10th Anniversary of the '03 Cup Victory

[JimEIV]

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

Really? A 40 win team in the regular season tied for the 4th best record in the West with 95 points and a brilliant coach with Mike Babcock....and Giguere is the only reason?


I don't think the Sammy Pahlsson's and Steve Rucchin's of that team who played solid shutdown mistake free hockey for 60 minutes every night got nearly enough credit.


The team played suffocating defense all season long..Just look at the fact that there backup goalie Martin Gerber had incredible number also (regular season) he actually had a better save% and a better Goals Against than Giguere did and Gerber had a losing record....that is a testament to the style of play that team was playing all season long.

 

[billingtons ghost]

**** you guys are so very young.

I got my first season tix shortly after getting my first 'real' job in 1994 and saw the whole playoff run.

Thought I was the 'new wave' of mid 20-year-olds replacing all of the greybeards...

Now I'm the greybeard. LOL.

Edit:
Obviously, seeing them win the cup way upstairs in the old barn in 1995 was the best.
I was the sole Devil fan in a lodge (except for an 8 year old German kid who thought Marty was awesome) at Lake Tahoe for the 2000 Cup. Some folks took pity on me and threw me in the back of their pickup and took me to my campsite when I couldn't drive after celebrating too much. Free bottle of champagne from the barkeep.
The 2003 cup was gravy, and I watched that one at home.

 

[CerebralGenesis]

Really? A 40 win team in the regular season tied for the 4th best record in the West with 95 points and a brilliant coach with Mike Babcock....and Giguere is the only reason?


I don't think the Sammy Pahlsson's and Steve Rucchin's of that team who played solid shutdown mistake free hockey for 60 minutes every night got nearly enough credit.


The team played suffocating defense all season long..Just look at the fact that there backup goalie Martin Gerber had incredible number also (regular season) he actually had a better save% and a better Goals Against than Giguere did and Gerber had a losing record....that is a testament to the style of play that team was playing all season long.

Ya I agree that saying jiggypuff is the only reason is a bit too much. So when you consider that is the reason he got the award, I am not impressed.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

7 shutouts vs 5, and 3 vs. 1 in the finals.

Yeah, that's pretty much the deal breaker.

Screwjob.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I don't care about the regular season numbers. the Conn Smythe is not based on regular season numbers.

 

[Devils Dominion]

The CS is also based on 4 rounds, not 3.

 

[Cowbell232]

Look up when the votes have to be in the for the CS. The writers probably thought - as did most of the public - that the Ducks would win the series.

Whoops?

 

[BenedictGomez]

Look up when the votes have to be in the for the CS. The writers probably thought - as did most of the public - that the Ducks would win the series.

The Conn Smythe isnt voted on until a Cup winner is declared (i.e. after the last game).

 

[Cowbell232]

The Conn Smythe isnt voted on until a Cup winner is declared (i.e. after the last game).

You sure about that?

I don't think that's accurate. And I really don't think that was true in 2003...

 

[Devils Dominion]

You sure about that?

I don't think that's accurate. And I really don't think that was true in 2003...

As far as I can remember watching the NHL playoffs (since about 1981), I have always heard that the CS has always been voted on the night the Cup is awarded.

If anyone can find something online that contracdicts that assumption, I'd be interested.

It would not make any sense for a vote to be made after 3 rounds.
The Finals IS the most important round afterall.

And the Devils were favorites in that series, I remember most hockey writers picking them.

 

[NJDevs26]

It's voted on with like a few minutes left in the final game. That's about as soon as they do it since they have to tally the votes and have a winner decided in time for the presentation although there was a certain feeling in 2003 that it had been ceded to Giguere before the Finals began. But that wasn't true in actuality.

There is no way in **** they'd ever really vote on the Conn Smythe before the Finals began.

 

[Nick0930]

I thought they voted at the end of the second period.

 

[Desert Devil]

If they vote before the final game is over, or reasonably decided, then that is extremely stupid.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

The CS is also based on 4 rounds, not 3.

so because Giguere lost 1 more game (in which his team scored 0 goals), he shouldnt win it?

its not like we swept them. he won 15/16 games. and probably about 12 were solely because of him.

 

[Devils Dominion]

h

so because Giguere lost 1 more game (in which his team scored 0 goals), he shouldnt win it?

its not like we swept them. he won 15/16 games. and probably about 12 were solely because of him.

He was very good but Marty was better.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

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.

Just looking at that and knowing Giguere got the Conn Smythe is embarrassing. I'd say "tie goes to the winner", but just looking at those stats Marty has the obvious edge.

I'm not sure if maybe the issue is that the Devils had more than one candidate in Neidermayer?

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

h

He was very good but Marty was better.

he wasn't though. if anything it was a push.


again, I just think its funny how many Devils fans whine about it. who the hell cares? would you rather we lost and Marty won the COnn Smythe?

I dont see how anyone can say Marty clearly had the better numbers.

 

[Holtz My Bahls]

I don't care that much, but I still think Marty should have won it.

 

[JimEIV]

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.

On the Save% you also have to remember Giguere was coming into the finals with a High .960's and fell to .943.....Brodeur's Save% rose to .935 in the Finals.

Brodeur clearly outplayed Girguere in the finals it is hard to argue any other way ...So the way I see it is Giguere was awarded the Smythe SOLEY based on the previous 3 rounds...

My thought is also the performance in the Championship round should hold more weight than the performance of the lower rounds. And if you agree with that thought, Brodeur should have won the MVP.

 

[Classic Devil]

Brodeur badly outplayed Giguere in the finals.

 

[dougiebrown]

True Story:

Watched game 7 at Hobson's Choice in Hoboken with my roommate. Few Devils fans there. There's two minutes to go in the game, and the celebrating is beginning. I go to the bar and order up some champagne and shots. As I'm waiting for my order, a girl next to me at the bar, who's been there the whole time and notices my Devils jersey, says to me:

"I was supposed to go to the game tonight, but I couldn't find anyone to go with me."

To which I say:

"Oh, seriously? That sucks! What did you do with the tickets?

What happened next truly happened: She reaches into her purse and says:

"They're right here."

Uhhhhhhh.........are you farking kidding me? You saw me there the whole night, and couldn't have offered them to me? You could've sold them to me at the end of the 2nd and I would've went! I........had no words.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

True Story:

Watched game 7 at Hobson's Choice in Hoboken with my roommate. Few Devils fans there. There's two minutes to go in the game, and the celebrating is beginning. I go to the bar and order up some champagne and shots. As I'm waiting for my order, a girl next to me at the bar, who's been there the whole time and notices my Devils jersey, says to me:

"I was supposed to go to the game tonight, but I couldn't find anyone to go with me."

To which I say:

"Oh, seriously? That sucks! What did you do with the tickets?

What happened next truly happened: She reaches into her purse and says:

"They're right here."

Uhhhhhhh.........are you farking kidding me? You saw me there the whole night, and couldn't have offered them to me? You could've sold them to me at the end of the 2nd and I would've went! I........had no words.

did she look like this?

Holy fail hall of fame.

 

[Brodeur]

I went to game 6 in Anaheim with the hopes of the Devils clinching the Cup. I remembered seeing pictures when they won in Dallas in 2000. The team was still celebrating on the ice and the entire arena was practically vacated except for a handful of Devils fans. Figured something similar might have happened had they won.

It's a little odd, but something I always associate with that game is baseball player Scott Spiezio. At the time, the Anaheim Angels were the reigning World Series champs (ie, Anaheim fans were feeling pretty high and mighty at that point). The Angels had been down 3 games to 2. Spiezio hit a pivotal home run in game 6 of that series and eventually the Angels won in 7. Before the game, the arena scoreboard kept flashing parallels between the Ducks/Angels and the guy next to me just kept yelling "SPIEZIO!!! SPIEZIO!!!!"

It's funny how quickly history can erase something. That Paul Kariya goal in game 6 could have been one of those immortal highlights in NHL history had they won game 7. But it didn't even take a month for Paul Kariya to become the most hated man in Anaheim after he signed in Colorado (Ducks chose not to give him a 10 million dollar qualifying offer).

 

[PWiz30]

True Story:

Watched game 7 at Hobson's Choice in Hoboken with my roommate. Few Devils fans there. There's two minutes to go in the game, and the celebrating is beginning. I go to the bar and order up some champagne and shots. As I'm waiting for my order, a girl next to me at the bar, who's been there the whole time and notices my Devils jersey, says to me:

"I was supposed to go to the game tonight, but I couldn't find anyone to go with me."

To which I say:

"Oh, seriously? That sucks! What did you do with the tickets?

What happened next truly happened: She reaches into her purse and says:

"They're right here."

Uhhhhhhh.........are you farking kidding me? You saw me there the whole night, and couldn't have offered them to me? You could've sold them to me at the end of the 2nd and I would've went! I........had no words.

Couldn't find anyone to go with me?!? To game 7 of the finals? Chick must have been a loser and a 1.

 

[Bleedred]

Don't forget Giguere was also this big ****in fatso who looked like he had an air compressor under his sweater that inflated him into this blob that made the wall of pads goalies today look miniscule in comparison. He also wore shoulder pads up to his ears. Even Clement and Thorne were cracking jokes about his equipment all throughout that SCF.

I'm pretty sure when the NHL regulated the goalie equipment after the last lockout that he was the main target. If you look at him today he's still this blimp, but he isn't the blob that we saw back in 03.