What came first, Mika Zibanejad or the month of March? Regardless of your answer this month belongs to Zibanejad and the league has finally recognized that! The NHL has just named Zibanejad the 1st star of the week for his consecutive dominant performances. Mika March is real, and it can hurt you, but only if you’re an opposing team.
MIKA MARCH IS REAL pic.twitter.com/PUpG8kAvEt
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 20, 2023
Zibanejad’s performance couldn’t have come at a better time for the Rangers. This past week was a critical one for their playoff positioning and partially because of Zibanejad, they were able to put the Penguins in their place and right the ship that seemed to be sinking. After the team’s recent tear, we’ve gone from concerns the Rangers will slip down the standings to threatening to pass either the New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes for a higher seed.
Something about the third month of the year motivates the Rangers’ star center. With so many memorable moments to reflect on it’s hard to choose just one, but the 5 goal game against the Washington Capitals will always stick out. Before the pandemic shut down the rest of the regular season, Zibanejad was tearing apart the NHL and was beginning to challenge for the Rocket Richard trophy.
What’s your favorite Mika March moment?
Edit: Accidentally wrote the Philadelphia Flyers instead of the Washington Capitals! It’s hard to remember all the insanely dominant performances Zibanejad has had!