Halfway to History

I've reached the midpoint of Season 6 in my historical hockey league, and it's likely a lot of records will be set and milestones will be reached before the Creighton Cup is awarded. Here are some key developments as we head down the stretch...

• At 5-0-3, the Victorias are solidly in first place, and their eight-game unbeaten streak is two shy of the league record. They're first in goals per game and goals against per game, and second in power-play percentage and penalty-killing percentage. My favorite stat, however, is that the Vics' goal differential of +13 is 14 better than the next-best team; that's right, every other team in the league has a negative goal differential right now. For what it's worth, the Bulldogs and Comets would also reach the postseason if the playoff started today, but it looks very much like the Vics will obliterate the competition en route to their third cup and first since they won back-to-back titles in Seasons 1 and 2.
• A major contributor to the Vics' success is rookie winger Newsy Lalonde (5 G, 9 A, +5). He's tied for second in the league in points (with last year's Forward MVP, Barney Stanley) and just two points behind league leader and teammate Cyclone Taylor. Lalonde has been magnificent, but he's far from a guarantee to win Rookie of the Year, as Comets pivot Dick Irvin (5 G, 7 A, -3) is right on his heels. 
• Two-time Forward MVP Frank McGee is off to a scorching start for the Comets. He shifted from center to left wing this season to accommodate the arrival of rookie center Irvin, and any fears of a learning curve for his new position were clearly unfounded. With ten goals in eight games, he's on pace to break his own single-season record of 18 goals. Along the way, McGee has also passed Cyclone Taylor as the league's all-time leader in goals scored. At this writing, he's sitting on 68 career goals, three ahead of star rover Taylor.