When the Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001, it signaled the end of an NHL season that was a return to normalcy but still notably impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a truncated 2020-21 season with intra-divisional play, the NHL's 32 teams -- including the debuting Seattle Kraken -- were back in their traditional four divisions and two conferences for an 82-game campaign.
But the omicron variant hit the league hard near the end of 2021 with dozens of game postponements, player absences due to positive tests and teams shutting down activities around the holiday break.