10th Anniversary of the '03 Cup Victory

[Nick0930]

I wonder if they would've given the Conn Smythe to Quick if the Devils came back to win last year?

 

[Rella17]

Devils had too many good candidates, that was the problem

 

[Devils Dominion]

I knew it was our Cup when I saw Jeff Freisen put his left arm behind his back during his goal celebration just after making it 3-0.

I regret not being there that night, was short on cash and was not willing to drop $250 for a last row seat someonwhere in the 200s.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I was there that night as well. one of the best nights of my life.

 

[NJDevs26]

I wonder if they would've given the Conn Smythe to Quick if the Devils came back to win last year?

Then you would have REALLY had a tinfoil conspiracy, although you could make more of an argument for Quick last year even in a loss than Giguere, because Quick wasn't a sieve for most of the Finals.

I booed (the choice of) Giguere and I'm not embarassed about that either. Especially if the Smythe is supposed to be equally about performance in the Finals compared to the rest of the playoffs. You could argue he was an A+ for the first three rounds - clearly the most dominant player until the Finals - but no better than a D in the Finals.

I personally still wonder if that goofball goal Marty gave up in game 3, had something to do with him being snubbed.

I never thought of it that way before. Definitely more people remember that from the series than his Game 7 shutout though - or his three Finals shutouts (really four, since one game was a 0-0 regulation tie).

 

[Holtz My Bahls]

I was there that night as well. one of the best nights of my life.

I was in the 3rd grade at the time, I remember it like it was yesterday.

 

[BenedictGomez]

you can't say Gigeure didn't deserve the trophy.

Yes I can.

I do not believe a player on a losing team should ever win it. I dont care if he went 15-4 with 15 shutouts, he's still a loser.

But beyond that, he was very average in the Stanley Cup Final. If you all of a sudden start playing average when it's all on the line? Yeah, not "most valuable" material.

Not to mention, Brodeur's complete 2003 Stanley Cup Playoff stats were almost as good as Giggy (better in a few departments), and oh, yeah, incidentally?

He won the Stanley Cup.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Giguere did not deserve the Conn Smythe... he played exceptionally well through 3 series and was very average in the finals...Giguere was essentially awarded the Smythe in the Western conference finals against Minnesota.

If memory serves me right, Giguere allowed more goals in the finals than he did in the first 3 rounds...that to me is a choke not MVP worthy.

This is a VERY good point. It's easy to forget as time moves on, but many in the hockey world talked up how Giggy was probably going to be the MVP, or was a leading MVP candidate, etc after Round 3.... so much so that even while losing it essentially became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[NJDevs26]

If memory serves me right, Giguere allowed more goals in the finals than he did in the first 3 rounds...that to me is a choke not MVP worthy.

Very close to it...20 goals allowed in the first three rounds (fourteen games plus a bunch of OT's), eighteen goals allowed in the Finals (seven games). That was always my main problem with it, his play got far worse in the Finals, not better or similar.

And he did get pulled once in the playoffs to answer an earlier point - Game 5 against Dallas. They actually had him on the ropes a little those last two games but Turco shat the bed in Game 6 (a 4-3 loss).

 

[manisback121]

While I have happy memories of 2003, what cup final isn't a memory when you were there.

My top memories were

1)1995 (no brainer)
2)Game 5 against the stars in 2000 (so close to winning at home)
3) this date in 2003
4) being in Dallas to see them win in Dallas in 2000 (the folks down there were so nice, genuine)

Oh how the lockout changed so many things...

 

[Bleedred]

I don't think Quick gets the Conn Smythe last year if we win. Especially not if we came back from 3 games to 0 to win. After choking away a lead like that for the first time in like 70 years? No way. Even if we won without having to come out then I doubt he gets it. Probably Marty as was mentioned a lot last year as a ''Lifetime achievement'' award. Or Kovy maybe, but no way Quick gets it. I'm sure he did win it before the finals even started, but only if his team won.

I never thought of it that way before. Definitely more people remember that from the series than his Game 7 shutout though - or his three Finals shutouts (really four, since one game was a 0-0 regulation tie).

And the really UGLY goal that Paul Kariya scored after coming back into the game. That goal was painful to watch. Marty got pulled that game too, and Schwab came in during the 3rd period I think it was. I also wonder if our ALMOST collapse against Ottawa in the 2003 ECF where they almost did to us what we did to Philly 3 years earlier, was a factor. That wasn't exactly on Marty though, as we scored 2 goals in 7 periods of hockey in games 5 and 6 of that series.

I don't blame the jiggy monster for losing to us in the finals. After all his team was shutout in 3 of their 4 losses during the series. Though it is kind of ironic that he was scored on so many times by a team that wasn't known for being an offensive powerhouse.

However, Marty's snubbing of the Conn Smythe that year is fodder for the belief of ''Brodeur is a system goalie''.

 

[Bleedred]

Very close to it...20 goals allowed in the first three rounds (fourteen games plus a bunch of OT's), eighteen goals allowed in the Finals (seven games). That was always my main problem with it, his play got far worse in the Finals, not better or similar.

And he did get pulled once in the playoffs to answer an earlier point - Game 5 against Dallas. They actually had him on the ropes a little those last two games but Turco shat the bed in Game 6 (a 4-3 loss).

That's interesting cause I was thinking he didn't get pulled. He also had 3 straight shutouts, and just 1 goal scored on him in a 4 game sweep of the Wild. The Wild were beating up on Vancouver the round before scoring 5 and 7 goals against Dan Cloutier (LOL Cloutier!)

The Wild blew their load that playoffs on a dying Patrick Roy in his last games. I watched much of that series, and Roy was literally shivering on the ice and giving up **** like Quick did last night. You could tell he was DONE, and I knew his retirement announcement was incoming. I didn't think he was gonna retire until after watching that series where the Avs blew a 3-1 series lead. Then they finished up all they had on Vancouver before scoring 1 goal in the Anaheim series, and being shutout 3 straight times by jiggy in the first 3 games.

 

[Desert Devil]

Wow I was in eighth grade when that happened. Time flies and now I'm about to enter the real world, oh boy.

I personally think the Conn Smythe should go to the MVP of the winning team. It doesn't make sense to give it to somebody who lost because I'm sure they couldn't care less about that trophy and it kind of screws somebody else out of something they deserve.

Who else has lost in the finals and still gotten the Conn Smythe? Has it only been Hextall and Giguere?

 

[Officer Rod Farva]

I always forget Scott Stevens is actually R. Scott Stevens.

Why the R?

 

[Bleedred]

Wow I was in eighth grade when that happened. Time flies and now I'm about to enter the real world, oh boy.

I personally think the Conn Smythe should go to the MVP of the winning team. It doesn't make sense to give it to somebody who lost because I'm sure they couldn't care less about that trophy and it kind of screws somebody else out of something they deserve.

Who else has lost in the finals and still gotten the Conn Smythe? Has it only been Hextall and Giguere?

Roger Crozier for the Red Wings in 66, Glen Hall for the Blues in 69, Reggie Leach for the Flyers in 76, Ron Hextall for the Flyers in 87, and Giguere in 03. Reggie Leach was the only non goaltender to win the Conn Smythe with a losing team.

Why the R?

His first name is Ronald. Ronald Scott Stevens.

Randy McKay's real first name was actually Hugh. I'm pretty sure Johnny Oduya's first name is actually David. Not that either of those two had anything to do with the 03 team. Just funny that they also went by their middle names like Stevens did.

 

[TheDarkSideOfThePuck]

10 years ago, as a 10 years old boy, after watching New Jersey beat my hometown team (that I always used to cheer against) in ECF, I instantly became a fan and start idolizing Brodeur!

 

[Bleedred]

I would have rather have seen Pat Burns get the Conn Smythe. I really believe that team was a significant product of Burns coaching. It was a GOOD team, but I really think if Burnsie had stayed healthy that we would have won more cups down the road. He probably gets the 06-09 teams much further in the playoffs than Lou or Sutter for sure. The team ran out of gas in 04 much like in 01, only we were put out of our misery luckily in the first round by the Flyers and way before we got to the SCF that time. Not to mention the Stevens injury.

My buddy tells me when I get older I'm gonna look like Pat Burns did when he was coaching the Devils. I don't take that as an insult, because I don't think he was a bad looking guy at all. He also had a great head of hair unlike Lemaire with that cheap 4 pieces of hair combover.

 

[njdevsfn95]

Its good to know that nothing has changed in the last 10 years.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Yes I can.

I do not believe a player on a losing team should ever win it. I dont care if he went 15-4 with 15 shutouts, he's still a loser.

But beyond that, he was very average in the Stanley Cup Final. If you all of a sudden start playing average when it's all on the line? Yeah, not "most valuable" material.

Not to mention, Brodeur's complete 2003 Stanley Cup Playoff stats were almost as good as Giggy (better in a few departments), and oh, yeah, incidentally?

He won the Stanley Cup.

ah, so let me guess...you are of the belief that the only important statistic is wins? so W totals for pitchers matter to you, I bet?

its just dumb, archaic thinking.

Marty deserved to win the Conn Smythe. so did Gigeure.


I don't understand how people like you STILL get pissed off about it. who the hell cares?

 

[Devils Dominion]

Marty's better (and was in 2003).

 

[CerebralGenesis]

Marty can win it in 2014 and sail off into the sunset.

There.

 

[MartyOwns]

I wanted marty to win 1 CS trophy at least…2003 was his year. ah well. I always liked the idea of someone other than a devil winning it…it just means we were the deeper, better team with more contributors

 

[Devils Dominion]

I wanted marty to win 1 CS trophy at least…2003 was his year. ah well. I always liked the idea of someone other than a devil winning it…it just means we were the deeper, better team with more contributors

Marty outplayed Jiggy head to head in the Finals, and let's also remember that Marty had to face and beat the offensive-minded & gifted Ottawa Senators in the ECF.

 

[BenedictGomez]

ah, so let me guess...you are of the belief that the only important statistic is wins? so W totals for pitchers matter to you, I bet?

its just dumb, archaic thinking.

No, but since you've brought it up, lets look at all the 2003 stats.

Marty - 16 wins
Giggy - 15 wins

Giggy - 1.62
Marty - 1.65

Marty - 7 Shutouts
Giggy - 5 Shutouts

Giggy - .943 SVP
Marty - .935 SVP

Marty - Won the 2003 Stanley Cup
Giggy - Cried at the podium (literally)


EDIT: Added the word, "literally" to the above, since it was brought to attention how young many HFBoards users were in 03, some might not know or remember this.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Giguere was the only reason that that team got that far.