Anaheim Wins: Still Digesting
Too much Pronger, too much Giguere, too much Niedermayer (squared), too much physical play, too much McDonald, too much Carlyle, too much Burke, not enough Spezza, not enough referees, not enough exposure between the East and West during the season -- anything else? Oh yeah, did I mention too much Pronger?
Despite the predictions of many so-called hockey experts, the Anaheim Ducks (it is so 2005 to call them the Anaheim Mighty Ducks) beat the snot out of Ottawa and made what looked like an incredibly balanced Stanley Cup Final look anything but. So it has now been 19 years since a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup. Montreal's victory in 1993 doesn't count because they're in New France, as any good western Canadian will tell you. But over the past few years we've seen Tampa, Carolina, and Anaheim win. Not Toronto. Not Vancouver. Not Calgary. Not Edmonton. Not even Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Brutal.
In all seriousness, I was rooting for Anaheim because I really wanted to see Pronger, Selanne, Carlyle, and Burke win the Cup. These Hall of Famers have earned it. I did predict before the playoffs started that Anaheim was the team to beat, but I had more confidence in Emery than I did in Giguere. Well, Jiggy proved me wrong. What a perfectly built team for the playoffs. Talented, tough, disciplined (except for the occasional flip out which can be helpful as the Senators never knew what to expect and guys like Spezza played like they were in fear -- they probably were). Congrats to the Ducks. The best team won.
Steven, I'm not surprised by Anaheim's win either. They were the better team - domination through intimidation. Well, that and they interfere with every opponent at the blue line (without being penalized).
The NHL is a copycat league and I suspect we'll see a dramatic change in the size of the wingers next year. The grind lines will be back which makes me excited for October.
I am working through the fact that the last 3 champs have been the Lightning, Hurricanes and Ducks. For some reason, that just doesn't seem right.
Steven,
I would venture to say you are a being a bit loose with the term "experts"...lol!
I like what Derrick said in his comment about struggling to grasp how three small "viewer market" teams have won the past 3 Cups. It has been interesting to see how the NHL has spun these results, and basically they put on the smile and say that this is wonderful because it is exposing the game and tradition to new markets. This is true to an extent I guess. BUt woudln't it make more sense to bring back the viewers and fans in the once dominant areas first? This group more than anything is struggling with the new NHL and needs to find that lost sense of tradition. Here's an example:
Let's do a little brain exercise here. I am going to put down some player names and you think of the first team that comes to mind. Ready?
Chris Pronger.
Brendan Shanahan.
Ryan Smyth.
Darren McCarty.
When I look at that list I think without hesitation:
Pronger - St. Louis Blues
Shanahan - Detroit Red Wings
Smyth - Edmonton Oilers
McCarty - Detroit Red Wings
The reality is that fans like me understand the tradition and remember the names of the players when the league was full of rivalry and competition. With the new agreement in place, that concept is long gone and players are now all over the place, burying the hate and spite that their rivalries created. Look at the great Detroit-Colorado rivalry of the 90's...reduced to nothing. Players that were involvedi n a rivalry hardly ever left those teams. Now money dictates where players go.
In my mind there are three examples of players that the NHL needs again: Bourque, Yzerman, and Sakic. Many will argue that Bourque bolted Boston for a cup. Yet we quickly forget how Boston stood behind him because of everything he had done. Yzerman finally hung up his skates before this season. Sackic is the only remaning player from the old guard. And it is safe to say that when he goes, so too do the ties to what the NHL used to be.
We totally see eye-to-eye. Let me add a few additional names from the 1980's and before: Bob Probert, Tiger Williams, Bobby Clarke, Tim Kerr, Phil Esposito, and Dino Ciccarelli. These guys had hearts larger than those of elephants, were tough as nails, yet could also put the puck into the net. They were a threat in every facet every time they were on the ice.
Steven, you are right on the money.
Listen, we could sit and bash on this league all we want, but it won't change what has happened. Hopefully the NHL will see the error of it's ways and start turning it around.
Until then, it's never too early to start making predictions for next season! Here's what I got...feel free to let me know how wrong you think I am:
East Final: New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh
West Final: Detroit vs. Vancouver
I'll toss up a Cup prediction later in the week.
Derrick,
YOu should have pointed out to our Canadian born friend Mr. Rothberg that Tampa Bay, Carolina and Anaheim all beat Canadian teams.
Have a Molson, eh?