Remembering the 10 biggest controversies from the 2026 playoffs

The NHL playoffs are over, and they were controversial because they always are. But just how controversial did the 2026 postseason get?

After all, every NHL postseason has its share of controversial moments. But some are more memorable than others, and some have a staying power that can last decades or more. Whether it’s missed calls by Leon Stickle or Kerry Fraser, Brett Hull’s goal that counted or Martin Gelenias’ that didn’t, some moments become part of hockey’s permanent lore. Others will fade, maybe lingering within a specific fan base or two but otherwise relegated to “oh yeah, I vaguely remember that” status. And some may be forgotten altogether, having given us all something to yell about for a few days and then disappearing from the collective memory.

This season? It might be too early to tell. So far, the NHL appears to have avoided anything with true skate-in-crease staying power. But you never really know which moments might resonate, and which ones won’t. So today, let’s remember 10 of the biggest controversies of the 2026 playoffs, and how likely they are to be remembered in the future.

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What was history’s best hockey game to be decided by the worst goal?

We’re down to one or two games left in one of the best Stanley Cup finals in recent memory, if not of all time. And it’s possible that no game will be more memorable than Saturday night’s Game 3, which featured a record-breaking hat trick, a penalty shot, two waved-off goals, one of the greatest third-period comebacks in playoff history, and two periods of overtime.

And then… it ended like it did. 

Yeah, that’s not ideal. But it’s also not rare, because a surprising number of legendary hockey games have ended with a goal that was… iffy. Or questionable. Or downright terrible.

Today, we’re going to celebrate some of those great games, and the ugly goals that decided them, as we search for the game that scores highest in both categories.

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Do you know your Cup-winning new guys? Take the "Who Didn't He Play For?" quiz

It’s Mitch Marner’s world right now, and we’re all just living in it. Less than a year after a sign-and-trade sent him to Vegas on the eve of free agency, Marner and the Knights are closing in on a championship, and the ex-Leaf is the runaway leader for the Conn Smythe.

It’s a cool story. But it might not be as unique as you might think. While Marner's version might be extreme, NHL history is filled with stories of star players who arrive on a new team via trade or free agency and win a Cup in their very first year. So since we haven’t had a quiz in a while, let’s see how well you know your Cup-winning newbies.

As always, I’ll give you a player and some teams, and you tell me which one he never played an NHL game for. Once you’ve finished all 16 questions, scroll back up to see your score, and then use the handy chart below to see how you did.

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There are 35 ways an NHL playoff series can go. Here's the best example of each

Three games in, and this year’s Stanley Cup final is on track to achieve all-time classic status. And while we’ve still got what we hope are four games left to go, the action so far has got me thinking about great playoff series through NHL history.

Let’s start with a question: How many different ways are there to win a playoff series?

There are a few ways to answer that question. We could go existential and say the answer is “an infinite number of way”, because of every series is a unique snowflake that forges its own beautiful identity every time a butterfly flaps its wings and/or a ref blows a call. That’s kind of poetic. It’s also going to make this post way too long, so we need a different approach.

Instead, let’s go with a mathematical answer. There are only so many ways that a seven-game series can play out, based on what order the wins and losses come in. The longer the series, the more combinations we can get. But with two results possible per game, we eventually run into a limit.

So how many combinations are there? It turns out that the magic number is 35. That list starts with a four-game sweep, which can obviously only happen one way – with the winning team winning each game. Call that a WWWW series. There are four more combinations for a five-game series, ranging from LWWWW to WWWLW. The possibilities grow to ten for a six-game series, and then 19 once we go the full seven. Add it all up, and you have 35 different combinations of W’s and L’s that can describe a seven-game series.

(How long did it take me to figure all that out? Way too long, thanks for asking. I have a headache and I think my wife and kids moved out at some point over the weekend. Never let it be said that I don’t make sacrifices for my readers.)

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The road to the Stanley Cup Final: Ranking the 14 series that got us here

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has all the makings of a classic. The teams are tied, both games have been fantastic, and it still feels like there are a ton of twists and turns left to come.

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has been a mixed bag. Game 1 was excellent, Game 2 had its moments, and we avoided the road team stealing both games to set up a short series. There should still be some twists and turns left to come.

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has been a mixed bag. Game 1 was excellent, and Game 2 had its moments, but with Vegas heading home up 2-0, we may be in for a disappointingly short series unless the Hurricanes can get up off the mat.

That’s where we’re headed. But let’s not forget how we got here.

Yes, it’s time for our annual ranking of the 14 series that paved the way. This is an admittedly subjective exercise, but it's based on some general criteria I’m guessing most fans can agree on. A longer series is better than a short one. Closer games are better than blowouts, and overtime is best of all. Some bad blood, controversy or other memorable moments will always help. And expectations matter, sometimes a lot.

Overall, I’d say this year’s postseason has been good but not great. I’m not sure we’ve seen the sort of classic series we’ll be talking about a decade from now, although a few matchups have come close. Let’s remember some series, working our way down from worst to best while hoping that the Hurricanes and Golden Knights can bump everyone down a spot with a final for the ages.

>> Read the full post at The Athletic