With the beginning of each National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, teams dream of winning The Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup is the NHL’s ultimate prize. It is a trophy awarded each year to the team that wins the playoffs.
The playoffs are composed of the top 16 teams from the regular season. In the playoffs teams embark on a best-of-seven series in hopes of winning The Cup. The team to win four games first wins the series. Each series win brings a team one step closer to raising The Stanley Cup as champion.
Last year the Boston Bruins were champions and won The Cup. This year the Bruins lost in round one in a thrilling series against the Washington Capitals.
The Bruins and Capitals took their first-round series to game seven. The score was tied 1-1 after regulation time, which means they had to play overtime. Unlike last year’s terrific playoffs, though, the Bruins could not pull out a victory, losing by the thinnest of margins, 2 to 1 . Each game of that series was decided by only one goal. The Capitals and their standout goalie, Braden Holtby, won the series 4 to 3.
The win by the Capitals ensured them a trip to the second round of the playoffs. They are playing against the New York Rangers. Other match-ups in round two are: the Philadelphia Flyers playing the New Jersey Devils, the Phoenix Coyotes playing the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues playing the Los Angeles Kings.
The NHL is in store for a new Stanley Cup winner this year. One team’s dreams could soon become reality as the path to The Stanley Cup continues.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Kathleen Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
A common phrase that people use when talking about sports is, “it is not about whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”
Discuss this quote in relation to your own experiences playing sports in gym class, on the playground or outside of school. Now talk about this quote in relation to the NHL playoffs.
Do you think this is good phrase for people to think about when playing sports? Why or why not.
Reading Prompt: Demonstrate Understanding
Whether you are a hockey fan or not, it is important to understand what you read.
Read the article carefully for a second time and identify the main idea. Summarize the main idea in one sentence. Then explain how you know that this is the main idea. In your explanation, give details and specific information from the text.
Primary
Demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in a variety of oral texts by identifying important information or ideas and some supporting details (OME, Reading: 1.4).
Junior
Demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts by summarizing important ideas and citing supporting details (OME, Reading: 1.4).
Intermediate
Demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex texts by summarizing important ideas and citing a variety of details that support the main idea (OME, Reading: 1.4).
Grammar Feature: Synonym
Synonyms are two (or more) different words with similar meanings. For example, a synonym for ‘scary’ is ‘frightening’.
Read the sentences below. Replace each underlined word with a synonym.
Last year the Boston Bruins were champions and won The Cup. This year the Bruins lost in round one in a thrilling series against the Washington Capitals.
