Who should have won the cup? (any given year)

[Tricolore#20]

Watching the Minnesota-Vancouver series from 2003 again, I really felt at the time that Vancouver was the team to beat in the playoffs, especially when they were up 3-1. They SHOULD have won the Cup, considering the circumstances (all the top teams in the West had been knocked out), and they had all the pieces (goaltending was still a question). But alas, Minnesota just outworked them, and beat them fair and square.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Watching the Minnesota-Vancouver series from 2003 again, I really felt at the time that Vancouver was the team to beat in the playoffs, especially when they were up 3-1. They SHOULD have won the Cup, considering the circumstances (all the top teams in the West had been knocked out), and they had all the pieces (goaltending was still a question). But alas, Minnesota just outworked them, and beat them fair and square.

Don't forget the #1 ranked Sens losing in the last 2 minutes of game 7 to the Devils in the EC Finals.

2003 was, litterally, the All-Canadian Final that never happened.

 

[Tricolore#20]

Don't forget the #1 ranked Sens losing in the last 2 minutes of game 7 to the Devils in the EC Finals.

2003 was, litterally, the All-Canadian Final that never happened.

The Devils seem to be the team that spoil everything. Nobody ever expected them to win, going into the playoffs, in the years they won. They aren't the fashionable pick to make I figure.

Ottawa-Vancouver would have been an amazing scene. But NJ had to ruin the party!

 

[LadyJet26]

The Devils seem to be the team that spoil everything. Nobody ever expected them to win, going into the playoffs, in the years they won. They aren't the fashionable pick to make I figure.

Ottawa-Vancouver would have been an amazing scene. But NJ had to ruin the party!

I still say the Devils were clearly offside on the winning goal too.

 

[LadyJet26]

Detroit was having trouble getting on track throughout the entire playoffs that year. Their first two series were against Winnipeg and St. Louis, two teams below .500 that shouldn`t have been a problem. But Winnipeg took them to 6 games and St. Louis took them to 7th Game OT. They only lost 4 out of 41 games in the last half of the season, then lost 5 out of 13 in two playoff rounds. All things considered, Colorado may have won without Patrick Roy.

Winnipeg had a reason as to why that series even went 6 games. They gave their fans 3 great playoff games to end their last season here.

 

[Hasbro]

Thank you.

I'm not a Stars fan, but I do get tired of hearing "No Goal" from Buffalo fans.

Like if the NHL had disallowed Hull's goal, whose to say the Stars wouldn't have won the game later in OT. It's as though if Hull's goal were disallowed, Buffalo automatically wins the Cup.

And the Avs should have won the cup in 99 anyway, then Matvichuk started throwing our forwards into the boards.

 

[TVanek26*]

Thank you.

I'm not a Stars fan, but I do get tired of hearing "No Goal" from Buffalo fans.

Like if the NHL had disallowed Hull's goal, whose to say the Stars wouldn't have won the game later in OT. It's as though if Hull's goal were disallowed, Buffalo automatically wins the Cup.

I agree that even if the goal was disallowed,Dallas could have scored later in OT.I'm not saying Buffalo would have won,but if you think that his skate was not in the crease,or the goal should have counted,then you are either blind or a homer.The skate in crease rule I thought was stupid,but during the regular season all goals were called off when a players skate was in the crease.

Now look at this picture,if your gonna tell me his skate was not in the crease,your blind.

Sabres probably wouldn't have even won game 6,but do not tell me it was a clean goal.The only people who will say it was a fair goal are Dallas fans and Buffalo haters (Which is pretty much all the boards)

 

[stv11]

That goal should not have counted, but this Buffalo team has no place in this thread. Dallas was the best team in the league that year, won the regular season with 114 pts and 51 wins and were impressive in their third round win against Colorado, while Buffalo was an average team carried by a two time defending hart trophy winning goalie.

As far as I'm concerned, in 1999, the "team who should have won the cup" won the cup.

And I'm not a Stars fan, neither a Sabres hater.

 

[interminded]

I agree that even if the goal was disallowed,Dallas could have scored later in OT.I'm not saying Buffalo would have won,but if you think that his skate was not in the crease,or the goal should have counted,then you are either blind or a homer.The skate in crease rule I thought was stupid,but during the regular season all goals were called off when a players skate was in the crease.

Now look at this picture,if your gonna tell me his skate was not in the crease,your blind.

Sabres probably wouldn't have even won game 6,but do not tell me it was a clean goal.The only people who will say it was a fair goal are Dallas fans and Buffalo haters (Which is pretty much all the boards)

This is what you get with WHAT IF, SHOULD HAVE or COULD BEEN threads,
just a lot of controversy about things and events which already have taken place.

But keep posting, it´s quiet amusing...

 

[notheroic]

I'm surprised no one's said 2004 Calgary Flames, mainly due to that impossible-to-tell incident where it looked like Gelinas had scored but it was no goal.

Anyways, my pick: 1988/89 Montreal Canadiens.

Hahaha.

the Flames were destined for that 88/89 cup. So TOO DAMN BAD.
ahhaha

Besides, the Canadiens captured their cup in 93.

In all honesty, I wish the 93/94 Leafs won the cup. They were really on that year, and they would have stood a much better chance against the Rangers then Vancouver. I was completely bummed when they dropped that series. The wind definitely went out of my sails.

 

[Injektilo]

I always found it interesting how fans can focus on one indivual moment in time and forget about all the events and circumstances that lead up to the moment and follow it.

You see it during the couse of year at least once a week on these boards.....A fan will focus in on the 1 penalty that a ref called that led to a goal against there team and forget about the 0-5 powerplays their team had.........In my expirience things very rarely come down to one exact moment........That is why I hate the idea of shootouts in over time.

Well, yeah, but my point was that I think every year there are 4-5 teams that are good enough to win the Cup. The one that does end up winning is the one that has the hottest goalie and gets the most lucky bounces. When it comes down to a one goal win in a game 7, it's hard to say the teams aren't pretty evenly matched.

 

[KH1]

Two Isles related tough luck cups:

In 1980 the Flyers lost game 6 in overtime as the Isles got away with a clear offsides call on one of their goals. If Gillies is flagged offsides and the goal is never scored (and you believe in the laws of predetermined destiny) then the Flyers win game 6 and have a chance to win one more game against an evenly matched team for th Cup.

In 1984 the Isles came into the Cup Finals vs. Edmonton having demolished the Oilers the previous season outscoring them 17-6 in the series. Their home ice advantage was marred by the NHL changing the format, making it 2 games in Nassau Colisseum then 3 in Edmonton before 2 more on Long Island. After splitting the first 2 games the Isles lost their home ice advantage and got destroyed at the Northlands Colisseum.

It's not that the Isles deserved to beat Edmonton, they got their asses handed to them that year. It just bugs me that a team as talented as the dynasty Isles met at least an equal, if not a superior.

 

[Lowetide]

It's not that the Isles deserved to beat Edmonton, they got their asses handed to them that year. It just bugs me that a team as talented as the dynasty Isles met at least an equal, if not a superior.

That club had played a lot of hockey in the previous 4 seasons, and even though that final may not look like much 21 years later the Islanders were still a tremendous club. Bossy iirc was really banged up badly but kept going out there and playing, and maybe Arbour stayed with Smith a little too long (that's my opinion, I don't know if othere share it).

For an Oiler fan, beating that Islander team was like a horror show. They would not die! Even in the clinching game, the Oil were up something like 4-0 and then Patty Lafontaine scored two really quick goals. It wasn't until late in the third when Dave Lumley sent the puck all the way to the open NYI net that it was done.

That series didn't go 7, but it sure as hell felt like it.

 

[walsh77*]

If the Pens won that game 7 against the Islanders, I think they would have won the 3rd cup.

I think they were 57 and 17 that year, or something like that. Basicly unstoppable.

They outplayed the Islanders every game in every way, but the Islanders just wouldn't die.

WOW, you need to relax!! The Isles had a winning record against the Pens that season, because they were an up and coming cup winner (that got destroyed by Torrey's firing)...Also, Games 6 and 7 were not dominated by the pens. GO look at the tapes, the Isles outplayed them in game 6 and had a late 3-1 lead in game 7

 

[walsh77*]

If Torrey doesn't get fired by new owners, who knows?

I'd like to go back a little farther than you spoke of because I often think of how good the Isles would have been if Torrey was not fired in 1992 and was allowed to finish the job he had started. Basically in my mind the Isles would have begun to win some cups around 94-95 or 96. These new dumb owners came in 1992 with no hockey knowledge and forced Torrey to leave. It would have been a totally different story in the 90's if Wang would have bought the team back then instead of now. Now, Wang won't fire a guy Milbum who clearly deserves it. Hockey Gods are cruel to the young isles fans like me. I have seen nothing worth anything to be happy about in 16 years of this crap

 

[pappyline]

1962-1971 Chicago Blackhawks. Best regular season team in the league those years. One year had 5 players on the first all star team. Bad coach & bad clutch goaltending.

 

[Lowetide]

1962-1971 Chicago Blackhawks. Best regular season team in the league those years. One year had 5 players on the first all star team. Bad coach & bad clutch goaltending.

Glenn Hall was a bad clutch goaltender?

 

[19nazzy]

2002 Avalanche

 

[pappyline]

Glenn Hall was a bad clutch goaltender?

How many cups did he win? ONE!! while playing on the most powerful team in the league.

 

[Lowetide]

How many cups did he win? ONE!! while playing on the most powerful team in the league.

Yeah, those Leafs and Habs team barely had enough players to fill out a lineup card most nights during the 60s.

 

[V-2 Schneider]

The '71 Bruins coasted the last month of the season, and Beliveau says they weren't sharp and had done some poor scouting.The Habs also showed how to neutralize Orr using a two man trap,plus don't forget, Montreal had a stellar lineup,with a superb D corps.That team was very,very good, and they played excellent team D when it counted.

The suprising Cup winners almost all seem to play superb team D in every zone.They get to loose pucks,play strong on the boards,finish their checks, and cause turnovers.They then bury their chances.Montreal played that same way in '93 that Buffalo played in '99,though Montreal had a more potent offense.Colorado showed early on in '96 that they had the jump on D.They were extremely poised in their own end, and hounded Detroit all over the ice.

Any team that wins the Cup deserves it, no matter the year.

 

[trenton1]

The '71 Bruins could have gone on a sleepwalk to that cup if it weren't for the arrival of Dryden. He absolutely stymied the Bruins...and everyone else in 1971 and for the rest of the decade. He was just outstanding.

 

[CGG]

In all honesty, I wish the 93/94 Leafs won the cup. They were really on that year, and they would have stood a much better chance against the Rangers then Vancouver. I was completely bummed when they dropped that series. The wind definitely went out of my sails.

The Leafs almost didn't make it to the Vancouver series. They were a crossbar away from being embarassed by the meagre San Jose Sharks in the 2nd round.

 

[NYR94]

2004- Calgary Flames: didn't they outshoot and outscore Tampa Bay in that series?

2003- Ottawa Senators: I think they were better than the Devils that year and should have beaten them in the Conference Finals. They would have beaten Anaheim in my opinion.

1993- That Penguins team was a beast. I think they had a good chance to squeak past Roy no matter how hot he was with all the firepower they had and it would have been nice to watch Lemieux against Gretzky in the finals.

 

[Roke]

How about the '93 Kings? Montreal going after the illegal stick won them the game and the series, but I still have no respect for it. It was cheap and tacky.

It is my belief that Mcsorley was breaking the rules, in the 3rd period of a game and he got caught. As a result of him breaking the rules he took that penalty and the ensuing powerplay was the turning point of the game and the Finals. It's not like Marty was much of a goal scorer, although with Gretzky setting me up I could probably somehow pot a few (off my head in all likelihood). What a player, nevermind an enforcer was doing out there with an illegal stick... it blows my mind. I don't see how it was cheap or tacky from my rose-coloured glasses.