1991, the last time the Stanley Cup was awarded in May
When I was a kid, I remember older family members and relatives talking about how they wished the Stanley Cup Playoffs would end earlier, like in the “good old days.”
At the time, I couldn’t understand it. At that age, I thought, heck, I’d watch games in August if that’s when Game 7 of the Cup Final was. But as time’s gone by, I’ve begun to understand the qualms with what is practically summer hockey.
Nicklas Lidstrom’s retirement on Thursday was kind of a sad day for hockey and its fans, but it certainly wasn’t much of a shock or all that puzzling.
The most recent news surrounding Tim Thomas, on the other hand, is puzzling to say the least.
With Nicklas Lidstrom expected to announce his retirement later this morning, hockey fans will immediately begin the “legacy debate,” one that has become increasingly popular among modern day sports fans.
Yesterday, I wrote about how it seems like there is an unusually long list of players who could potentially be Conn Smythe candidates this year. I also mentioned in the post that Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick is probably the favourite right now, and posed the question as to whether Quick has been good enough to win the award even if Los Angeles loses to the Devils.
A lot is still dependent on what happens in the Cup Final itself, and Quick has received a decent amount of attention for his sparkling play this Spring, but if you look at the numbers, you’d realize that he hasn’t received nearly enough praise.
Usually by this time of year, we’d have a pretty clear idea of who’s going into the Cup Final on a Conn Smythe shortlist. This season, we’re left with more of a “longlist,” and that’s kind of exciting.
With a few days off between the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final, we’re left with a bit of a hockey hangover, but we’re also left with a good amount of time to dissect and break down the series between the Kings and Devils while being given plenty of time to find or create a narrative or two.
Jo Innes, Ryan Lambert, Daniel Wagner, Cam Charron, Ellen Etchingham, Jake Goldsbie, Darren Kritzer
