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As a service to fans who have a general interest in the National Hockey League but have no idea what’s happened since the Colorado Avalanche raised the Stanley Cup by preventing a Tampa Bay Lightning three-peat last year, we’re happy to provide this FAQ as a guide to the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

For you die-hard puckheads: Here is your official refresher before the games begin. Enjoy!

More: Playoff Central
Full schedule
Regular-season stats

Wait, they’re holding a tournament for the 2023 Stanley Cup? Shouldn’t they just give it to the Boston Bruins?

If the NHL was ever going to cut to the chase and hand the chalice over to a regular-season juggernaut, it would have been this Boston Bruins team.

Boston entered the season with many wondering if its window to win had closed, with a new coach in Jim Montgomery and forward Brad Marchand and defenseman Charlie McAvoy missing the start due to offseason surgery.

Free agent centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci believed differently and re-signed with the team for another crack at the Cup. They were, as it turns out, quite wise to do so.

A brief honor roll of the Bruins’ achievements this season:

  • NHL record for wins in a single season (65), previously held by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

  • NHL record for points in a single season (135), previously held by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.

  • Went wire-to-wire in first place of the Atlantic Division.

  • NHL record for most consecutive home victories to start a season (14).

  • Tied NHL record for most road victories (31).

  • First team in NHL history to post at least three road winning streaks of seven or more games in a season.

  • Set new franchise records for home and away wins.

  • Became the fifth team in NHL history to have a 60-goal scorer (David Pastrnak, 61) and the leading goaltender in wins (Linus Ullmark, 40).

  • Finished 61 goals ahead of Dallas in goal differential, becoming the third team in the expansion era (since 1967-68) to finish with a goal differential of 60 goals or better over the second-place team in that category.

  • Led the NHL this season in wins, points, goals-against average, penalty kill, wins after leading in the first or second period, wins when scoring first and wins when their opponent scores first.

The Bruins also won the Presidents’ Trophy … which is probably why they won’t win the Stanley Cup, because they’re now cursed.

What’s the Presidents’ Trophy curse?

There have been 36 previous President’s Trophy winners for having the league’s best record. Only 11 of them advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, and only eight of those teams hoisted the Cup. Only three teams in the salary cap era (since 2005-06) have won the Presidents’ Trophy and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s only gotten tougher in recent years. Since the NHL changed to a wild-card format in 2013-14, there hasn’t been a single Presidents’ Trophy winner that has advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. That Tampa Bay Lightning team whose points record the Bruins topped? It was swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who plays for the Bruins’ first-round opponent in the Florida Panthers. (As does potential MVP candidate Matthew Tkachuk, whom the Panthers acquired last offseason in a blockbuster trade.)

Otherwise, seven Presidents’ Trophy-winning teams in the wild-card era lost in the second round. That’s where the Bruins could meet either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Lightning after their fascinating first-round series.

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Bruins set NHL wins record behind David Pastrnak’s hat trick

David Pastrnak nets a hat trick, as the Bruins move alone in the NHL record book with their 63rd win of the season.

The Leafs and Lightning in the first round again, eh?

The current playoff format has deemed it so!

Tampa Bay eliminated Toronto in seven games last season after another stereotypical collapse for the Leafs, who haven’t won a playoff series since 2004. But that streak could end here. Toronto was 13 points better in the standings than the Lightning. The Leafs are loaded offensively with 40-goal scorers Auston Matthews and William Nylander, Mitch Marner (99 points) and John Tavares, who played at a point-per-game pace. In Ilya Samsonov, they might have found their answer in goal. They acquired Ryan O’Reilly at the trade deadline from St. Louis, a former playoff MVP whose postseason savvy could transfer to his teammates through hockey osmosis.

The Lightning have been to the Stanley Cup Final for three straight seasons, winning back-to-back Cups before falling to the Colorado Avalanche last postseason. Has roster attrition finally caught up with coach Jon Cooper’s squad? Tampa is still coping with the losses of defenseman Ryan McDonagh (traded to Nashville) and clutch forward Ondrej Palat (signed with New Jersey). But the Lightning still have a foundation of Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and especially Andrei Vasilevskiy. Which means they have a chance in any series.

But time comes for every champion. Just ask Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as they watch the playoffs from home this spring.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals didn’t make the playoffs?

For the first time since 2005-06, when Crosby and Ovechkin were fresh-faced rookies, neither the Capitals nor the Penguins qualified for the playoffs. The Capitals played through significant injury absences of players like John Carlson and Tom Wilson to finish with their worst points percentage since 2006-07. The Penguins fumbled the bag in the last week of the season while in control of their playoff fate and watched their 16-year postseason qualification streak end.

There already has been fallout for both teams: The Capitals “mutually parted ways” with coach Peter Laviolette, while the Penguins fired both general manager Ron Hextall and team president Brian Burke in a front-office house cleaning.

With the Caps and Pens sidelined, who are the contenders from the Metro Division?

The Carolina Hurricanes won the Metro for the third straight season and will face the wild-card New York Islanders in the first round. The Islanders are getting healthy at the right time, as star center Mathew Barzal is expected back after being out since mid-February. The Hurricanes are in the opposite boat: They’re without injured wingers Max Pacioretty, out since January with a torn ACL, and Andrei Svechnikov, whom they lost in March. This could be a grind-it-out battle between Carolina, the NHL’s second-best defensive team, and the Islanders, who had one of the league’s top goalies in Ilya Sorokin.

In the other first-round series, we’ve got four words for you: Battle of the Hudson.

What can we expect from a Devils vs. Rangers series?

Lots of blue in New Jersey and an increasing amount of red at Madison Square Garden.

For the first time since the New Jersey Devils eliminated the New York Rangers in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, these unfriendly neighbors will square off in the playoffs. The Rangers made the conference finals last season with star goalie Igor Shesterkin, Norris-winning defenseman Adam Fox and star forwards Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad.

The Rangers’ star power only intensified at the trade deadline: They acquired Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane and St. Louis Blues scorer Vladimir Tarasenko. Kane, seeking his fourth career Stanley Cup win, has 12 points in 19 games for the Rangers.

The Devils, meanwhile, ended their rebuild with their first playoff berth since 2018. The season began with fans chanting for coach Lindy Ruff to be fired. It ended with a new franchise record for points in a season (112) and with star center Jack Hughes setting a new franchise single-season scoring record (99 points). Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, as well as defenseman Dougie Hamilton, fuel the Devils’ high-tempo offense and aggressive defense.

The Devils’ 49-point increase in the standings year over year was one of the most dramatic in NHL history … and almost matched by the turnaround for the second-year Seattle Kraken in the West.

How did the Kraken make the playoffs?

Many were disappointed when the Kraken didn’t replicate the first-year success of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, failing to make the playoffs let alone make the Stanley Cup Final like Vegas did. But they cracked the code in Year 2, posting a 100-point season for a 60-point improvement year over year.

Unlike last season, their goaltending was good when it needed to be, although ultimately the Kraken finished 30th in team save percentage. But it was Seattle’s offense that made them a playoff team, finishing fourth in the NHL in goals per game thanks to a 40-goal season from Jared McCann, a career high in points by defenseman Vince Dunn and most importantly a breakout season from rookie center Matty Beniers. The Calder Trophy favorite had 57 points in 80 games, playing big minutes.

The Kraken finished in the first wild-card spot, earning them a first-round date with the Central Division champion Colorado Avalanche.

What’s the deal with the Avalanche?

Things for the defending Stanley Cup champions are … different. Last summer saw the departure of center Nazem Kadri (Flames) and Andre Burakovsky (Kraken) — who were both among their top-5 scorers — as well as starting goalie Darcy Kuemper (Capitals), whom they replaced with Rangers backup Alexandar Georgiev. This season saw the injury bug munching on the Avs, as only eight players managed to appear in 70 games. Captain Gabriel Landeskog missed the season and has now been ruled out for the postseason as well.

Unfortunately for the Kraken, some things are the same for the Avalanche. Like winger Mikko Rantanen, who scored 55 goals this season to set a career high, and defenseman Cale Makar, who had 65 points in 60 games. Like the will of Nathan MacKinnon, their leading scorer with 111 points. He factored in on all four goals they scored in Friday’s win over Nashville to earn the Central Division title over Dallas. As we saw last postseason: MacKinnon will push his team as far as it can go.

Who are the Stars playing?

The Minnesota Wild, as the former North Stars face the State of Hockey’s squad for just the second time ever.

The Stars had their best points percentage (.659) since 2015-16. The line of Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz terrorized opponents, while Dallas mainstays Jamie Benn (33 goals) and Tyler Seguin (50 points) had strong seasons. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen shattered his previous career marks for points with 73 on the season. Goalie Jake Oettinger fulfilled the promise of his stellar playoff performance last season. All of this was with new coach Pete DeBoer behind the bench, who famously took the Devils and Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season with those teams.

The Wild, meanwhile, reminded us all never to judge a trade before it plays out. Please recall when they re-signed Marc-Andre Fleury last year, which made fellow Minnesota goalie Cam Talbot quite unhappy. So the Wild traded Talbot to Ottawa for goalie Filip Gustavsson in a move that was universally labeled as a downgrade in goal.

Fast-forward 82 games and “The Gus Bus” had 22 wins while finishing third in goals-against average (2.10) and second in save percentage (.931) for goalies with at least 25 games played. The Wild have some options in goal this postseason after their goaltending faltered in the 2022 playoffs.

Meanwhile, star winger Kirill Kaprizov was brilliant again, with 40 goals and 75 points in 67 games, finishing 78 points behind Connor McDavid in the scoring race.

How good was Connor McDavid this season?

McDavid reached a new form in his Pokémon-like evolution into a hockey deity. The 26-year-old Edmonton Oilers center finished with 153 points in 82 games, the 15th-highest total in NHL history and the best offensive season since Mario Lemieux’s 161 points in 1995-96. McDavid’s 64 goals were the highest since Alex Ovechkin’s 65 tallies in 2007-08.

These career bests for McDavid have him primed to run away with MVP and player of the year honors, finishing 25 points ahead of the NHL’s second-leading scorer: his Edmonton teammate Leon Draisaitl.

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All 64 of Connor McDavid’s goals for the Oilers in 64 seconds

Relive all of Connor McDavid’s 2022-23 regular-season goals for the Edmonton Oilers in just 64 seconds.

Will the efforts of McDavid and Draisaitl once again be undermined by the rest of the Oilers in the playoffs?

Not necessarily. They have a strong supporting cast at forward, including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (a career-best 104 points), Zach Hyman and Evander Kane. The Oilers’ acquisition of defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Predators at the trade deadline was clutch: He had 14 points in 21 games.

But their postseason fortunes could come down to one player: rookie goalie Stuart Skinner, who won 29 games in the regular season and stabilized the position after free agent coup Jack Campbell struggled (.888 save percentage). Although, in fairness, the Oilers did make the conference finals last season with absolutely chaotic goaltending, eliminating the Los Angeles Kings, their first-round opponent this season, along the way.

Can the Kings win another Cup with Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty?

Absolutely. The Kings are a fascinating team in the playoffs. They still have Kopitar and Doughty, two-time Stanley Cup winners. They have a slew of younger homegrown talents, from Adrian Kempe (41 goals) to 2020 No. 2 overall pick Quinton Byfield, making an impact. And then they have a collection of veteran acquisitions that GM Rob Blake has added in the past two seasons: forwards Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson before last season; star winger Kevin Fiala before this season; defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goalie Joonas Korpisalo at the trade deadline from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It could all add up to a Stanley Cup run for coach Todd McLellan’s club. Or, at the very least, a second-round meeting with Jonathan Quick‘s new team, the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights are back in the playoffs?

Not only that, they set a new franchise record for points (111) in a season, which sounds impressive until you remember they’re a 6-year-old. It’s never dull in Vegas, and this season was no exception:

  • A new head coach in former Bruins boss Bruce Cassidy.

  • The loss of starting goalie Robin Lehner to offseason hip surgery that led to the team using five goalies this season, from rookie Logan Thompson to Quick, whom they acquired from Columbus at the deadline.

  • The loss of captain Mark Stone to a back injury that put him on the shelf on Jan. 12.

Stone will return for the Knights in the playoffs, bolstering a lineup that featured a strong performance from star Jack Eichel (66 points in 67 games).

They also have an official mascot goldfish.

Vegas has a playoff goldfish?

Some teams have official dog mascots. Vegas has … Goldie:

Hey, if the Golden Knights lose to the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, at least their mascot won’t remember it five minutes later.

What’s the deal with the Jets?

Winnipeg outlasted the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card spot in the West. Coach Rick Bowness has used every trick in the book to motivate his team and spark his veteran core. Many of them responded, including a Norris Trophy-worthy season from defenseman Josh Morrissey (76 points). But in the end, it was another “Connor Hellebuyck drags the Jets to the playoffs” season, as the former Vezina winner started 64 games and won 37 of them with a .920 save percentage.

That’s the glory of the playoffs: Goaltending remains the great equalizer. Even when we’re clearly in an offensive era for the NHL.

Defense has no home in the current NHL?

The numbers don’t lie: After what many thought would be a temporary spike due to last season’s COVID-related absences and postponements, the NHL saw its offensive output increase again to 3.18 goals per team per game — the highest average scoring season since 1993-94 (3.24). One major reason: power-play efficiency. Teams converted power-play chances at a 21.32% rate, which was the highest since 1985-86 (22.1%).

Will we see scoring continue like that in the playoffs? Or, in the end, does defense win championships?

Good thing the Boston Bruins are basically the best at both …

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Ranking the best running backs in college football for 2025

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Ranking the best running backs in college football for 2025

Who will be the best running backs in college football in 2025?

We asked our college football reporters to vote for their top 10, distributing points based on their selections (10 points for a first-place vote, 9 points for second place and so on).

The results at the top include some familiar faces who made a mark in the College Football Playoff last season, but further down the list are some key transfers in new places and two freshmen who burst on to the scene, among others.

Here’s a look at our picks for the top 10 running backs in college football:

Points: 96 (8 of 10 first-place votes)

2024 stats: 163 carries, 1,125 yards, 17 TDs; 28 receptions, 237 yards, 2 TDs

Love emerged as Notre Dame’s top offensive playmaker during his sophomore season with 1,125 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry. The only two FBS running backs with 150-plus attempts to average more yards per carry last season were Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Louisville’s Isaac Brown.

Love, at 6 feet and 212 pounds, is as effective earning the tough yards, as evidenced by his tackle-breaking touchdown against Penn State in the College Football Playoff, as he is breaking big plays. He had eight touchdowns of 30 yards or longer last season. The Irish want to get him the ball even more in 2025, as Love has lined up some as a wide receiver during spring practice. He caught 28 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns in 2024. — Chris Low


Points: 82 (2 of 10 first-place votes)

2024 stats: 172 carries, 1,099 yards, 12 TDs; 41 receptions, 375 yards, 5 TDs

Singleton faced five-star expectations when he enrolled at Penn State in 2022 and has lived up to them throughout his time in State College. Now he’s coming back for his senior season to chase a national championship after helping the Nittany Lions break through to the CFP semifinals last season.

Singleton has put up a combined 4,673 all-purpose yards over the past three seasons, second most among all FBS backs behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, and 41 career touchdowns. He has shared carries every season, averaging just 12.2 rushes per game over his career, but has consistently been highly productive and a true home run threat as a rusher, receiver and kick returner. — Max Olson


Points: 68

2024 stats: 220 carries, 1,108 yards, 8 TDs; 18 receptions, 153 yards, 2 TDs

ESPN’s Mel Kiper had Allen ranked as the No. 6 draft-eligible running back in the 2025 NFL draft class earlier this year. But rather than jumping to the pros, Allen will resume his position at Penn State as part of one of the nation’s most talented backfields alongside fourth-year quarterback Drew Allar and rushing partner Nicholas Singleton.

The Nittany Lions’ physical complement to Singleton and his elusive rushing style, Allen carried 220 times — fourth most among Big Ten running backs — and finished with 1,108 rushing yards and eight touchdowns as a junior in 2024. The 5-foot-11, 229-pound rusher averaged 6.7 yards per attempt across four postseason games, and ball security stands among his most valuable traits — Allen has lost one fumble across 559 career carries. — Eli Lederman


Points: 51

2024 stats (with Tulane): 265 carries, 1,401 yards, 15 TDs; 19 receptions, 176 yards, 2 TDs

The Tulane transfer ran for 1,401 yards last fall, ninth most nationally and more than any other returning running back. Hughes established himself as an exceptionally productive talent in two seasons with the Green Wave, and he lands at Oregon with two years of eligibility as an ideal replacement for 1,267-yard rusher Jordan James.

Hughes broke out for 1,378 yards on 258 carries as a freshman in 2023 before effectively replicating that rushing season. A key uptick in 2024: Hughes’ rushing touchdown count climbed from seven to 15. His 949 yards after first contact in 2024, per TruMedia, also leads all returning rushers in 2025. As the Ducks break in new quarterback Dante Moore, Hughes’ production and dependability could be especially important. — Lederman


Points: 45

2024 stats: 165 carries, 1,173 yards, 11 TDs; 30 receptions, 152 yards, 1 TD

There’s a good argument that last season, as a true freshman, Brown was the most explosive back in the country. Brown led all power-conference backs in yards per rush (7.11), had the fifth-most explosive runs (12 yards or more) with 33 and forced 41 missed tackles. His 8.2 yards-per-carry average between the tackles was a full yard better than any other power-conference running back. Brown also was a threat out of the backfield and in the return game. He eclipsed 99 yards of all-purpose yardage in eight of his past 10 games. — David Hale


Points: 38

2024 stats (with Louisiana-Monroe): 237 carries, 1,351 yards, 13 TDs; 8 receptions, 72 yards, 0 TDs

Hardy established himself as one of the top true freshmen in college football last season at Louisiana-Monroe. He rushed for 1,351 yards, including eight 100-yard games, and scored 13 touchdowns. He was overlooked by recruiters coming out of high school but was one of the top running back targets in the transfer portal and landed at Missouri.

Hardy, 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, is at his best making defenders miss and churning out yards after contact. He was one of seven players nationally to have 1,000 yards or more after contact (1,012) last season. Hardy forced 91 missed tackles — only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo had more. With Kewan Lacy leaving for Ole Miss, Hardy will get all the carries he can handle in 2025. — Low


Points: 31

2024 stats: 184 carries, 966 yards, 5 TDs; 52 receptions, 579 yards, 4 TDs

Reid made the move up from FCS Western Carolina to follow his offensive coordinator, Kade Bell, to Pitt last year and quickly proved he’s one of the most dynamic offensive playmakers in college football. The 5-8, 175-pound playmaker put up 1,704 all-purpose yards — 966 rushing, 579 receiving and 159 on punt returns — and scored 10 total touchdowns in an All-America debut season.

Reid achieved all that despite missing two games because of injury, and he finished fifth among all FBS players in all-purpose yards per game (154.9). The do-it-all back had three 200-yard performances over his first four games with the Panthers and will return for his senior season to produce plenty more in 2025. — Olson


Points: 19

2024 stats: 226 carries, 1,064 yards, 5 TDs; 44 receptions, 311 yards, 1 TD

Wisner stepped up in a big way for the Longhorns in 2024. Despite a depleted running back room and injuries to the offensive line across different portions of the season, Wisner had 1,064 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, adding 311 yards and another touchdown through the air. CJ Baxter should be back for the Longhorns after missing 2024 with a knee injury, but given what we saw from Wisner, he should still be well in the mix in the Texas backfield. — Harry Lyles Jr.


Points: 17

2024 stats: 169 carries, 944 yards, 9 TDs; 28 receptions, 166 yards, 3 TDs

Haynes, a wide receiver turned running back, has been one of the most consistent players in Georgia Tech’s offense over the past two seasons. Since 2023, Haynes has 2,003 yards on the ground and 16 touchdowns.

His versatility is something every team looks for in a back — he’s good at getting yards before defenders can get a hand on him (856 rushing yards before contact over the past two seasons, the most of any power-conference back in that span, per Pro Football Focus) and he’s good after they get a hand on him (his 1,145 yards after contact rank fourth, per PFF). In Haynes’ third year, the Yellow Jackets will be expecting much of the same. — Lyles


Points: 16

2024 stats: 175 carries, 1,028 yards, 12 TDs; 22 receptions, 217 yards, 1 TD

By mid October 2024, Washington had just 186 rushing yards and a touchdown to his credit (nearly all of which came against Air Force) and Baylor was a miserable 2-4 on the season. Then coach Dave Aranda tabbed Washington to serve as the Bears’ lead back, and everything changed.

Over the next six games, Washington racked up 127 carries for 818 yards and 11 touchdowns as Baylor won six straight. Washington was banged up early in Baylor’s bowl game against LSU and got just five carries — it’s no coincidence the Bears lost — but his growth throughout 2024 paired with that of quarterback Sawyer Robertson has Baylor thinking playoff in 2025. — Hale

Also receiving votes: Jonah Coleman, Washington, 15 points; Jaydn Ott, California, 14; Jahiem White, West Virginia, 14; Darius Taylor, Minnesota, 13; Caden Durham, LSU, 11; Jadan Baugh, Florida, 8; Nate Frazier, Georgia, 6; Jadarian Price, Notre Dame, 2; Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M, 2; CJ Baxter, Texas, 1; Roman Hemby, Indiana 1

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Inside one prospect’s ‘storybook’ journey from Egypt to the NFL draft

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Inside one prospect's 'storybook' journey from Egypt to the NFL draft

AHMED HASSANEIN‘S JOURNEY to the doorstep of the NFL began on a balcony seven years ago in Cairo around a hookah.

With the roar of Cairo International Airport in the distance, Hassanein joined his two sisters, brother and nephew trading puffs in the sixth-floor penthouse they grew up in overlooking the Heliopolis suburb.

As they passed the hookah, Hassanein’s sisters, Gigi and Aziza Ibrahim, told Hassanein’s older brother, Cory Besch, about Hassanein’s life over the past decade after moving from California at age 6. Hassanein had forgotten how to speak English, had behavioral issues that caused him to be expelled from school, and was being raised by his mother, who he said had a substance abuse disorder.

“She was a very, very abusive person,” Hassanein told ESPN. “Like starting with addiction, with drugs and all that stuff, and she was really verbally abusive and physically abusive.”

Through it all, Hassanein took solace in sports including breakdancing, soccer, swimming, basketball, boxing, jujitsu, pingpong and CrossFit. He became the top-ranked CrossFit athlete in Egypt and one of the best in Africa. It also helped him cultivate a strong work ethic.

Besch, who was 30 at the time and making his first trip to Egypt in 20 years, hadn’t seen Hassanein in a decade. After hearing from his siblings that night — June 26, 2018 — Besch started formulating a plan to get Hassanein, then 15, back to the United States.

“I was like, ‘Well, what if he came and lived with me and played football for me?'” said Besch, who coached at Loara High School in Anaheim, California.

It was a major pivot for Hassanein, who was set to attend Riverside Preparatory, a military school in Gainesville, Georgia.

“I remember Aziza telling me, ‘It’s going to be really hard, and it’s going to be one of the most difficult things you’ve ever done because the culture shock is going to be there, you’re going to lose all your friends, you can’t speak English very well,'” Hassanein said.

“And I was like, ‘I can do it.'”

During a family vacation at a resort on the Red Sea later that week, Besch helped convince their father to let him move away 7,500 miles. A month later, Hassanein was on a plane to Los Angeles.

Fast-forward to today and — despite initial language barriers, lack of football knowledge and playing the sport for the first time as a sophomore in high school — Hassanein is on the verge of becoming the first Egyptian to be drafted into the NFL. ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has the former Boise State defensive end, who is 6-foot-2, 267 pounds, going in the sixth round at pick No. 216 in his latest mock draft.

“It was surreal to think that we just dreamed this to save Ahmed and get him to the U.S., like ‘Project Mission: Get Ahmed to the U.S.,’ and then it was ‘Mission: Get Ahmed into College,’ and now it’s ‘Mission: Get Ahmed into the NFL,'” Gigi said from her apartment in Cairo.

“But it’s all surreal because who would’ve thought that Ahmed would be great at being a defensive lineman in American football when literally seven years ago, he was just sitting on the balcony praying that someone would … get him out of this misery.”


THE CULTURE SHOCK was real for Hassanein when he moved in with Besch in August 2018.

Everything from the food to the language to school was different. And then there was football.

All Hassanein knew about the sport was what Besch had posted on social media, most recently playing in a second-tier Austrian league from March to June 2018, just before he visited Egypt.

“People run and hit each other,” Hassanein recalled. “That’s all I know.”

When Hassanein arrived in California, Besch gave him a crash course, explaining everything from how to put on his pads, helmet and mouth guard to the sport’s rules.

“Everything from line of scrimmage to downs to your role and responsibility on the defense,” Besch said. “And I don’t think everything was explained explicitly because you don’t ever go back and explain the X’s and O’s in high school, right?”

Hassanein didn’t know how to get in a stance or how to catch a ball, said Mitch Olson, Hassanein’s head coach at Loara. His school’s football program was in one of the lower levels in California and didn’t have the resources other schools around them had. Each coach was in charge of multiple positions, and most of the kids didn’t play football before ninth grade because there wasn’t a youth program in the district.

“It’s like the kid got pulled off of Mars and started playing football,” Olson said.

Still, Olson saw the potential in the 16-year-old sophomore. He lined up Hassanein, then 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, at defensive tackle on the junior varsity team for the first game of the season before moving him up to varsity. It was, by all accounts, an experiment.

Hassanein had at least one penalty every game because of his unfamiliarity with the rules. There was a game in which he grabbed a quarterback’s face mask to bring him down and another in which he tripped the quarterback, who was about to scramble by him. He remembered throwing players, kicking people and flipping them like in jiujitsu.

“I was out there just doing whatever,” Hassanein said. “I was just out there being physical. See ball, get ball.”

In fall 2018, Hassanein was watching highlights of former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

“What high school does he go to?” Hassanein asked his brother.

“And he was like, ‘Bro, that’s the NFL, that’s the National Football League.’ I was like, ‘OK, I want to go there.’ And he was like, ‘Bro, you know you don’t have a D-line coach at your high school and you don’t have a sled?'”

It didn’t matter to Hassanein. After talking to his brother and Olson, and watching videos, he devised a plan: Hassanein began waking up at 5 a.m. every day to work out before school. After school, he’d go to practice — either football or basketball, depending on the season — and then go back to the gym for three to four hours a night.

Everything started to click for Hassanein midway through his sophomore season.

The key, Besch, Olson and defensive coordinator Jonathan Rangel decided, was to let Hassanein’s natural strength make up for whatever technique he lacked. It worked.

Eventually, Besch started taking Hassanein to camps, where he was facing — and outplaying — prospects from top high school programs around Southern California such as St. John Bosco and Mater Dei. The night before one camp, Hassanein studied pass-rush moves on YouTube and implemented them the next day.

Colleges noticed the three-star pass rusher. On Aug. 27, 2020, as his senior season was postponed until the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hassanein received a direct message from Spencer Danielson, now Boise State’s head coach, who was then coaching the defensive line. He loved Hassanein’s film.

Hassanein told his brother, who couldn’t believe it. Besch played football with Danielson at Azusa Pacific University. Hassanein relayed that information to Danielson, and they hopped on a Zoom call to explain the situation.

Hassanein had scholarship offers from Fresno State, Duke, Kansas and Colorado before eventually choosing Boise State.

Had Hassanein’s life followed his initial plan of going to military school, looking back, he thought he’d return to Egypt after four years. Instead, he was living out a dream he never knew he had.

“It meant the world to me that somebody believed, and my brother always believed in me, but it gave me confirmation that I can do this,” Hassanein said. “I took it as a challenge because I had a lot of family members say, ‘You’re going to come back in two weeks. You’re never going to succeed. You can’t even speak English. How the hell are you going to play football?’

“And I really made it. I took it as, ‘OK, watch this.'”


DANIELSON STOOD OUTSIDE Boise State’s football facility on a June morning in 2021 with a hope and a prayer.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, neither Danielson nor any of his coaches were able to recruit Hassanein in person, so the first time they met him was when he stepped out of the car that day. Sitting in the back of Danielson’s mind was the fact that Besch was 5-foot-8, 150 pounds in college.

“I’m waiting for him at the front of the facility like, ‘Please be 6-3. Please be 6-3,'” Danielson recalled to ESPN. “If he pops out and he’s 5-9 and Cory got me, I’m going to be really hot.

“And he pops out and he just looks like a Greek god. I’m like, ‘Yes.'”

His first year on campus, Hassanein looked like some of the Broncos’ juniors and was lifting more weight than a number of the upperclassmen, Boise State edge coach Jabril Frazier said.

From a football standpoint, Hassanein was very much a freshman.

“He didn’t know what was going on,” Frazier said. “But he played at a high level.”

Danielson’s way of rectifying that was with his “Football School,” a weeklong program leading into fall camp for all of Boise State’s incoming freshmen. It covered everything from the width of the field — 53.3 yards — to the verbiage Boise State’s coaches prefer to the fundamentals of tackling to A, B and C gaps.

For Hassanein, college football was an entirely new game. In high school, he relied on his natural ability to dominate. Not so much in college. He had to account for how the offensive lineman across from him lined up and blocked in every possible scenario and what kind of offense he was facing on a weekly basis.

It was essentially Football 101 for Hassanein.

“It was really eye-opening,” he said.

In 20 games over his first two seasons, he had two sacks. Then, going into his junior year in 2023, it all clicked. Hassanein finished with 12.5 sacks and was mentioned among the nation’s best pass rushers.

Heading into his senior season, he was coming off labrum surgery and spent the spring watching his own film and breaking down his games while he rehabbed. Hassanein had 9.5 sacks in 2024, giving him 24 for his career, the fourth most in school history.

“I currently have him projected as a late fifth- to early sixth-round pick as teams are always looking for pass-rush help,” ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid said. “Hassanein will likely be a part of special teams early on during his career while he searches to earn a role as a contributor on defense.”

Hassanein is on the verge of making international history. When he does, it will be an emotional moment for those who helped him on the journey.

“The journey that dude made and the guts that he had to do, the things that he did to get to where he is, it is storybook, man,” Olson said. “It really is. It’s a frigging movie.”

He knows he’s not the biggest or quickest, but he says he thinks his strength will help him become a disruptive pass rusher at the next level.

Danielson described Hassanein as “one of the most violent run defenders we’ve ever had here,” pointing to the Broncos’ first defensive play of the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State.

It was first-and-10 from the Nittany Lions’ 28-yard line when Penn State tight end Tyler Warren went in motion from left to right, overloading the side closest to Hassanein. It was a run and, with a running start, Hassanein bulldozed Warren back four yards, throwing him to the ground in the process.

To Danielson, that play is everything teams need to know about Hassanein.

“Once he gets there, he’s going to be all over the coaches about being better, getting better, getting help,” Frazier said. “Give him a year to two years in the NFL and you’ll be hearing his name a lot.”

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NHL playoff watch: Are the Rangers and Wild both on the ropes?

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NHL playoff watch: Are the Rangers and Wild both on the ropes?

As the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners, the New York Rangers were envisioned as a playoff team again in 2024-25. As the team on top of the league standings in early December, similar words could be written about the Minnesota Wild.

And yet, heading into Wednesday night’s matchup between the clubs (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+), nothing is certain about either team’s playoff chances after the pair has gone 8-9-3 in the past 10 games apiece.

The Wild enter the game in a playoff position, and have a 91.0% chance to make the playoffs per Stathletes. A key part of that is the team’s remaining strength of schedule; their remaining opponents have a 46.0% winning percentage, which is the second-easiest path. (Only the New Jersey Devils face a weaker slate in the final stretch.)

Compare that to the Rangers, who have a 27.3% chance, and will begin this game on the outside looking in. New York’s remaining slate is considerably more difficult; a 54.1% opponents’ winning percentage ranks as the second toughest, behind only the Detroit Red Wings.

If the Wild qualify as the first wild card, their likely first-round opponent is the Vegas Golden Knights; if they land in the second wild-card position, their likely opponent is the Winnipeg Jets. Unfortunately, Minnesota went 0-3 against both teams this season.

The Rangers’ more likely outcome as a playoff entrant is as the second wild card, which earns them a matchup against the Washington Capitals; the Caps have won all three games against New York this season. The Rangers could wind up as the first wild card, earning a matchup against the Atlantic Division champ. They went 1-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, 0-2 against the Florida Panthers (with one more game coming up on April 14), and 0-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning (with games coming up on April 7 and April 17).

So, the future isn’t blindingly bright in the playoffs for these teams. But all you need is a ticket in, and unexpected things can happen!

There are just over two weeks left until the season’s end on April 17, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Minnesota Wild
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 St. Louis Blues
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers


Wednesday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Minnesota Wild at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. (TNT)
Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche at Chicago Blackhawks, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)
Seattle Kraken at Vancouver Canucks, 10:30 p.m.


Tuesday’s scoreboard

Washington Capitals 4, Boston Bruins 3
Montreal Canadiens 3, Florida Panthers 2 (OT)
Buffalo Sabres 5, Ottawa Senators 2
Columbus Blue Jackets 8, Nashville Predators 4
Tampa Bay Lightning 4, New York Islanders 1
St. Louis Blues 2, Detroit Red Wings 1 (OT)
Utah Hockey Club 3, Calgary Flames 1
Edmonton Oilers 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2
Anaheim Ducks 4, San Jose Sharks 3 (SO)
Los Angeles Kings 4, Winnipeg Jets 1


Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 104.1
Next game: vs. FLA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 103.1
Next game: @ OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 8
Points pace: 102.0
Next game: @ TOR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 93.1
Next game: vs. TB (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 87.5
Next game: vs. BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 44.7%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: vs. CAR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 2.9%
Tragic number: 13

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 77.6
Next game: vs. TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 8

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 75.4
Next game: @ MTL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 5


Metro Division

Points: 105
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 116.4
Next game: @ CAR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 105.6
Next game: vs. WSH (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 93.9
Next game: vs. NYR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 86.5
Next game: vs. COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 16.7%
Tragic number: 17

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 85.3
Next game: vs. MIN (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 27.3%
Tragic number: 15

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. MIN (Friday)
Playoff chances: 8.7%
Tragic number: 12

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 77.6
Next game: @ STL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 7

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 76.6
Next game: @ MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 5


Central Division

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 115.9
Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 113.0
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 102.8
Next game: @ CHI (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 96.0
Next game: vs. PIT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 92.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 96.2
Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 91%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 87.5
Next game: vs. LA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.4%
Tragic number: 7

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 67.8
Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 56.5
Next game: vs. COL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Pacific Division

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 108.6
Next game: vs. WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 8
Points pace: 103.1
Next game: @ UTA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 100.8
Next game: @ SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.1%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 90.9
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 13.9%
Tragic number: 11

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 89.8
Next game: vs. SEA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 2.7%
Tragic number: 10

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: @ CGY (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 74.3
Next game: @ VAN (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 55.4
Next game: vs. EDM (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.


Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 32

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 26

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