traditional NHL year in review content you’ll find this time of year. We begin with the best team in hockey …
Team Of The Year
What if we told you that a hockey team cruised through 2013 without losing a game until Nov. 17, in the course of winning 62 consecutive games? What if we told you that this team didn’t disappoint in the postseason either, sweeping its way to a championship? What if we told you this team had a legitimate star player who expects to shine in Sochi?
Sounds pretty impressive, right? And yet because the Minnesota Golden Gophers are a women’s hockey team, it’s entirely possible the majority of puckheads were unaware of their exploits in 2013: The 62-game streak, stopped on Nov. 17 by North Dakota; the women’s Frozen Four win over Boston University, the fourth title in team history; the emergence of Amanda Kessel as an American hockey star; and becoming the first women’s team in NCAA hockey history to complete a perfect season (41-0-0).
They’re one of the most successful teams in the history of women’s hockey, and unquestionably the team of the year for 2013.
Coach Of The Year
Chris Clark of the Wenatchee Wild didn’t appreciate the officiating in his team’s NAHL game against the Kenai River Brown Bears. So he did what any calm, rational person would do to protest their performance, which was to grab a hockey stick, put on sunglasses and pretend to be a blind man on the ice.
In a shocking turn of events, he was ejected.
Owner Of The Year
Christopher Knight, who purchased the Belfast Giants, was revealed to “have engaged in sexual activity with a person aged between 12 and 15 [in 2003], and he remains on the sex offenders register” in Florida, and then saw the Giants abandon their own franchise to distance themselves from him.
Potential Terrorist Sleeper Agent And/Or Bird Of The Year
The Bakersfield Condor, who flew away during the national anthem and caused all sorts of mayhem before fleeing down the tunnel. DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, PEOPLE.
Best Moment Of Self-Deprecation And/Or Foreshadowing For The Season