1992-93 Revisited: A primer on hockey's greatest season

As the NHL prepares to blow out the candles on its 100th birthday, it's a fitting time to look back at what is widely considered the greatest season in the history of the league.

Just think about all the things that happened that season:

• The Quebec Nordiques pull off one of the biggest trades in pro sports, dealing a future Hall of Famer for several players that set the team up for a pair of Stanley Cup titles later in the decade.

• A woman participates in a preseason game, becoming the first female in North American pro sports to do so.

• A journeyman forward signs on with an expansion team and scored four goals in that team's first game in NHL history.

• The All-Star Game is decided by a whopping 10 goals - and the MVP award is given to a guy who wasn't supposed to be there.

• A Finnish rookie takes the league by storm, scoring 23 more goals than any first-year player in league history.

• One of the league's greatest players storms out to a record points pace, misses significant time after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and not only returns to action, but rallies to win the scoring title.

• A dream Stanley Cup matchup is thwarted due to an uncalled Game 6 high stick by the greatest player in NHL history, who follows it up with what he calls the best game of his career in Game 7.

• A team with an average age below 25 wins a league-record 10 straight overtime games to become the most recent Canadian-based team to capture the Stanley Cup.

And that's not all. Not even close.

I've put together a 10-part series chronicling the greatest, craziest, and most memorable moments from that incomparable season. From start to finish, no campaign has provided more highlights, lowlights, astounding records, and heartbreaking near-misses as this one.

You will also be treated to a handful of interviews with key players from that season, including Hall of Famers Pat LaFontaine and Doug Gilmour, and several members of the Stanley Cup-winning Montreal Canadiens

For those who don't remember the 1992-93 campaign, or weren't around when it happened, this series is for you. And if, after reading it, you still aren't convinced that this was the greatest season in NHL history, then I hope you were at least entertained.

Here is the schedule of posts for the week:

• The trade that changed the NHL forever

• Pat LaFontaine piles up the points

• Pat LaFontaine recalls his greatest NHL season

• A Wales of an All-Star rout

• Manon Rheaume suits up for the Tampa Bay Lightning

• Chris Kontos recalls his historic night in Lightning opener

• Mario Lemieux's most magnificent season

• The Toronto Maple Leafs' roller-coaster season

• The Leafs' season as remembered by Doug Gilmour - Part I

• Teemu Selanne's sensational rookie season

• Sad-sack San Jose Sharks set NHL futility record

• The Leafs' season as remembered by Doug Gilmour - Part II

• Rocket scientist Juneau was no ordinary Joe

• 20 other cool things that happened that season

• An oral history of the Cup-winning Montreal Canadiens