The Stanley Cup playoffs offers some of the most exciting action in sports.
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Photos of what the stars of the NHL looked like when their careers started
The NHL is a league full of both veteran and up-and-coming stars — here's what some of the most impressive players in hockey looked like at the start of their careers.
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With sudden death overtime and every team just one hot goalie away from Stanley Cup immortality, playoff hockey represents edge-of-your-seat action from the moment the puck drops.
At the center of it all are the stars of hockey — players like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, PK Subban and more who brought astounding skill to the sport the moment they took to the ice.
Now veterans of the league and masked with playoff beards, these players look a bit different than when they first joined the league as fresh-faced youngsters. Take a look below to see how players have changed since their NHL debut.
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PK Subban in 2007 (age 18).
PK Subban today (28).
Steven Stamkos in 2008 (18).
Steven Stamkos today (28).
Alex Ovechkin in 2004 (18).
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Alex Ovechkin today (32).
Zdeno Chara in 1996 (19).
Zdeno Chara today (41).
Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003 (18).
Marc-Andre Fleury today (33).
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Evgeni Malkin in 2005 (18).
Evgeni Malkin today (31).
Sidney Crosby in 2005 (17).
Sidney Crosby today (30).
Sergei Bobrovsky in 2010 (21).
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Sergei Bobrovsky today (29).
Claude Giroux in 2006 (18).
Claude Giroux today (30).
Joe Thornton in 2002 (22).
Joe Thornton today (38).
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Brent Burns in 2003 (18).
Brent Burns today (33).
Brad Marchand in 2004 (16).
Brad Marchand today (29).
Phil Kessel in 2006 (18).
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Phil Kessel today (30).
William Karlsson in 2012 (19).
William Karlsson today (25).
Patrick Laine in 2016 (18).
Patrick Laine today (20).
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Now check out how the best players in basketball have changed since joining the league
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