The playoffs are the most crucial point for teams as they played an 82 game season hoping they would be one of the 16 teams to qualify for postseason play. The playoffs define the success of a season and with a single shot players can either silence a crowd or put thousands on their feet. This year's Stanley Cup playoffs saw the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the San Jose Sharks for their fourth Stanley Cup and first since the 208-2009 season. The series was memorable in itself, since it was the first time in franchise history San Jose was in the finals, but that wasn't the only unforgettable part of this year's playoffs. Here are a few reasons why it was memorable.

1. There Were No Canadian Teams In The Playoffs.

For the first time in 46 seasons, there were no Canadian teams in the NHL playoffs. The last time this occurred was 1969-1970 season where there were only 12 teams in the league and the two from Canada were the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The league has grown to 30 teams (and is in the process of expanding), with seven of them playing north of the border. Although there are only seven teams representing the red and white, it’ surprising to think that none of them qualified, considering that last season, five out of the seven teams were in the playoffs (except for Toronto and Edmonton).

Each team had their reasons for why they didn’t make it.

TORONTO

Toronto’s first season under Mike Babcock was one to forget since they are in the rebuilding process and finished 30th overall with 69 points. The Leafs also traded away star players Phil Kessel, captain Dion Phaneuf, and James Reimer in order to start from scratch and create a new team identity. They are looking to improve after securing the first overall pick in the upcoming draft and will most likely take prospect Austun Matthews to help get them back to the playoffs after being out since the 2012-2013 season.

EDMONTON

Edmonton finished one point above Toronto and are still looking to make it to the postseason after being unable to qualify for the past 10 seasons. Despite having the first overall pick in four of the past six drafts (2010-2012, 2015) and hiring Todd McLellan to be their head coach the team is still in the rebuilding stage.

VANCOUVER/WINNIPEG/CALGARY

The Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, and Calgary Flames were unable to replicate their success from the previous season and did not qualify for the playoffs. It was disappointing to see the Flames miss out since last season they were able to pull off the upset against Vancouver and advance to the second round for the first time since the 2003-2004 season where they ended up losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

MONTREAL

Montreal lost their goaltender Carey Price early in the season after he was coming off a career year where he won the Hart Trophy (most valuable player), Vezina Trophy (best goaltender), and William M. Jennings Trophy (fewest goals against average). Price played in only 12 games this season before he injured his knee in November and Montreal was unable to rebound after losing their star goaltender. The team struggled offensively and Mike Condon was unable to live up to the expectations of being a starter, which led to them not qualifying for the first time since the 2011-2012 season.

OTTAWA

Ottawa was the last Canadian team to be eliminated from playoff contention after they were without Kyle Turris for a portion of the season, one of their top three scorers.The Senators could not recreate their impressive run from last year where they finished the regular season on a 23-4-4 run in their final 31 games behind the play of Andrew Hammond in order to qualify for the postseason.

2. The Rookies Played Like Veterans.

This year’s playoffs saw rookies make headlines for their notable play and exceeding expectations set by their coaches. Rookies such as Artemi Panarin were able to make an impact during their team’s playoff run, but it wasn’t enough for them to win the Stanley Cup. Panarin had seven points in seven games (2 goals 5 assists) but the Blackhawks lost in seven games to the St. Louis Blues. Three rookies stood out the most and they all played for the Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins, Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary, and Matt Murray.

BRYAN RUST

Bryan Rust split the regular season between Pittsburgh and their minor-league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but earned his spot in the NHL for the postseason. He played in 23 games and had nine points (6 goals 3 assists) and scored in two out of the three elimination games. He first contribution was scoring a goal in Game Five against the New York Rangers, but in the second elimination game he played a much more prominent role. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay, Rust scored both goals in his team’s 2-1 win, which sent them to the Cup Final against San Jose that they eventually won in six games. Without his impressive performance in Game 7 the Penguins might have lost that game and been eliminated from the playoffs. He also made his teammates better with his speed and ability to make plays. He helped linemates Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz contribute offensively. Kunitz scored a goal in three straight games during the Eastern Conference Final while Malkin had a point in each of the last five games of the series. Rust’s speed was the reason why the two players were able to get out of their slump and add to their team’s offense.

CONOR SHEARY

Conor Sheary had 10 points (4 goals 6 assists) in 23 playoff games, but he amplified his play during the most crucial part of the season. In Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks, Sheary scored a goal in each game which helped secure a 2-0 series lead as the series shifted to San Jose. He scored an overtime goal in Game 2 which was only the fifth time in history that a rookie scored an overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Final and the first in 30 years. He played up to his potential and showed that he could compete with the best in the NHL and handle the pressure at point that defines a season.

MATT MURRAY

Matt Murray only played 13 games in his rookie season, but he didn’t show any signs of that once he was named the starter for Pittsburgh. He was named the starter in Game 3 in the first round series against the New York Rangers after Jeff Zatkoff started the first two games and Marc-André Fleury was out with a concussion. Murray posted strong numbers throughout the playoffs with a .923 save percentage and 2.08 goals against average with one shutout. He was shaken up during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals when he let in four goals on 3 shots and was replaced by Fleury in the third period. Fleury started Game 5 and lost 4-3 and Murray was given the starting job again. He stayed calm and composed as he was able to win the series and ultimately lead Pittsburgh to its fourth Stanley Cup and first in seven years.

The success of rookies for Pittsburgh can be attributed to their head coach Mike Sullivan, who was the head coach of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and saw the talent that he had on his team. Once he got hired to be the Penguin’s coach mid-season he felt comfortable enough to call up the players and give them this much playing time knowing that their game would transition to success in the NHL.

3. Upsets

Underdog stories are always appreciated and are the stories that standout in sports. This year's playoffs had two teams define the odds and advance further than many predicted; the New York Islanders and the San Jose Sharks.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

The New York Islanders qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card team and were put up against the winners of the Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers. The Islanders were considered to be the underdog and the Panthers were picked to win in seven games by NHL analysts. Florida had a solid goaltender in Roberto Luongo and Jaromir Jagr, the 44 year-old being the leading scorer of their team. The Islanders were picked to lose because they had their backup Thomas Greiss filling in for the injured Jaroslav Halak and their team did not have much playoff experience. Each game was hard-fought and every game except for Game 2 was won by one goal. Three of their wins came in overtime and the last two games of the series went to double overtime as the Islanders were able to win in six games and advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 23 years.

The two players that stepped up the most for the team were Thomas Greiss and John Tavares. Griess was able to outplay the more experienced Luongo and stole games with his .923 save percentage and 2.46 goals against average and played better than many analysts expected. John Tavares rallied his team and stepped up during Game 6 when he scored the game-tying goal with 54 seconds left in the third period by burying a loose puck in the crease and the series-clinching goal in double overtime with after he picked up his own rebound and skated around the net to bury the wrap-around. In the next round the Islanders lost in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning ending their memorable season. Although winning one playoff series might not see like much of an accomplishment to most people, getting past the first round for the first time since 1993 was an unforgettable way to end their first season in Brooklyn that was dedicated to their late coach Al Arbour.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

The biggest upset by far in the playoffs came in the first round between the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings. Going into their match-up, analysts gave the Kings an 8/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup and predicted that the Kings would win their series against San Jose in six games. The Sharks were able to win the series in five games and move on to the next round thanks to the former Kings backup Martin Jones outplaying the starter Jonathan Quick. San Jose was able to take the momentum from the Kings quickly as captain Joe Pavelski scored on the first shot of the game twice in the series against Quick. The netminder was the complete opposite of how he played in the regular season, as he went from being second in wins in the regular season to having a dismal save percentage of .886 and a goals against average of 3.04 in the playoffs.

Fueled by their upset against their in-state rival, the Sharks continued their dominance by winning their next series against the Nashville Predators in seven games and defeating the St. Louis Blues in six games to win the Western Conference Finals and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history and face the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sharks lost the series in six games, but their historic run was due to their veterans stepping up, such as Joe Thornton (3 goals 18 assists), Joe Pavelski (14 goals 9 assists), and Patrick Marleau (5 goals 8 assists). Their success wouldn’t have been possible without their supporting cast such as Brent Burns (7 goals 17 assists), Logan Couture (10 goals 20 assists), and Martin Jones (.923 save percentage 2.16 goals against average) contributing to the team.

4. There Was A New Champion.

Since the 2009-2010 season, the Western Conference has won the Stanley Cup five out of the past seven years, and it has been won by two teams, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Los Angeles Kings. When the Blackhawks won in 2010, it was the first time in 49 years they won the Stanley Cup after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. The Boston Bruins won in the 2010-2011 season, but after that the Western Conference reclaimed the cup and Chicago and Los Angeles rotated winners of the Stanley Cup in four seasons. The Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2013, while Chicago won in 2013 and 2015 with each team having the success that they never experienced before in their history. The finals seemed to follow a pattern of who would represent the Western Conference and win the Stanley Cup which made it lose appeal to some fans.

This year’s Stanley Cup Final saw two new teams representing their respective conference, as it was Pittsburgh's first appearance in seven years, while it was the first time in the Shark’s 25 year history that they advanced this far. Both were written off as teams who would have an early playoff exit since many questioned whether rookie Matt Murray could handle the pressure of starting and analysts expected Los Angeles to win against the Sharks.

The series was memorable in seeing veterans Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau of the Sharks had the opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup for the first time in their 18 year careers. The team went from missing out on the playoffs the previous season to appearing in the Stanley Cup Final, a notable turnaround under first year coach Peter DeBoer. The games were thrilling considering two games went to overtime and neither team was blown out. In the end San Jose was unable to match the speed that Pittsburgh had and Matt Murray was able to make the necessary saves to win games and became the fifth rookie in NHL history to lead his team to the Stanley Cup.