The NHL is notorious for being a copycat league. The Los Angeles Kings win a Stanley Cup and teams immediately want to get bigger and heavier. The Blackhawks win one and there’s a premium on skill up and down the lineup. If you love offense, you’re rooting for the Dallas Stars this spring in hopes that their electric, offense-first style becomes the norm rather than the exception in the league.

Rarely does the blueprint for success in the NHL come from outside the NHL.

That’s changing.