In 1893, Lord Frederick Stanley, Governor General of Canada, presented a silver cup to the Montreal AAA, the country's top amateur hockey team. And from there, the legend began. For over a century, Lord Stanley's Cup has been battled for and defended as hockey's ultimate prize. The Cup has been passed down from generation to generation. It bears the names of greats like Richard, Béliveau, LaFleur, Howe, Gretzky, Messier, and Lemieux. To raise the sacred grail is the dream of anyone who has ever picked up a hockey stick. Boys leave their homes and families to chase it. Men sacrifice their bodies to touch it. They cry when they win it and cry when they lose it. They do it all for a mere shot at what it gives its champion, immortality.
And now the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup begins again.
This year will be extra special for me because for the first time in six years, my team, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be in it. So much has changed in six years. Not a single player from the 2001 team, the last to make the playoffs, remains. Gone are heroes like Lemieux, Jagr, Kovalev, Hedberg, Straka, Lang, and Kasparaitis. Through six years of watching from the sidelines, the Penguins have suffered through much turmoil, including an uncertain future. But that has all changed. The Penguins have been the best story in hockey all year. They now have a home. It's not Kansas City or Las Vegas or Houston but Pittsburgh, for good. And all those years of turmoil have produced its own reward, as they slowly assembled the finest cast of young talent, the likes of which have not been seen since the days of Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers. Everyone in the hockey world believes that the Penguins have the brightest future. In a few years, they would become an unstoppable force. But that was the future, not the present. They were seen as too young, too inexperienced. They were not ready yet. Unfortunately for the rest of the league, no one told the Penguins that. For them, the future is now.
Sidney Crosby: Dubbed at a young age as "The Next One" by Wayne Gretzky himself, he has lived with massive expectations his whole life. Viewed as the savior of not just the Penguins, but of all hockey, it seemed as though the expectations were too heavy to put on someone so young. Surprisingly, not only has Sidney reached those expectations, he's surpassed them. At just nineteen years old, he is already the best player in the league, becoming the youngest scoring champion ever.
Evgeni Malkin: The last of the trio of "superphenoms" that included Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni was held back by the politics of Russia. Choosing to wait no longer, Evgeni fled his homeland and Russian authorities to pursue his dream. In his debut year, Evgeni proved to the hockey world why he was viewed in such high regard. Arguably the Penguins' most talented player, his skills have been compared to that of Mario Lemieux.
Jordan Staal: Living the shadow of his brother Eric and the dynamic duo of Malkin and Crosby, the league's youngest player was not expected to make the team this year. He was seen as not ready for the play of this level and that another year in junior hockey would have been best for him. He didn't feel that way, however. Jordan surprised everyone by not only making the team but becoming one of its most important players. At just eighteen years old, he has shown a defensive maturity well beyond his years.
Marc-Andre Fleury: As the Penguins' young frachise goaltender, his natural talent was undeniable. However, what was in question was his ability to handle pressure. After spending years being juggled between the NHL, the AHL, and juniors, Marc-Andre finally found stability in his role this year. And with it, he has proven what an asset he is to the team, at times being its best player. He may only be 22, but so was Cam Ward last year.
Ryan Whitney: Selected behind Florida's Jay Bouwmeester and Philadelphia's Joni Pitkanen, Ryan fully believed that he was the best defensemen of his draft class and he has proven that this year. Becoming in an invaluable part of the team's lethal powerplay, he has become the elite offensive defenseman the Penguins had hoped he'd be.
With the veteran leadership of Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts, and Sergei Gonchar along with the role play of Max Talbot, Jarkko Ruuto, and Georges Laraque, these wonderkids are making a statement to the world. They have already exceeded expectations, whatever they accomplish now is just icing on the cake. It has been said that the Penguins are too young to know fear, too young to know that they aren't supposed to win. And that makes them a very dangerous team.
My Predictions:
Conference Quarterfinals
Eastern
New York Islanders(8) vs Buffalo Sabres(1)
Tampa Bay Lightning(7) vs New Jersey Devils(2)
New York Rangers(6) vs Atlanta Thrashers(3)
Pittsburgh Penguins(5) vs Ottawa Senators(4)
Western
Calgary Flames(8) vs Detroit Red Wings(1)
Minnesota Wild(7) vs Anaheim Ducks(2)
Dallas Stars(6) vs Vancouver Canucks(3)
San Jose Sharks(5) vs Nashville Predators(4)
Conference Semifinals
Eastern
Tampa Bay Lightning(7) vs Buffalo Sabres(1)
New York Rangers(6) vs Pittsburgh Penguins(5)
Western
Minnesota Wild(7) vs Detroit Red Wings(1)
Nashville Predators(4) vs Vancouver Canucks(3)
Conference Finals
Eastern
Pittsburgh Penguins(5) vs Buffalo Sabres(1)
Western
Nashville Predators(4) vs Detroit Red Wings(1)
Stanley Cup Finals
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Nashville Predators
(Cinderella only goes as far as the finals... see 03 Ducks, 04 Flames, and 06 Oilers.)
And now the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup begins again.
This year will be extra special for me because for the first time in six years, my team, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be in it. So much has changed in six years. Not a single player from the 2001 team, the last to make the playoffs, remains. Gone are heroes like Lemieux, Jagr, Kovalev, Hedberg, Straka, Lang, and Kasparaitis. Through six years of watching from the sidelines, the Penguins have suffered through much turmoil, including an uncertain future. But that has all changed. The Penguins have been the best story in hockey all year. They now have a home. It's not Kansas City or Las Vegas or Houston but Pittsburgh, for good. And all those years of turmoil have produced its own reward, as they slowly assembled the finest cast of young talent, the likes of which have not been seen since the days of Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers. Everyone in the hockey world believes that the Penguins have the brightest future. In a few years, they would become an unstoppable force. But that was the future, not the present. They were seen as too young, too inexperienced. They were not ready yet. Unfortunately for the rest of the league, no one told the Penguins that. For them, the future is now.
Sidney Crosby: Dubbed at a young age as "The Next One" by Wayne Gretzky himself, he has lived with massive expectations his whole life. Viewed as the savior of not just the Penguins, but of all hockey, it seemed as though the expectations were too heavy to put on someone so young. Surprisingly, not only has Sidney reached those expectations, he's surpassed them. At just nineteen years old, he is already the best player in the league, becoming the youngest scoring champion ever.
Evgeni Malkin: The last of the trio of "superphenoms" that included Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni was held back by the politics of Russia. Choosing to wait no longer, Evgeni fled his homeland and Russian authorities to pursue his dream. In his debut year, Evgeni proved to the hockey world why he was viewed in such high regard. Arguably the Penguins' most talented player, his skills have been compared to that of Mario Lemieux.
Jordan Staal: Living the shadow of his brother Eric and the dynamic duo of Malkin and Crosby, the league's youngest player was not expected to make the team this year. He was seen as not ready for the play of this level and that another year in junior hockey would have been best for him. He didn't feel that way, however. Jordan surprised everyone by not only making the team but becoming one of its most important players. At just eighteen years old, he has shown a defensive maturity well beyond his years.
Marc-Andre Fleury: As the Penguins' young frachise goaltender, his natural talent was undeniable. However, what was in question was his ability to handle pressure. After spending years being juggled between the NHL, the AHL, and juniors, Marc-Andre finally found stability in his role this year. And with it, he has proven what an asset he is to the team, at times being its best player. He may only be 22, but so was Cam Ward last year.
Ryan Whitney: Selected behind Florida's Jay Bouwmeester and Philadelphia's Joni Pitkanen, Ryan fully believed that he was the best defensemen of his draft class and he has proven that this year. Becoming in an invaluable part of the team's lethal powerplay, he has become the elite offensive defenseman the Penguins had hoped he'd be.
With the veteran leadership of Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts, and Sergei Gonchar along with the role play of Max Talbot, Jarkko Ruuto, and Georges Laraque, these wonderkids are making a statement to the world. They have already exceeded expectations, whatever they accomplish now is just icing on the cake. It has been said that the Penguins are too young to know fear, too young to know that they aren't supposed to win. And that makes them a very dangerous team.
My Predictions:
Conference Quarterfinals
Eastern
New York Islanders(8) vs Buffalo Sabres(1)
Tampa Bay Lightning(7) vs New Jersey Devils(2)
New York Rangers(6) vs Atlanta Thrashers(3)
Pittsburgh Penguins(5) vs Ottawa Senators(4)
Western
Calgary Flames(8) vs Detroit Red Wings(1)
Minnesota Wild(7) vs Anaheim Ducks(2)
Dallas Stars(6) vs Vancouver Canucks(3)
San Jose Sharks(5) vs Nashville Predators(4)
Conference Semifinals
Eastern
Tampa Bay Lightning(7) vs Buffalo Sabres(1)
New York Rangers(6) vs Pittsburgh Penguins(5)
Western
Minnesota Wild(7) vs Detroit Red Wings(1)
Nashville Predators(4) vs Vancouver Canucks(3)
Conference Finals
Eastern
Pittsburgh Penguins(5) vs Buffalo Sabres(1)
Western
Nashville Predators(4) vs Detroit Red Wings(1)
Stanley Cup Finals
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Nashville Predators
(Cinderella only goes as far as the finals... see 03 Ducks, 04 Flames, and 06 Oilers.)
