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The Official 2012 NHL Stanely Cup Finals Thread

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#64
jp58 said:
Looking at Columbus' troubled history, I don't think the difference in #1 and #2 overall will be too much of a difference.
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Maybe, maybe not. Edmonton has an excellent young core, and not that their record this year shows it, but I think they're going to start getting very good within the next two seasons. They're still lacking some pieces, but RNH, Hall, and Eberle are all fantastic players, guys like Gagner are important role players, and Khabibulin is a good enough goalie to steal them some games until they find their goalie of the future.

I think there's a lot of potential there.
 
#66
jp58 said:
Eastern Conference

#1 NYR vs #8 OTT- New York. I don't know how long they will last in the playoffs before they flame out, but King Henrik and the boys have sure looked good for stretches this year. I think Ottawa's resurgence this year was purely a fluke.
#2 BOS vs #7 WSH- Washington. Gotta stick with Vokoun and Alex O. to take out Boston because I'd hate to see what would happen if Thomas and the Bruins got rolling in the playoffs like they did last season.
#3 FLA vs #6 NJD- New Jersey. I think they are able to pull it off on MB's shoulders alone.
#4 PIT vs #5 PHI- Philly. Sorry Mike, I just don't know how well the boys in gold and black can handle a seven game series against the Flyers all things considered.

Western Conference

#1 VAN vs #8 LAK- Vancouver. Really only taking chalk to take chalk here. Plus, if LA knocks them out, how will we ever avenge last season's disappointing end?
#2 STL vs #7 SJS- St. Louis. This is honestly the hardest series for me to pick, mostly because we destroyed the Blues this year. They seemed to play great for stretches, but couldn't put it together against us. But I despised SJ before tonight, and the dirty play the other night sure didn't help them in my book.
#3 PHO vs #6 CHI- Chicago (as much as I hate to say it) will take the series here. They've been tough to play against and really showed how hard they would fight the other night in Detroit, even after the game lost meaning to them.
#4 NSH vs #5 DET- Nashville. With the new additions, the team is really clicking and that showed in the way we took it to Detroit in "hockey town" last week. Who has to advertize something like "hockey town" anyways? If it really was "hockey town," wouldn't people from all over know it without it having to be shoved down their throats? Plus, this was the first year we trumped them in the standings.

That would leave the Conference Semis looking something like this in my scenario:

EC

New York vs. Washington
Philadelphia vs. New Jersey

WC

Vancouver vs. Chicago
St. Louis vs. Nashville


Edit: With my grandfathers being an alcoholic and seeing and hearing of the things they did, this video of Big Mac's triumph over alcoholism really struck something inside me:

Need a motivating shot in the arm? Watch this… | Section 303
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While I have nothing but respect for Nashville I would not base my opinion on the series based on one game when Detroit had three key players out and three others in their first or second game back from injury.

As far as hockeytown, does anyone here really believe that anyone in Nashville will turn off their Rascal Flats on their Ipods to watch Hockey when the Preds get eliminated?:D

Detroit is hockey town for a several of reasons. 1) for years the Wings were the only sports team in town worth watching. While may other American cities have good hockey teams, their basketball, football, and baseball players are the stars there. Even in Philly, Jimmy Rollins or Matt Holiday are bigger than Daniel Briere.

2) The Wings have strung together an incredible string of 21 straight playoff seasons, are the last team to win back to back Cups, and have scored over a hundred points in the last nine seasons. They are arguably the best organization in all of sports, much less the NHL.

3) Detroit has some great minor league and college hockey around too. I doubt any other city in the US but Boston or Minneapolis is even close in amateur hockey participation. U of M (right down the road ) has the best record of any college program in the NCAA's

As far as the series, I suspect it will be close for Detroit it will depend on a lot on the play of Cleary (whose playing hurt) and Helm who is returning from injury. Detroit was a good as any team in Hockey until the whole team seemed to go down with injury the last month of the season. At one point we had Howard, Lidstrom, Ericcson, Kindl, Bertuzzi, Franzen, Datsyuk, Helm, Eaves and Clearry were all out. Detroit wasn't the Red Wings for the last month of the season, they were the Grand Rapids Griffins

The question is how healthy are they? If they get their act together they will beat Nashville in six. And for the record Nashville is the team I most fear in the West. They are facing the possibility of losing two of their stars to cap issues, they got some good rent a players for the run. They kind of have nothing to lose, because it may get broken up anyway. And they have a hot goalie.
 
#67
Wow, it's finally Wednesday. I had a doctor appointment today where the nurse informed me my blood pressure is on the high side. Hmmm, I wonder why??? :)

Detroit can call themselves hockeytown all they want, but I don't buy it anymore than the Cowboys of Dallas are Americas team.

-Mike
 
#69
MJ5150 said:
Wow, it's finally Wednesday. I had a doctor appointment today where the nurse informed me my blood pressure is on the high side. Hmmm, I wonder why??? :)

Detroit can call themselves hockeytown all they want, but I don't buy it anymore than the Cowboys of Dallas are Americas team.

-Mike
Click to expand...

I have never understood why Detroit is called hockeytown. As far as expectations, rabid fans and pressure is concerned, Toronto tops the list.

lowsound
 
#75
Why is the Stanley Cup trophy and fountain in New York City? Shouldn't it be in Boston? That was weird.

As excited as I am for PHI/PIT, I'm just as excited for DET/NSH. Too bad two of these teams will be out after the first round.

NBC on mute, time for Mike Lange courtesy of the Pens Android app.

-Mike
 
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