Speaking of The Stanley Cup Playoffs and More. . .

So much for quick timely blog directly following the end of playoffs this year, huh?

Apologies aside - won't even try to make excuses - let's take a trip back and think about what a great Stanley Cup playoffs and Final we were treated to this year. It was simply fantastic. The most enjoyable I've experienced in quite a while.

My Favorite Shocking/Interesting/Amazing Moments of the Playoffs:

* Sharks made it out of the 2nd Round! It looked shaky there for a while, yes, there was an ugly game winning goal for the opposing team (courtesy Boyle and Nabokov), yes, but somehow they made it one step closer to the promised land - before getting swept by Chicago.

*Speaking of the eventual Stanley Cup Champs, they didn't look so confident in Round 1, did they? Sometimes I truly think Round 1 can be the toughest for some teams to win. How many times did Detroit barely make it out of the quarter finals only to sail the rest of the way. However, in this case, I truly feel it was a situation where no one gave Nashville any credit. Yes, the Hawks needed time to find their legs, but the Predators are a much better team than people expected.

*Speaking of teams that many knew nothing about for most of this season - the Phoenix Coyotes! Look, it didn't go the way I wanted, and perhaps the way it should have. But how wonderful was that series? Phoenix completely dominating Detroit on two national Sunday afternoon games, and the one in particular where Petr Prucha took #1 Star honors. The whole series that everyone thought Detroit would dominate. And they did dominate...Game 7. But I'd take a 7-game well fought series over a sweep any day. Regardless of how it ended too quickly, seriously now, just how wonderful was it that they were even in the playoffs.

*Speaking of how wonderful it was for a team to be in the playoffs. How nice was it to see les fabled, Les Habs, back in the playoffs and back with a surprising vengeance that perhaps no one saw coming. First knocking off the Capitals - which I think maybe .01% of all hockey fans would have predicted, maybe - and then knocking out the defending champ Penguins - in a moment that may have just ranked #1 of the entire playoffs for me, the Canadiens made a story where there quite possibly was none. That's what makes the NHL playoffs great. Key injuries should have kept them down, but big game performances by a now healthier Michael Cammalleri and a never-given-credit-until-you-need-him-and-he-carries-you Jaroslav Halak made the Habs a genuine force this spring. Some of those games that Halak had were performances for the ages. And unless you are a Leafs fan or a Bruins fan, why wouldn't you like to see that from one of hockey's storied franchises.

*Speaking of hockey's storied franchises, the New York Rangers. Oh wait. What? They didn't make the playoffs this year? Oh, silly me. I almost forgot. That other team that they played on the last afternoon of the regular season won the final necessary point in a shootout and made the playoffs instead - (and went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final!)

*Speaking of I-Still-Can't-Believe-That-Happened, how about how that Bruins/Flyers match-up in the Conference Finals panned out. I mean whether you like or dislike either team or were just a non-biased observer - what a thing to see, a team coming back from 3-0 down to win a series. Many of us weren't alive for the previous two times this happened in hockey. And given how uncommon it really is, who knows when we will see it happen again? There is a reason it's only happened now 4 times in sports, and 3 times in hockey. Simply not easy to lose that type or lead or to take it back and win. Just isn't. And as much as Rangers fans may hate the Flyers, I still say, you have to tip your cap to them in this regard. They did something special. Something 3 times in history special. 1942 Maple Leafs. 1975 New York Islanders. 2010 Philadelphia Flyers. That's how history will read.

*And speaking of History Being Made! - congratulations to the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks! We were treated to what was a highly entertaining Final, one I thoroughly enjoyed. And I enjoyed not just because it wasn't Detroit and Pittsburgh, again - although goodness knows I was thrilled this was the case - but because it had a crazy 6-5 game in Game 1, a tight 2-1 matchup in Game 2, an overtime win in Game 3, and another in Game 6 to award the Cup! Essentially a very even series. The Flyers had already made their history coming into the Final, but they couldn't overcome the 49 years of history the Blackhawks were clawing to overcome. Couldn't have asked for more and for the first time in a while it seems, I was right in predicting something - Hawks in 6!


More on the Final and what it means:

In the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup Final, it meant a couple things for our New York Rangers.

We all know that the Rangers famously held the longest Stanley Cup drought from 1940-1994 (54 years). Chicago had held the next longest - less infamous - drought from 1961-2010 (49 years). Now the Maple Leafs hold the dis-honor of longest drought from 1967-present (43 years and counting...)

With Chicago's 4th Stanley Cup, Chicago now ties the Rangers in Original-Six Cup winning mediocrity. (Les Habs lead the other way with 24, and then follows: Toronto - 13, Detroit - 11, Boston - 5). However, Chicago has 15 division championships to the Rangers 5. And considering Chicago has a much greater chance of winning the Cup this century, I'm going to give the nod to them as the more successful Original-Six franchise.

But hey, the Rangers still have Pride, Passion, AND Tradition, right?

Oh, what the heck. I'm still a fan. And I always will be. At the rate they are winning, I'll never run out of room for storing playoff and championship team merchandise, now will I? See - bright side!


And finally...

On the other bright side, I just feel this was such an entertaining playoffs and Final, and I couldn't have been happier to be a hockey fan. Everything went wonderfully (no thanks to Bettman & Co., who probably were crying when they wouldn't have Detroit and Pittsburgh again...even though ratings and merchandise sale and everything were higher this year!) and I didn't want it to end. I tried to watch as much hockey as I possibly could this year and I wanted to watch MORE. Was angry that I couldn't. And look forward to next year when I hopefully can watch even more.

From the start of the season (the Rangers happy time), to the World Juniors surprising win by the Americans over Canada, to the joy of Olympic hockey (four years sometimes seems much, much too long), to the end of the season (the Rangers scrape together and try time), and through to the final game of the Final - what an entertaining and amazing display of hockey we all enjoyed.

What more can you ask of your favorite sport? Getting to enjoy all this amazing hockey and still wanting more.

Hockey is in a great place right now, it really is. No question about it.

2010 Stanley Cup Final Prediction/Preview. . .

Well...this is it. As early as a week from tomorrow (or as late as two weeks from tomorrow) we will have our 2010 Stanley Cup champion crowned.

Yay!

Well, yay from me because the Champion will not be:

a) Pittsburgh

b) Detroit

But, I'm not going to lie, the idea of it being Philadelphia raising a banner next fall does not exactly inspire warm and fuzzy feelings for a Rangers fan.

Either way, I am excited for the Final.

Not as excited as I'd be if Les Habs could have continued their "Feels like '93" drive-for-25 journey, but...

instead we have:

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Philadelphia:

I will not take credit - much - for this but I did pick Philadelphia to win their division this season. So, on some level, I did think they'd be better than a team that was struggling to gain entrance to the playoffs on the last day of the season (yeah, you reading, me typing - still painful). Anyway, I thought they'd be good. Without care for major details here, just 3 seasons ago they finished the season dead last. 30th of 30. The following year they were one of the four final teams standing, before they lost to eventual runner-up Pittsburgh in the Eastern Finals. They bowed out to Pittsburgh early last year, before the Penguins,

(oh stop, I can't type that too; I'm trying to get through this).

Anyway, point is, Paul Holmgren and co must be doing something right. Teams don't go from so bad to so good without someone capable in charge do they? (Other example, please see Phoenix Coyotes, Don Maloney, Dave Tippett).

The Flyers are in the Final because they are a good team, whether we want to believe it or not, but probably more importantly, because as cliche as this is, they believed in the why not us, mentality. And hell of goalie performances (how great were Boucher and Leighton for this team? Those are great stories!) for a team that has - well quite honestly - for the last few decades had goalie situations about as stable as Glen Slather's understanding of simple math.

But I digress...

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Chicago:

Chicago is the team that we wish would win, as Rangers fans. They are young, they are fun, and they are a pleasure to watch. In fact, my only regret (if I can name one) in watching both a West and an East coast team on such a regular basis, is that I have no real chance to watch Chicago as much as I would like to. They are a treat.

Probably one of the unique stories in sports for me, I was too young to know or appreciate the Blackhawks when they were good. In fact, the Blackhawks have not existed for me until 2008. (As some may say is true for those in Chicago as well). They've had a renaissance, part because of drafting well, and part because of the timely death of their principal owner who had many antiquated thoughts. Until three years ago this team didn't show home games on TV! Until they made the playoffs and went on a run to the Western Final last year - they had made the playoffs once in the previous nine seasons!

They, as Rangers fans may or may not know, are the only Original Six team to be less successful - if true success is measured in Stanley Cups) - than the New York Rangers themselves. Both around since the 1926 campaign, the Hawks have only lifted Lord Stanley's chalice 3 times. The Rangers, thank all that is wonderful and holy, finally won their 4th in 1994.

Interesting to note, however, the Blackhawks have won 14 division titles to the Rangers 5, and 2 conference championships to the Rangers 1. (Guess we really do know who is the most un-inspired of the Original Six, now, don't we. Sigh).

Anyway, the Blackhawks raised from the ashes on the backs of two young forwards in Kane and Toews. And they may just complete - what I would assume - is one of the greatest turnarounds in franchise history. 9 years of obscurity, to a Final 4 appearance, to a Stanley Cup appearance to....

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Well we'll just have to wait and see now, won't we. ;)

Even though the Blackhawks winning would make the Rangers that much more unsuccessful, I'd like to see the Hawks do it. And not just because I really don't want to see Philadelphia win it, but because I want to see their story completed. The right way.

I want to say this will end in fewer games, but I do not want to take credit away from Philadelphia, because they've been mighty impressive.

Final Prediction: Hawks in 6!