NHL Highlights of the Year
NHL Highlights of the Year
Swish Clips NHL Highlights: Ice Breaking, Goals Shaking, Clips Worth Rewinding
When hoops hit the streets, it’s crossovers, ankle breakers, and stepbacks. On ice? It’s dangles, one-timers, and body checks that echo like a bass drop. This week in the NHL, the rink turned into a highlight factory—and Swish Clips is here to chop it down, clip by clip, moment by moment.
The Stanley Cup found a home again. Rookies made it look like the league was their playground. Legends carved their names deeper into history. And one outdoor game turned into a Hollywood set-piece under the stars. Hockey wasn’t just hockey this week—it was a mixtape of swagger, grit, and clips you’ll want on loop.
🏆 Panthers Double Up — Back-to-Back Champions
Florida wasn’t playing around. The Panthers stomped through the Stanley Cup Final again, taking out the Edmonton Oilers in six games. Last year’s chip wasn’t a fluke—this was a dynasty announcement.
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Sam Bennett turned into a highlight machine. Every shift, every snipe, he had the crowd on rewind. Conn Smythe MVP? That’s not just stats—that’s respect. He played like every game was a mixtape drop.
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Matthew Tkachuk iced the series in Game 6, and it wasn’t just a goal. It was a closer’s track, the kind of song that leaves no room for an encore. Oilers fans could only watch, stunned, as the Cup stayed in Florida.
What made this run wild wasn’t just talent. It was identity. The Panthers played with grit, with swagger, like a team that knew the rink was theirs. Every hit carried weight, every goal carried momentum.
Swish Clip moment: Bennett’s Game 4 rush—bar down, goalie frozen. Crowd on fire. Replay it ten times, and it still feels new.
🎥 Rookie Sauce — Hutson and Makar Turning Heads
Every new season, rookies show up trying to prove they belong. But some don’t just belong—they own the spotlight.
Lane Hutson:
The Canadiens’ rookie was pure sauce. Fifty assists in his first campaign. Vision like a point guard, passing lanes nobody else could see. Watching Hutson dish a no-look dime was like catching Jason Williams in his prime—creativity dripping off every play. Montreal fans? They’re buzzing, because this kid is their future.
Cale Makar:
Not a rookie, but still breaking the highlight meter. Ninety-two points as a defenseman. Thirty goals. His skating? Smooth like a crossover into a stepback. His shot? Lethal from anywhere. Makar isn’t just playing hockey—he’s inventing angles.
Swish Clip moment: Hutson’s tape-to-tape laser dime through traffic in Montreal. Defender lost, goalie stunned, crowd erupting. That’s a highlight you show casual fans to make them fall in love with the game.
💰 Off-Ice Drama — McDavid, Hughes, and the Money Talks
The ice is where legends are made, but off the ice? The storylines can hit just as hard.
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Connor McDavid hasn’t re-upped his deal yet. Best player in the world. The face of hockey. Skating without that new contract inked. Oilers fans are sweating, imagining life without him. Other teams? They’re daydreaming.
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Luke Hughes is negotiating in Jersey. The Devils know he’s their foundation, their next superstar. But the bag? It’s about to get heavy.
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Anaheim Ducks? They’re tired of rebuilding. Lukas Dostal is their guy in net, and management is pushing chips into the middle. No more waiting. No more watching playoffs from the couch.
Swish Clip moment: McDavid dangling through defenders while contract talks swirl in the background—that’s like hooping at Rucker Park with no guarantee you’ll even get on the bus home. Risky. Wild. Legendary.
🌌 Outdoor Madness — Stadium Series Showstopper
Columbus vs. Detroit gave us more than a hockey game. It was a vibe. At Ohio Stadium, under open skies, with lights blazing and fans losing their voices, the NHL turned into a festival.
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Elvis Merzlikins? Brick wall. Forty-three saves. Every stop louder than the last.
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Adam Fantilli’s OT winner was the crown jewel. Big stage, big goal. You don’t forget moments like that.
There’s something about outdoor games. The air feels heavier, the noise sharper, the moments bigger. It’s hockey meeting streetball—raw, open, unfiltered.
Swish Clip moment: Fantilli’s OT rocket. Arms raised, crowd erupting, skyline glowing. That’s a clip that deserves slow-motion, cinematic cuts, and a beat drop.
🔥 Legends Keep Cooking — Ovi and Sid
Some highlights don’t fade—they get brighter with time.
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Sidney Crosby crossed 1,600 career points. That’s consistency, discipline, and ice vision that’s lasted nearly two decades. Still elite. Still nasty.
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Alex Ovechkin did what felt impossible—passing Gretzky for all-time goals. The chase is over. The crown is his. Ovi isn’t just a scorer—he’s a movement.
These aren’t just milestones. They’re moments the sport will be replaying for decades. Kids will YouTube these clips in 20 years and still feel the chills.
Swish Clip moment: Ovi’s record-breaker. Teammates rushing him. Fans screaming. Gretzky smiling in the stands. That’s not a play—it’s a generational torch being passed.
⚡ Breakout Stars & Hidden Gems
Highlights aren’t just about the headliners. Sometimes it’s the grinders, the young guns, the players who put in work under the radar.
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Jason Robertson in Dallas dropping casual hat tricks like it’s nothing.
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David Pastrnak ripping shots for Boston with pure swagger.
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Igor Shesterkin standing tall for the Rangers, glove saves that felt like theft.
These dudes didn’t just play—they took over clips that had no business being theirs.
🎬 Top Swish Clips of the Week
Rank | Clip | Why It Belongs |
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1 | Bennett’s Conn Smythe run | Ice cold, all business |
2 | Tkachuk’s Cup-clinching goal | Championship DNA |
3 | Hutson’s no-look assist | Rookie sauce, mixtape vibes |
4 | Makar’s edge control | Handles on ice |
5 | Fantilli’s OT stadium snipe | Big stage, big shot |
6 | Ovi’s goal record breaker | Legacy locked |
7 | Crosby hitting 1,600 points | Still elite, still nasty |
8 | Pastrnak’s wicked wrister | Pure heat |
9 | Shesterkin’s glove robbery | Goalie highlight reel |
10 | Robertson’s hat trick show | All buckets, all day |
🧊 Why This Week Hit Different
This wasn’t just hockey. It was storytelling on ice.
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The Panthers’ back-to-back gave us dynasty vibes.
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Hutson and Makar reminded us the new generation is here.
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McDavid’s contract limbo added drama off the rink.
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The Stadium Series turned a regular-season game into a cultural event.
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Ovechkin and Crosby showed why legends never fade.
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Breakout stars kept feeding the highlight machine.
This week felt bigger than points and standings—it felt like history, mixtapes, and moments that hit way past the rink.
🚨 Swish Clips Final Buzzer
Hockey’s not quiet. It’s loud, raw, and highlight-ready. The Panthers proved it. Hutson and Makar rewrote the scripts. McDavid kept the whole league on edge. And Ovi? He climbed to the top of the mountain.
Every week, every clip, every goal—Swish Clips is here to catch it, hype it, and replay it. Because some plays don’t just happen—they live forever in the highlight reel.
Stay locked. The next viral moment? It’s already loading.