Devils – AllPuck

Kings’ rapid rise needs time to make sense.

Kings Angels Dodgers — Photo by Jon SooHoo

When NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed a heavy favorite to the heavy favorites of these playoffs — the Stanley Cup changing hands to the Los Angeles Kings — all I could wonder is, what just happened?

It took a mere 20 games to crown the Kings champions. Aren’t the playoffs supposed to take longer? Aren’t number-eight seeds supposed to be done in the first round? Aren’t teams from Los Angeles only supposed to win championships in basketball and baseball and college football? Aren’t the fans supposed to riot in the streets afterward? Isn’t Terry Murray the head coach? Isn’t Jack Johnson on the roster? Aren’t championship hockey teams supposed to employ the dominant superstars of their day — a Crosby, a Gretzky, an Orr, a Richard (Rocket) or Richard (Pocket Rocket)?

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Why no one is watching the Stanley Cup final.

Martin Brodeur has the most star power of anyone in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. Photo by Dan Hickling

It pains me to admit this, but I know exactly why Stanley Cup Finals ratings are tanking this year.

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Why the Kings will win in Six.

Since the NHL lockout in 2004-05, several unlikely foes have faced off in the Stanley Cup Finals. But all of those prior match-ups pale in comparison to this year’s duo, which pits the sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils (48-28-6) from the Eastern Conference against the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings (40-27-15) from the West.

When either team is crowned champion, that squad will be the lowest-ranked ever to hoist the Stanley Cup, surpassing the 1995 Devils, who entered the postseason seeded fifth before sweeping Detroit to capture the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

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The Final matchup is set. Who will hoist the Cup?

The moment hockey fans have been waiting for all season has finally arrived: Two talented teams — lower seeds, at that — will face off for the Stanley Cup. And both still haven’t quite earned the respect they deserve.

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Recent history repeats itself in Conference Finals

Looking at the matchups in the NHL conference finals, I felt like I had traveled back to the mid-1990s.

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Bruins fans get nasty, and thoughts on the second round

The “N” word is a very powerful word. It creates a lot of hurt and brings our society down as a whole every time it is used.

I thought perhaps that our society passed the point of using this type of offensive language. Guess I was a little naïve.

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Steals and deals: Analyzing the recent NHL trades

Some NHL general managers got their deals done early. Some waited until the last minute.

When the dust cleared, the landscape had changed for the contending teams – but who won and who lost the in biggest moves?

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Five cities that need to host a Winter Classic.

One of the National Hockey League’s worst-kept secrets is the teams and location for the next Winter Classic (A faceoff between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor). However, no set plans have been reported for the 2014 showdown and beyond.

Therefore, I decided to put together a list of potential games I would like to see that make the most sense for the league, both in terms of local interest and television revenue.

Tag: Devils