The Stanley Cup playoffs outclass all others, by light years. Every goal is precious, every power play makes your breathing shallow, every spectacular save can alter sports history. It is non-stop, one thousand percent adrennaline.
Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes, nee Hartford Whalers, won their first cup in franchise history. It was lifted high by their captain, Rod Brind'Amour, a class act and a man born to play the sport.
Some other post-season thoughts:
*Carolina and Edmonton were easy teams to root for- neither one was loaded with superstars, just blue-collar players who worked as a team. In hockey moreso than any other sport, teammates have to play for each other. The 'Canes did that to perfection.
*If you need anymore proof that the NBA playoffs rank a distant fourth in excitement when compared to baseball, football, and hockey, consider this: Baseball has the World Series. You're not the MLB playoff champs, you're the World Series champs. Football has the Super Bowl. Not the NFL playoff champs, the Super Bowl Champs. And of course, you're not the NHL playoff champs, you're the STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!
NBA? Simply the NBA playoffs, the NBA champs. How boring is that???
*Now that the Whale have won a cup, three of the four teams that entered the league in 1980 have won the cup- the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers being the other two. The Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes have yet to win a cup, and their most recent claim to fame has been a gambling ring being headed up by an assistant coach and the head coach's wife. Maybe it's time to pack it in, Coyotes...
posted by The leftist southpaw @ 2:39 PM
1 Comments:
Oh...I didn't realize they were even playing hockey again ;)
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