Edmonton Oilers have been anticipating this, and it has finally happened. Star winger Zach Hyman scored against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night. This goal gives him 50 on the 2023-24 NHL season. It's the first time he has reached this mark in his career. And it's quite the story for the former Toronto Maple Leafs star.
Hyman spoke with Sportsnet's Gene Principe after a 5-3 loss to the Senators. Despite the loss, the Oilers star was in good spirits. And he took a moment to deliver a rather inspiring message to young hockey players around the world.
“If you do good things every day, good things are going to happen,” Hyman told Principe on Sunday night. “Hockey life is a rollercoaster. There are ups and downs, but if you stick with it and always are positive, things tend to go your way. Just work hard. I hope it's a good lesson for all the kids out there who aren't the best but they're working hard.”
It's been a long road for Zach Hyman
Zach Hyman entered the NHL as a fifth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2010. He didn't make his debut until the 2015-16 season. By then, he'd left the Panthers organization and joined the Maple Leafs. He played in 16 games for the Maple Leafs that season, scoring four goals and six points.
The Toronto native soon showed that he could produce secondary offense at the NHL level. He broke out in 2017-18, scoring 40 points in 82 games. He went on to score 21 goals in each of the following two seasons. When he hit the open market in 2021, Hyman had scored 86 goals and 185 points in 345 games for Toronto.
Hyman signed a seven-year contract with the Oilers in July 2021. It has worked wonders for both the Toronto native and Edmonton. He scored 27 goals in 2021-22 and followed that up with 36 in 2022-23. Furthermore, Hyman set a new career high in points with 83 last season.
Oilers, Zach Hyman looking to go further
Zach Hyman and the Oilers will celebrate his reaching the 50-goal mark. However, neither of them are satisfied. Edmonton is in prime position to finally win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990. They've come close in the past, but have fallen short each time.
In 2022, Hyman played an integral role in helping the Oilers make the Western Conference Final. He scored 16 points, including 11 goals, in 16 games. Unfortunately, Hymand and Edmonton couldn't make the Stanley Cup Final. In fact, they were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.
In 2023, the Oilers got another shot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Things started well, with Edmonton moving past the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. However, they ran into the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas defeated the Oilers in six games as they went on to win the Stanley Cup last summer.
Zach Hyman and the Oilers began the 2023-24 NHL season in nightmarish fashion. Now, though, they are likely headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again. The pressure is certainly mounting for Edmonton to make some noise this year. It'll certainly be interesting to see how they get on in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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