"In just a few days we American hockey fans will be eating our body weight in turkey, pie, and assorted side dishes as we celebrate our Thanksgiving. You Canadians had to go all different on us and have yours in October. Seriously, why October? Did the pilgrims reach Canada in October? Were there even pilgrims in Canada? We always thought Canada was discovered by some stray polar bears that raised a French Canadian baby they found in the snow."
"Don't let that distract you from the fact American Thanksgiving is the unofficial quarter mark in the NHL season. This is where we can separate the contenders from the pretenders. Teams that hold a playoff spot on the day Macy's holds their parade and the Lions lose at home (sorry, Detroit fans) usually have somewhere between a 2/3 and 3/4 chance of making the playoffs at the end of the season."
"The Eastern Conference only had one team fall out of playoff contention post-Thanksgiving. That was the New York Rangers who infamously had an up and down year last season. On Thanksgiving the Rangers held the East's top Wild card spot. All the drama and dismay around uneven play, Drury's letter, and assorted drama lead them falling out by season's end. They were replaced by the Ottawa Senators."
American Thanksgiving serves as the unofficial quarter mark of the NHL season and commonly distinguishes playoff contenders from pretenders. Teams occupying playoff positions on Thanksgiving typically possess a two-thirds to three-quarters probability of finishing the season in the postseason. Standings were checked as of end of play on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, because the NHL held no games on Thanksgiving Day. The Eastern Conference saw only the New York Rangers drop out of postseason contention after Thanksgiving; the Rangers were replaced by the Ottawa Senators. The Senators rallied from three points back and below .500 to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016–2017.
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