2026 Commissioner’s Surprise Hockey Blast Tournament
Welcome to the live update page for our 12th annual Commissioner's Surprise Hockey Blast Tournament--where EVERY team has a chance to win it all! We’ve held the finals for this tournament in various cities over the past dozen years, including Boston, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and others. Last year, we played the finals of the tournament on-location in Dallas, TX at BGG.CON 2025, the annual BoardGame Geek convention at the Hyatt Regency hotel. This year’s tournament will be held entirely at-home, with reports posted online here.
Want to claim a game? We’d love to have you participate! You can play with either the full-play or “express” versions of HOCKEY BLAST Pro Hockey Game, you’ll be using the just-released 2025-26 Pro Season cards (or PDF). Just look over what’s available and let us know what game you’d like to play!
How does the Commissioner's Surprise Tournament work? Well, EVERY pro team from the HOCKEY BLAST 2025-26 Pro Season card set is included in the tournament, all 32 teams! It's single-elimination, and the match-ups were completely random—we literally DRAW them out of a hat! This format always generates some surprises, as there's no seeding, home ice is assigned randomly and hot streaks are over-rewarded! Last year's final four included two third-place teams (New Jersey and Edmonton), a fifth-place team (St. Louis) and our annual “Cinderella” squad (Pittsburgh). The championship game was one for the ages, We expect similar drama again THIS year! Here’s a recap of the entire 2025 tournament.
Games are listed below. The community member who is playing/played the game is indicated in (parentheses), the winner of the game in green.
First Round
Columbus 3, at Nashville 1 (Mitch Singer): Columbus surprised Nashville by beating them 3-1 with two goals in the third period.
Buffalo 0, at New York RGR 3 (Chris Hoffman): First period was choppy, filled with fights, and penalties. No flow to the action. Second period, Rangers picked up an early power play chance. After Luukkonen thwarted one Rangers chance, Buffalo controlled the rebound, but Conor Sheary forced a turnover, and Vincent Trochek had a Spectacular Shot chance, which he converted for a 1-0 Rangers lead. That was followed by more fights, and penalties. Rangers had a sequence where they had plenty of shots on net, but the white die 1 kept coming up--no goals. Same thing for Buffalo in the next minute. In the final minute of the second, with New York on the power play again, a Buffalo turnover became a Spectacular Shot chance, and a goal for J.T. Miller. Rangers led 2-0 after 2. First minute of the third, Buffalo had chance, after chance, getting snake-bitten by Shesterkin. Buffalo had a few more chances, and a couple of lulls in there brought it past the halfway point of the third. Buffalo had more shot chances again being thwarted by Shesterkin. Four minutes left, Buffalo pulled netminder Luukkonen. After the faceoff, J.T. Miller had another Spectacular Shot chance on an empty net, which Buffalo failed to knock down.
Washington 4, at St. Louis 2 (Pete M): The scoring opens in minute 5 with Jake Neighbors putting the Blues up on the FOURTH breakaway of the minute (2 for each team!)... St Louis kills a penalty with a Lull and are leading 1-0 after one. Tom Wilson continues to stir up trouble for the Caps as he's whistled off but Justin Sourdif catches the Blues flat-footed with a shorthanded goal! Logan Thompson then makes a Spec Save in the 2nd minute of the PK and the momentum is all Washington.... later in the period, the clubs exchange goals from 4th liners with Ethen Frank putting the Caps ahead but Joel Hofer turns the tide with a Spec Save, providing the momentum for Jonatan Berggren to tie it at 2-2... things quiet down with 9 Lull minutes to end the period. Things get cautious in the 3rd period with mostly Lulls, then with 5 minutes to go the Blues pull the Play Shot strategy card which backfires as the Capitals get a breakaway but Hofer makes the stop... Washington coach makes a defensive move, putting 3rd pair d-man Matt Roy up to the top pairing for an extra defensive square and it makes a difference as a Normal Minutes roll of 11 forces a turnover and Alexei Protas puts the game-winner past Hofer in minute 19! Wilson adds an empty-netter and the Caps advance to the next round.
Dallas 3, at Montreal 1 (Greg Flynn): Despite being outshot 39 - 25 the Dallas Stars handled the Montreal Canadiens by a 3 - 1 count. Desmith literally stood on his head!
New Jersey 3, at New York ISL 2 (OT)(Brett Sonnenschein): A tight physical game. After a first-period fight, the Islanders took an early lead on a Duclair goal. Bratt tied it for the Devils on a 4-on-4 a few minutes later. After a lull-filled second period, Glass gave the Devils the lead early in the third period. Sorokin denied the Devils on a breakaway with ten minutes to go and started one of his own, leading to a Horval goal. A late Islander penalty kill preserved the tie, and the game went into overtime. But it was a very short OT, as the Devils got a breakaway on the faceoff and Jack Hughes passed to Conner Brown for the game-winner.
Ottawa 4, at Boston 0 (Andrew Sexton): Ottawa marches into TD Garden and takes it to the Bruins winning 4-0 behind a stellar performance by Linus Ullmark and 2 Tim Stutzle goals. The Senators dominated from the 1st minute of the Gabe when they scored goal number 1 to the 20th minute of Period 3 when they scored goal number 4. Jeremy Swayman made a few Spectacular Saves just to keep Boston within shouting distance but they couldn’t get anything past Ullmark .
Edmonton 1 at Los Angeles 4 (Tim Lucas): Things were pretty square through the first two periods in this anticipated battle of heavyweights in the first round. Jake Walman put the Oilers on the board in the first and Artemi Panarin answered in the second for the Kings. The final twenty belonged solely to the LAK in almost every way. Edmonton only managed to put up six shots against Kuemper and the Kings offense assaulted Connor Ingram with 15 shots plus an empty netter. Kempe and Panarin each had a goal and two assists for the Kings.
Las Vegas 4, at Florida 1 (Giorgio Salvadego): A match of highs and lows with Vegas in almost total control of the game. Nonetheless a very rough and tumble game with Mark Stone getting involved in two fights and thus getting a Game Misconduct, all this in between long stretches of absolutely nothing. Dorofeyev stole the show scoring a hat trick.
Utah 2, at Detroit 4 (Derek Jones): To say this was a physical game was an understatement. There were NINE penalty events in this one, with several occurring during power plays. One of them was a boarding major by Ben Chiarot in the opening minute of the second. Utah got one goal out of that major power play, but drew minors in back-to-back minutes to negate the final three minutes of it. Crouse and Seider duked it out later in the second, which injured Seider for the rest of the frame. Also, both starting goalies (Vejmelka and Gibson) got injured in this game. Yes, there was scoring, mostly during all those power plays. The Red Wings survive the bloodbath with a 4-2 win. Larkin took the #1 star with two goals and an assist.
Carolina 3 at Pittsburgh 5 (Ryan Strauss): In an exciting game, Carolina and Pittsburgh squared off. Pittsburgh would jump out to an early 2-0 lead on the road thanks to goals from Erik Karlsson and Sidney Crosby. From there, Carolina would have many chances and eventually broke through, thanks to goals from Nikolaj Ehlers and Jordan Staal, tying the game at two after two periods of play. In the third, the teams exchanged goals quickly early, before Evgeni Malkin netted a power play goal, making it 4-3 Pittsburgh. The Penguins would add an empty netter late in the game from Anthony Mantha to take the 5-3 victory at home over the defending Stanley Cup Champions in round one!
Calgary 4 at Toronto 5 (OT) (Benjamin Gross): The Calgary Flames go on the road and jump out to an early 3-0 lead in Toronto, scoring 3 times in a six-minute stretch during the first period on a struggling Anthony Stolarz. But the Maple Leafs regroup and battle their way back to a 4-2 deficit after 40 minutes, with goals coming from team leaders Auston Matthews (power play) and William Nylander. In the third period, William Nylander scores his second goal of the game (this time on the power play), cutting the lead to 4-3. Toronto then got an equalizer very late from Matthew Knies, who tips in a rebound on a slapshot from Morgan Reilly, tying the game at 4-4 and seeing this one into overtime. In overtime, William Nylander is the hero, fulfilling his hat trick by scoring the game-winner and completing a stunning comeback at home for the Maple Leafs – Toronto’s first lead of the game! A heartbreaking road loss for the Calgary Flames, who led by multiple goals for most of the evening, only to see their three-goal lead erased in the defeat.
Winnipeg 3, at Anaheim 2 (Hans Larson): Anaheim and Winnipeg looked like two fairly evenly matched teams on paper, which translated directly to how this one would turn out. Anaheim started the scoring at the 10min mark of the first period on a routine tick-tac-toe play. SENNECKE with the Anaheim goal. Winnipeg would answer in the dying seconds of the first with an unassisted desperation snipe by SCHEIFELE. 1-1 after 1. Anaheim came out firing on all pistons in the second and pumped in an early marker by CARLSON assisted by GAUTHIER and CARLSSON for a 2-1 lead. It wouldn’t last long as Winnipeg penetrated the Anaheim defenders 2 minutes later on a goal by CONNOR assisted by PERFETTI and SAMBERG. The period would be loaded with Anaheim penalties but none amounted to anything. 2-2 after 2. There was no scoring in the 3 period. 3-on-3 Overtime lasted two minutes as Winnipeg 3-on-3 Line 2 scored on their first opportunity with a game winner by VILARDI assisted by BARRON and IAFALLO.
Minnesota 3, at Philadelphia 4 (Ray Barrett): Flyer’s FWD. Travis Konecny with the game-winning goal.
Tampa Bay 1 at Colorado 2 (Chris Day): Tight checking game with Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwwod & Lightning goalie Jonas Johansson coming up big when challenged, but in the end Blackwood & the Lightening came out on top.
Chicago 0, at Vancouver 1 (Rob Gallamore): Both goalies were superb in this penalty filled affair that featured two first period scraps. Linus Karlsson scores the only goal of the game on the powerplay to give Vancouver a 1-0 victory.
San Jose 4, at Seattle 1 (Aaron Starcher): After a slow start and going down 0-1 in the 1st, San Jose came alive scoring 3 goals in the 2nd. Newly appointed Captian Macklin Celebrini capped off the night scoring a goal in the 3rd for a 4-1 San Jose W. Askarov stopped 35/36 to pick up the W.
Second Round
Washington 2, at New York RGR 5 (Andy Sexton): The underdog Rangers once again surprise their opponent, this time the Washington Capitals, in a game that was much closer than the 5-2 final with 2 empty net goals at the end. JT Miller dominated contributing on every Ranger goal with 2 goals and 3 assists. Alexis Lafreniere also added a goal and 2 assists.
Dallas 5, at New Jersey 3 (Greg Flynn): Last year’s champion Devils eliminated! New Jersey’s Glass opened up the scoring with a short-handed goal. But penalties haunted the Devils as Dallas’ forward Bunting struck twice on the PP. The game featured 2 fights and a combined total 54 minutes in penalties. Dallas went on to score 2 more goals to make it a 4 - 1 lead. But 2 late goals by the Devils made it interesting as the score was now 4 - 3 Dallas! With 1 minute to go New Jersey pulled their goalie only to have Robertson score in the empty net. Make the final Dallas 5, New Jersey 3.
Los Angeles 2, at Philadelphia 4 (Pete M): Noah Cates ties it for Philly with 8 minutes left, his second goal of the game. Porter Martone gets the game-winner on a rebound with 4 minutes left. Trevor Zegras also had a shorthanded goal for the Flyers.
Winnipeg 5, at Columbus 6 (Derek Jones): Columbus got an immediate play in the first minute, and Kirill Marchenko slammed home a rebound to give the Jackets the early lead. The Jets returned the favor seven minutes later, when an immediate play turned into a rebound goal from Gabriel Vilardi to tie the game. Later in the frame, Zach Werenski and Dmitri Voronkov scored in back-to-back minutes to make it 3-1 Columbus. The Jackets continued the onslaught in the second, getting goals from Mathieu Olivier and Adam Fantilli to extend their lead to four goals. However, the Jets stormed back with FOUR unanswered goals in the third (Kyle Connor and Isak Rosen each getting a pair) to tie the game with nine minutes left. However, with overtime looking like a certainty, Denton Mateychuk put one past Connor Hellebuyck in the final minute to give Columbus the win. Olivier notches a Gordie Howe hat trick with a goal and an assist in the second and a fight in the third.
Ottawa 0, at Las Vegas 5 (Ray Barrett): Vegas’ Schmid earns the shutout. Stone with the GWG. Hanifin 2 goals and 1 assist. Hertl with 3 assists.
San Jose 5, at Detroit 4 (Aaron Starcher): This was an insane game. Home team advantage was huge in the face-off circle thar led to a rather one-sided possession game for Detroit. John Gibson for Detroit made 4 SPEC Saves to keep Detroit ahead for most of the game while maintaining MOMENTUM, while Askarov for SJ was letting EVERYTHING through. A CHEAP SHOT earlier in the 3rd Period and then a then a lucky MOMENTUM roll led to a Celebrini goal to tie the game 4-4 in the final 2 minutes. The last minute saw another scoring opportunity by San Jose with a shot on net by Igor Chernyshov. Gibson was given another chance at a SPEC SAVE but FINALLY one slides past him for a 5-4 San Jose win!
Colorado 6, at Toronto 2 (Giorgio Salvadego): Toronto remained in the game until the opening 13 seconds of the second period, then it was an Avalanche of goals all over Toronto by... the Avalanche, who scored 4 goals in 3 and a half minutes. Twice Toronto took the lead in the opening seconds of the first and second period, then there was only Colorado and the refs skating to the official's box to communicate who scored. The first block of Colorado combined for 4 of the 6 goals scored by the Avs in their 6-2 steamrolling of the Leafs.
Pittsburgh 4, at Vancouver 3 (Ben Gross): The Penguins and Canucks trade goals through the first two periods, where the teams were tied at 2-2 after 40 minutes. In the third period, Linus Karlsson scores on a rebound from a blueline blast from Filip Hronek to give Vancouver their first lead of the game. But, 10 minutes later, Tyler Myers gets called for high-sticking late in the third period, and that careless penalty leads to an equalizer from Bryan Rust on the power play – sending the game into overtime. In the extra session, Anthony Mantha scores on a wrist shot after a brilliant play from Erik Karlsson found him alone in front of the net for the game-winner. The late road game rally advances the Penguins into the quarterfinals!
Third Round
Dallas 7 at, Columbus 1 (Tim Lucas): Dallas came roaring out of the gate in this one, with Miro Heiskanen tipping it in just 48 seconds after puck drop. Jason Robertson scored the first, of his two goals, just 17 seconds into the second period. The second one came with less than a minute left. The lone bright spot for the Blue Jackets was Adam Fantilli dropping it in just 32 seconds into the final period. Columbus looked frustrated and not up to the task. Stars netminder, Jake Oettinger stopped 30 of 31 shots on the night. Dallas easily advances in this one.
Colorado 5, at San Jose 2 (Giorgio Salvadego): Colorado had a very quiet night at the office on their trip to San Jose. The Avs did the minimum to earn their paychecks, keeping at bay the Sharks in the first two periods, and then exploding for a 3 goals third period burst. The first line of Colorado dominated the whole game scoring 3 of the Avs 5 goals with Makar and Nelson completing the scorecard. Notable absentee of the game Sharks sensation Macklin Celebrini. The first two periods were so boring the only time we heard some cheers from the stands was a late second period fight between Nathan MacKinnon and Mario Ferraro. In the final period Colorado decided they had enough and scored the final three goals of the game. The three Stars of the game: N. MacKinnon (with a Gordie Howe's Hat Trick), M. Necas and W. Smith.
Philadelphia 4, at Las Vegas 7 (Hans Larson): Philly jumped out to an early lead 3 mins in with a goal from MICHKOV. The party didn’t last long as Vegas responded with 4 straight unanswered goals over the remainder of the first and second period with goals form DOROFEYEV, ANDERSSON, STONE, and KARLSSON. Of note, early in the second Philadelphia defenseman JUULSEN answered bell in a toe-to-toe tilt with Vegas defensemen LAUZON. The two pugilists exchanged blows and fought to a tie energizing both teams. The goal scoring flood gates opened for both squads in the third period as each team managed to pump home 3 markers each. The game would end in a lopsided 7-4 win for the home town Golden Knights.
Pittsburgh 5, at New York RGR 0 (Brett Sonnenschein): The game was decided in the first period when Matthew Robertson received a match penalty for a tomahawk on Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins scored three quick goals followed by a spectacular save from Stuart Skinner. The Rangers played well but couldn't generate any offense. Two goals for Sidney Crosby in a 5-0 Penguins win.
Fourth Round
Colorado 2, at Las Vegas 5 (Joe Cards): What started out looking like the Avalanche would dominate this game as they won face off after face off, and quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead, turned into disaster for Colorado as the Golden Knights stepped up their game and scored five unanswered goals, the first late in the first period, and four more over the next two periods, as they went on to win by a score of 5 -2. Players of the game: Las Vegas' Jack Eichel with 2 goals and an assist, and Goalie Akira Schmid who stopped 35 of the 37 shots that he faced.
Dallas 1, at Pittsburgh 2 (Aaron Starcher): Evgeni Malkin was hurt on the second play of the period and was out for all of P1. After Hrychowian and Carlile dropped the gloves the period ended with no score. That changed quickly in P2 as Jason Robertson put Dallas up 1-0 immediately after the puck dropped. Pittsburgh evened the score minutes later as Benjamin Kindel beat Casey DeSmith with a wicked wrister! The laboring Malkin put Pittsburgh up for good in P3 after tipping one in past DeSmith in a flurry of shots. Dallas was unable to capitalize with an empty-net man advantage at the end and Pittsburgh holds on for the win!
2026 Commissioner’s Surprise Championship Game
Pittsburgh at Las Vegas (TBA):
