It's hard to top the summer Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins had, as they celebrated all over the world with the Stanley Cup. Phil Kessel won the offseason when he ate hot dogs -- and trolled some critics -- out of the trophy. And perhaps no one had more fun partying with Lord Stanley than Penguins defensemen Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz.
But a number of other non-Penguins had memorable offseasons too. The boys of winter spent their summer downtime at the beach and the ballpark, and with their best buddies and loved ones. They got hitched and had babies. The lost their collective minds over the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight. Pro hockey players -- they're just like the rest of us! Here are some of the highlights of what they did last summer.
They hit the links
It was a beautiful day at the @cabotlinks for a hole in one! pic.twitter.com/ypWjeYq9MM
— Logan Shaw (@loganshaw11) August 30, 2017
They went fishing
Hey pretty pic.twitter.com/8IlCrqe4nA
— Tyler Seguin (@tseguinofficial) August 11, 2017
Great charter yesterday! Our 32 ft @CenturyBoats handled rough seas beautifully @otterN9NE @EagleClawFish @YamahaOutboards #feelitreelit pic.twitter.com/ED2Qgv0Uyb
— Tie1onCharter (@Tie1onCharters) August 23, 2017
They kicked up their heels at concerts
They geeked out over Mayweather-McGregor
The fight last night I thought was super entertaining, a great event. Thanks for letting me have the belt before it went to Floyd. pic.twitter.com/nSzvyxchUc
— Evander Kane (@evanderkane_9) August 27, 2017
A legend! @TheNotoriousMMA amazing to witness that event! What a speech after... win or learn! @John_Kavanagh boys did everyone proud pic.twitter.com/joKkcZRDzZ
— Brent Burns (@Burnzie88) August 27, 2017
Easy work 💰💰💰 pic.twitter.com/9rnnVpvtMz
— Anthony Duclair (@aduclair10) August 27, 2017
They dined out
Top draft pick Nico Hischier is already making a name for himself in New Jersey. Newark's Hobby's Deli has already named a sandwich after the 18-year-old Swiss center: the Nico No. 1 sandwich, which features grilled chicken, a red "jersey" tomato and, of course, Swiss cheese.
They did yoga
So goat yoga is cooler than it sounds! Tag a friend that would love this!!!!! 🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/Fmfv2imtA4
— Eric Gryba (@grybes02) July 16, 2017
They spectated at other sports
Toronto Maple Leafs center and Calder Trophy winner Auston Matthews, an Arizona native, caught a game between his hometown Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field in August.
New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist -- who played nearly as much tennis as he did hockey growing up in Sweden -- and his wife, Therese Andersson, are regulars at the US Open.
Colton Paryako and Alex Pietrangelo from the @StLouisBlues are here at the track with us today! #INDYCAR #Bommarito500 pic.twitter.com/gSleXVpT85
— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) August 26, 2017
St. Louis Blues teammates Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo took their talents to the racetrack for an Indy Car event.
They got married
It was the summer of love for NHL players, as it seemed like someone from every team got hitched.
Alex Ovechkin and his wife, Nastasiya, were officially married last summer, but the couple celebrated their union with an extravagant wedding reception on July 8 at Barvikha Luxury Village, an exclusive enclave just outside of Moscow. The date is significant to the Washington Capitals forward for two reasons -- it's a holiday in Russia known as the Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness, and, of course, because Ovechkin wears No. 8 for the Caps.
Ovechkin's teammates Dmitry Orlov and Evgeny Kuznetsov, St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko and former NHL forward Ilya Kovalchuk attended the wedding. But a shirtless Ovi -- who danced and "sang" along to Boney M's hit "Rasputin" -- more or less stole the show:
Erik Karlsson, Tyler Bozak, Andrei Markov, Matt Duchene and Jakob Silfverberg also tied the knot in scenic venues around the world:
They partied at pals' weddings
Carl Hagelin won his second Cup and got hitched to longtime girlfriend Erica Uebel in Stockholm. Fellow Swedes Karlsson and Henrik Lundqvist, along with Norwegian Mats Zuccarello, were on hand to help him celebrate:
When Jordan Eberle married his high-school sweetheart, Lauren Rodych, in Calgary, in July, former teammates Connor McDavid and Taylor Hall nearly stole the show. After crooning some karaoke ...
... Hall did his best goalie impression, taking shots from McDavid, his onetime roommate in Edmonton.
They welcomed new additions
Praise the Lord! Our little princess arrived today! Our hearts are so filled with love and gratitude. Also, their momma is a rockstar!!! pic.twitter.com/QPoG0L920G
— Brian Boyle (@BriBrows22) May 25, 2017
Lily Willow Brown is here and 8.4 lbs healthy. She looks just like her daddy. pic.twitter.com/9Spccnbc25
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) June 24, 2017
We are so excited to let you all know what gender our next baby is going to be !!! pic.twitter.com/6Esyu6CUss
— Jordin Tootoo (@Jtootoo22) August 26, 2017
They did daddy duty
Off season workout @Disneyland? pic.twitter.com/k7qj99cjlF
— Christina Marleau (@c_marleau) June 7, 2017
They cried "uncle"
My three assistants catching some 😴after two great days at the @PKSF1 hockey clinic #nephews #PKSF pic.twitter.com/RHOKLtGnma
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) August 29, 2017
Uncle duty counts as#EMTC @KFCBarstool pic.twitter.com/zpWInpWQ4t
— Logan Couture (@Logancouture) May 27, 2017
They hit the beach
After a two-week hiatus, Alex Ovechkin is back at the beach https://t.co/ZoBkHbm6Fp pic.twitter.com/op0mQwdTbC
— RMNB (@russianmachine) August 3, 2017
They volunteered
Taking calls at the @RedCross call in and donate now 866-367-3001 to support Hurricane Harvey relief!! pic.twitter.com/yx0gxdxYzM
— Erik Johnson (@6ErikJohnson) August 30, 2017
They spent quality time with their best friend
They played pickup hockey with pals
The San Jose Sharks' bearded duo of Brent Burns and Joe Thornton decided to stick together for an ESPN the Magazine Body Issue shoot.