Top 5 NHL stories of 2012

5. Crosby, Crosby, Crosby — Love him or hate him, whether he's playing or not, Sidney Crosby continues to be one of the NHL's top stories. He made his second comeback from concussion and neck problems in March, and though he had played only eight games in more than 14 months, he put up 25 points in 14 contests. Still, Crosby finally seems healthy and ready to return to form, and the Pens seem poised to contend for the Cup again — if only the NHL were playing. Crosby, the face of the game, usually allergic to controversy, tried to broker a deal along with agent Pat Brisson and Penguins owners Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux. When that failed, he sounded as frustrated as any hockey fan: "It just doesn't make any sense," he told reporters. "Why can't they get in the room and keep talking?" Question of the year.

4. Nicklas Lidstrom retires — The Perfect Human retired perfectly. There was no doubt that Nicklas Lidstrom could still outperform the vast majority of defensemen in the NHL, especially because of his ultra-efficient style, brains over brawn. But the captain of the Detroit Red Wings had set his own standard, and that was a straight line of excellence from 1991-92 to 2011-12: seven Norris Trophies, four Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, incredible statistics. He never missed the playoffs, and at 42, he would not risk staying too long. To him, saying he had "only diminished some" meant he had diminished too much already. He wouldn't have to wait out another lockout, either. A shame: The 2004-05 cancellation might have cost him another Norris — it came in the middle of his run of six in seven seasons — and eight would have tied him with Bobby Orr.

2. Kings' Cup — Not only did the Los Angeles Kings win their first Stanley Cup in 45 years, they did it after starting poorly, firing coach Terry Murray, pulling Darryl Sutter off the farm, acquiring sniper Jeff Carter, ranking second-to-last in the league in scoring, grabbing the final playoff spot in the West, all before going on one of the greatest runs in playoff history. Led by Jonathan Quick, Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty, they won their first 10 road games — setting the playoff record for a road winning streak, tying the playoff record for total road victories — and won 15 of their first 17 overall, finishing a stunning 16-4. No eighth seed had ever won the Cup. No seed lower than a fifth had ever won the Cup. Crown the Kings, a team for the unpredictable age of parity.

1. Lockout III — No hockey fan needs a Don Fehr history lesson. Everyone knows. Led by commissioner Gary Bettman, the owners locked out the players for almost half a season in 1994-95, but failed to lock down the details. Then they locked out the players for a full season in 2004-05 and got a salary cap, but failed to lock down the details again. Now they have locked out the players once more — for almost half a season, so far — and are determined to lock down the details this time. But in trying to idiot-proof their system, they look like idiots.