And now it's a real hockey season.
The NHL skated into the final week of February with some signature elements of nearly every recent league year, including a mid-winter game in a spectacular outdoor setting, a player in an Edmonton Oilers uniform putting up prolific offensive numbers and a coach being shown the door thanks to an underperforming team.
Claude Julien became the fall guy Wednesday for the Montreal Canadiens' recent on-ice struggles. It's a rapid departure from an early run that had them atop these rankings only three weeks ago.
The B/R hockey team reset the dials this week for another bottom-to-top look at the league through Tuesday night's games.