According to a recent release from College Hockey, Inc., 300 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey alumni played in at least one game in the NHL in the 2011-12 regular season. 22 of those were former Badgers, who played in 17 different teams, more than half of the league.
While only Michigan had more players represented in the regular season (23), Wisconsin will be the most represented school in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which start today.
A total of 10 former Badgers from seven different teams are in the race for the coveted cup this year. A pair of UW alumni are on three teams (Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks) while four other teams are represented by one Badger each.
All in all, at least one former Badger will be in five of the eight conference quarterfinals series, all of which are best-of-seven games. The teams will play at each other’s arena for two games each then, if necessary, rotate for the last three possible games of each series. TV listings can be found here. There will also be recaps of how the players did after each game as long as UW is still represented in the playoffs.
Here is a complete rundown of the first-round matches:
Eastern Conference
#1 NY Rangers vs. #8 Ottawa
Derek Stepan (2008-10), Ryan McDonagh (2007-10), and the top-seeded New York Rangers open their first-round series against Kyle Turris (2007-08) and the Ottawa Senators at home on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. Stepan finished fourth overall on the team with 51 points (17G-34A), while McDonagh was second among all Ranger defensemen with 32 points (7G-25A). Turris, a mid-season trade from Phoenix, finished with 29 points (12G-17A) in 49 games played with the Senators.
#3 Florida vs. #6 New Jersey
Verona native Jack Skille (2005-07) and the Florida Panthers take on the New Jersey Devils in a #3 vs. #6 series at home starting on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. The Panthers clinched the third seed in the Eastern Conference because they won the Southeast Division title, their first divisional title in franchise history.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver vs. #8 Los Angeles
Hudson, Wis. native Davis Drewiske (2004-08) and the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings start their first-round series at the home of the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks starting on Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. CT. The Kings had led the Pacific Division for a chunk of the regular season, while the Canucks won the Northwest Division and the President’s Trophy (for the most points) this year.
#2 St. Louis vs. #7 San Jose
Brian Elliott (2004-08) and the Central Division champions St. Louis Blues open their series at home against Joe Pavelski (2004-06), Madison native Brad Winchester (2000-03), and the San Jose Sharks. Elliott finished the regular season with a league-best 1.56 GAA and a .940 save percentage while adding a new shutout record of 241:33. Pavelski, a native of Plover, Wis., finished fourth overall and led all right-wing Sharks with 61 points (31G-30A). His 31 goals tied for highest on the team.
#4 Nashville vs. #5 Detroit
Ryan Suter (2003-04), Craig Smith (2009-11) and the Nashville Predators secured home ice for the first time in franchise history and open their series against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT. Suter, a Verona native, finished the regular season with a career-high 46 points (7G-39A, also a career-high) and finished third among all NHL defensemen with 25 points on the league-leading Predators power play (3G-22A). Smith, a Madison native, finished eighth among all NHL rookies and teammates with 36 points (14G-22A).
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