Monday, May 28, 2007
2007 Cup final set to begin
Finally tonight, May 28th, the Cup final will get underway. No sense picking against the Senators right now. They have beyond a shadow of a doubt elevated their game more than any other team that I’ve seen in this years playoffs. The challenge for Anaheim will be to win that first game. Knowing full well that Ottawa has done this in all three rounds should be huge motivation for the Ducks, not that you would think anybody needs extra motivation come playoff time let alone the Cup finals – still – their pro scouts must be telling them that this is the real deal and one hell of a team in Ottawa. Getting behind in this series cannot be an option for the Ducks in my view.
Conversely, Ottawa must keep doing what they have been. The big line has picked up points in every game but one. Daniel Alfredsson is on a mission. Ironically the first Swede ever to play in the NHL was Gustav Forslund with the old Ottawa Senators in 1932-33. He only played the one year. He was born in Sweden but grew up in Canada and now there’s an opportunity for the first Swede ever to captain a Cup winning team. Incidentally, to be 100% accurate, three players have captained Cup winning teams that were born overseas. Dunc Munroe with the Montreal Maroons in 1926, Charlie Gardiner with Chicago in 1934 who was also their goaltender and Johnny Gottselig also with Chicago in their second Cup winning year in 1938. Gardiner was born in Scotland also and Gottselig in Russia. Daniel Alfredsson would become the first European born, raised and trained player to captain a Cup winning team. Although many in Canada are viewing this as a foregone conclusion the Ducks will be a very formidable opponent. For the first time this playoff season somebody will be able to match Ottawa physically. The Ducks are extremely sound in net and obviously they have a great defense. This should be a very, very interesting game tonight.
Anaheim got here by closing out Detroit. In my last column I stated Datsyuk and Zetterberg would have to step up. They did their part. A wild finish in the third period of that contest almost saw Detroit force OT but it was not meant to be. I would say for forty minutes, the first two periods, Anaheim looked as good as any team I’ve seen in this years playoffs. We’ll see if they can bring that tonight against a very, very hot Ottawa club. I’ll call the Sens to win this series in six games.
My last comment for today is regarding TV coverage. For a number of years now those of us in Canada have come to expect what was for years a normal playoff schedule being jerked all over the place to accommodate American TV networks. I have no problem with the various networks that have broadcast the playoffs nor any of the on air crew. In fact there have been several broadcast teams over the years from our hockey brethren in the south that I enjoy listening to and watching as much or more than what we have on Hockey Night in Canada. Having said that – enough is enough. There is no multi million TV deal with NBC. In my view the NHL had their best years they will ever see with an American audience from 1988-1994. The Gretzky trade to LA, Mario’s Cup wins in Pittsburgh, LA going to the finals with Gretzky in ’93 and the Rangers winning in 1994. All of that added up to a richest TV contract the NHL ever saw from an American rights holder. Regretfully the league rolled right into a 103 day lockout and did not recover for ten years and not until a full season was lost in 2004-05. Folks, it’s time for Gary Bettman to realize this is a sham how we ended up with afternoon games specifically when it left Hockey Night in Canada with nothing in several instances. That’s an abject farce. It’s a freakin’ joke and what I’d like to know and will attempt to find out for the next blog is what recourse does HNIC have given they are shelling out their largest amount of capital ever for their rights and they ( and us ) end up getting stiffed. The fact that NBC left a playoff game going into OT for pre Preakness coverage is the most disgusting thing I have ever, ever heard of in the history of TV broadcasting of hockey. The one saving grace ironically is that with a team from the West coast in the final the league obviously could not schedule a game at 2 or 3pm EST on a Saturday afternoon. Can you imagine – an 11am playoff game locally in Anaheim? Who knows, maybe that’s next so NBC can cut away to an NFL parole hearing or something of equally profound importance to their so-called hockey audience.
Facts for the playoffs
The Ducks' Rob and Scott Niedermayer will be the first brothers to appear in the Final as teammates since the Philadelphia Flyers' Rich and Ron Sutter in the 1985 Final against Edmonton. The last brother combination to win the Stanley Cup was Brent and Duane Sutter, who captured their second consecutive title together with the New York Islanders in 1983. The Niedermayer’s became the first set of brothers on opposing clubs in the Stanley Cup Final since 1946 when Scott's New Jersey Devils defeated Rob's Ducks in 2003. In 1946 Montreal's Ken Reardon faced his brother Terry Reardon with the Bruins in the final.
Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne, who has played 1,041 regular-season and 81 playoff games in his 14-year NHL career, will be making his first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. The series will cap off a memorable 2006-07 campaign that featured his 500th career goal (Nov. 22 at Colorado) and his 1,000th game (Dec. 31 at Minnesota). At 36 years of age (born July 3, 1970), Selanne became the first player in NHL history 35 or older to record consecutive 40-goal seasons and the oldest player in League history to score 45 goals in one season. He finished the campaign with a club-leading 48 goals, third in the League overall.
The Stanley Cup Final will feature 17 players who were selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, nine from Ottawa and eight from Anaheim.From Ottawa: C Patrick Eaves (#29, by Ottawa, 2003); LW Dany Heatley (#2, by Atlanta, 2000); LW Dean McAmmond (#22, by Chicago, 1991), D Andrej Meszaros (#23, by Ottawa, 2004); D Chris Phillips (#1, by Ottawa, 1996); D Wade Redden (#2, by New York Islanders, 1995), LW Oleg Saprykin (#11, by Calgary, 1999); C Jason Spezza (#2, by Ottawa, 2001); D Anton Volchenkov (#21, by Ottawa, 2000); From Anaheim: C Ryan Getzlaf (#19, by Anaheim, 2003); G J.S. Giguere (#13, by Hartford, 1995); LW Brad May (#14, by Buffalo, 1990); C Rob Niedermayer (#5, by Florida, 1993); D Scott Niedermayer (#3, by New Jersey, 1991); RW Corey Perry (#28, by Anaheim, 2003); D Chris Pronger (#2 overall, by Hartford, 1993); RW Teemu Selanne (#10, by Winnipeg, 1988).
Conversely, Ottawa must keep doing what they have been. The big line has picked up points in every game but one. Daniel Alfredsson is on a mission. Ironically the first Swede ever to play in the NHL was Gustav Forslund with the old Ottawa Senators in 1932-33. He only played the one year. He was born in Sweden but grew up in Canada and now there’s an opportunity for the first Swede ever to captain a Cup winning team. Incidentally, to be 100% accurate, three players have captained Cup winning teams that were born overseas. Dunc Munroe with the Montreal Maroons in 1926, Charlie Gardiner with Chicago in 1934 who was also their goaltender and Johnny Gottselig also with Chicago in their second Cup winning year in 1938. Gardiner was born in Scotland also and Gottselig in Russia. Daniel Alfredsson would become the first European born, raised and trained player to captain a Cup winning team. Although many in Canada are viewing this as a foregone conclusion the Ducks will be a very formidable opponent. For the first time this playoff season somebody will be able to match Ottawa physically. The Ducks are extremely sound in net and obviously they have a great defense. This should be a very, very interesting game tonight.
Anaheim got here by closing out Detroit. In my last column I stated Datsyuk and Zetterberg would have to step up. They did their part. A wild finish in the third period of that contest almost saw Detroit force OT but it was not meant to be. I would say for forty minutes, the first two periods, Anaheim looked as good as any team I’ve seen in this years playoffs. We’ll see if they can bring that tonight against a very, very hot Ottawa club. I’ll call the Sens to win this series in six games.
My last comment for today is regarding TV coverage. For a number of years now those of us in Canada have come to expect what was for years a normal playoff schedule being jerked all over the place to accommodate American TV networks. I have no problem with the various networks that have broadcast the playoffs nor any of the on air crew. In fact there have been several broadcast teams over the years from our hockey brethren in the south that I enjoy listening to and watching as much or more than what we have on Hockey Night in Canada. Having said that – enough is enough. There is no multi million TV deal with NBC. In my view the NHL had their best years they will ever see with an American audience from 1988-1994. The Gretzky trade to LA, Mario’s Cup wins in Pittsburgh, LA going to the finals with Gretzky in ’93 and the Rangers winning in 1994. All of that added up to a richest TV contract the NHL ever saw from an American rights holder. Regretfully the league rolled right into a 103 day lockout and did not recover for ten years and not until a full season was lost in 2004-05. Folks, it’s time for Gary Bettman to realize this is a sham how we ended up with afternoon games specifically when it left Hockey Night in Canada with nothing in several instances. That’s an abject farce. It’s a freakin’ joke and what I’d like to know and will attempt to find out for the next blog is what recourse does HNIC have given they are shelling out their largest amount of capital ever for their rights and they ( and us ) end up getting stiffed. The fact that NBC left a playoff game going into OT for pre Preakness coverage is the most disgusting thing I have ever, ever heard of in the history of TV broadcasting of hockey. The one saving grace ironically is that with a team from the West coast in the final the league obviously could not schedule a game at 2 or 3pm EST on a Saturday afternoon. Can you imagine – an 11am playoff game locally in Anaheim? Who knows, maybe that’s next so NBC can cut away to an NFL parole hearing or something of equally profound importance to their so-called hockey audience.
Facts for the playoffs
The Ducks' Rob and Scott Niedermayer will be the first brothers to appear in the Final as teammates since the Philadelphia Flyers' Rich and Ron Sutter in the 1985 Final against Edmonton. The last brother combination to win the Stanley Cup was Brent and Duane Sutter, who captured their second consecutive title together with the New York Islanders in 1983. The Niedermayer’s became the first set of brothers on opposing clubs in the Stanley Cup Final since 1946 when Scott's New Jersey Devils defeated Rob's Ducks in 2003. In 1946 Montreal's Ken Reardon faced his brother Terry Reardon with the Bruins in the final.
Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne, who has played 1,041 regular-season and 81 playoff games in his 14-year NHL career, will be making his first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. The series will cap off a memorable 2006-07 campaign that featured his 500th career goal (Nov. 22 at Colorado) and his 1,000th game (Dec. 31 at Minnesota). At 36 years of age (born July 3, 1970), Selanne became the first player in NHL history 35 or older to record consecutive 40-goal seasons and the oldest player in League history to score 45 goals in one season. He finished the campaign with a club-leading 48 goals, third in the League overall.
The Stanley Cup Final will feature 17 players who were selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, nine from Ottawa and eight from Anaheim.From Ottawa: C Patrick Eaves (#29, by Ottawa, 2003); LW Dany Heatley (#2, by Atlanta, 2000); LW Dean McAmmond (#22, by Chicago, 1991), D Andrej Meszaros (#23, by Ottawa, 2004); D Chris Phillips (#1, by Ottawa, 1996); D Wade Redden (#2, by New York Islanders, 1995), LW Oleg Saprykin (#11, by Calgary, 1999); C Jason Spezza (#2, by Ottawa, 2001); D Anton Volchenkov (#21, by Ottawa, 2000); From Anaheim: C Ryan Getzlaf (#19, by Anaheim, 2003); G J.S. Giguere (#13, by Hartford, 1995); LW Brad May (#14, by Buffalo, 1990); C Rob Niedermayer (#5, by Florida, 1993); D Scott Niedermayer (#3, by New Jersey, 1991); RW Corey Perry (#28, by Anaheim, 2003); D Chris Pronger (#2 overall, by Hartford, 1993); RW Teemu Selanne (#10, by Winnipeg, 1988).
# posted by Liam Maguire @ 11:07 AM 
