Amateur Megalomania

There were no fewer than THREE Stanley Cup Finals FIRSTS this year:

A Successful Penalty Shot.

(What a great hunch by MacTavish to go with Pronger in that situation!)

Shorthanded overtime winner.

(Another great play by Pisani in a Conn Smyth-worthy performance)

Empty net goal in game 7

( I love how Williams skated it all the way down to the crease to make DAMN sure it went in.)

Unlike the Fans in Colorado (you’re STILL nursing that Colorado grudge? Geez. -ed), who got the Cup their first season in Denver, the Fans of Carolina put in their time, suffering through a displaced team while the arena was built, a demoralizing sweep by Detroit in 2002, and a non-playoff let down in 2003.

The Fans were STANDING the ENTIRE GAME! The energy level in that building could have only been topped by that in Edmonton in game 6!!

Check this out: The Conn Smyth winning Cam Ward didn’t even have 16 wins! Gerber got two starts againt Buffalo, winning one before Ward took it back. And that win was a Shutout!

Ward’s play off wins – 15

Ward’s season wins – 14

This was the third straight game 7 in the Finals, and the 4th of the last 5. There have been only 3 others in the past 80 years! If you call yourself a hockey fan, YOU BETTER BE WATCHING.

The Lifting of the Cup. Did you see Brin’damour? He was like a little kid. He couldn’t wait for Bettman to hand it to him – he just grabbed it from the table himself. I swear I heard Bettman say “Not yet” while he was finishing his speech!

I always make it a point to watch the Cup after the winning game. It is so meaningful in the scope of sports. Unfortunately, unless you KNOW hockey, you don’t GET the Cup – you don’t GET what it takes to win the Cup. Superlatives would be, well, superfluous to this readership. I have distinct memories of each Cup Lift since 1990, when the Oilers swept the Bruins in 5 games. (remember the power outage?!) Glen Wesley was on that Bruins team by the way!

The Handshake seems to get less respect every year – or at least less coverage. Sure, the announcers mention it, but they don’t SHOW it enough. I love to see those warriors shake hands and hug each other after literally trying to DISABLE each other for 2 weeks.

I heartily agree with the issue of all the detritus on the ice! It looked like they were trying to have a little control, though – they roped off part of it, for media it seemed, and made the families stand behind the red carpet. Let the men SKATE. THEY are the ones that earned it.

NBC’s coverage was a mixed bag. Whenever there was a scrum, they kept the camera on the goalie that just made a save. THAT was annoying. Mike Emerick was so intense the entire series. Jon Davidson, as I have said, is knowledgeable but indefinably annoying. And their on-ice interviews were too intrusive. They had to shout in the ear of the interviewee to be heard! Still, I liked having the guy down there between the benches, privy to what was being said between the teams. It’s a shame OLN got such low ratings. I hope they get into more homes next year, because they did a darn good job. Plus, their digital picture is AMAZING!

I couldn’t watch CBC this year because the image was so fuzzy. I could hardly see the puck! I did go over to CBC when NBC’s coverage ended at 11:00 – long before the ‘Canes finished skating the Cup around the ice. The somber voices on CBC belied their love of the game and their shared joy for the Canadian players on the ‘Canes club.

I wondered what is the longest period between Stanley Cup Wins. They mentioned that Rechhi won 15 years ago in Pittsburgh. Of course I checked…..Chris Chelios! Montreal 1986 – Detroit 2002. 16 years! Well, Rechhi holds the record for Finals APPEARANCE gap. Chelios LOST in the Finals in 1989 with the Canadians and in 1992 with the Blackhawks.

Damn – I went almost an entire piece without mentioning the Red Wings….

Filed under: Hockey