Hockey's Biggest "What if"?

[SealsFan]

What if Bobby Hull doesn't go to the WHA? The Blackhawks continued to have two winning seasons with him gone, including losing to Montreal in the finals again, then they tailed off into mediocrity the rest of the decade, never getting past the quarterfinals and even making the playoffs once with a 26-43-11 record.

 

[ShelbyZ]

That's an interesting one to me, particularly thinking of the 2007 Red Wings as 2007 was Avery's best season. If I had to guess, Detroit with Avery in tow doesn't sign Cleary in 2006. Cleary was good for Detroit in the 2007 playoffs so I'm not sure that Avery makes a big difference, though Detroit could have used someone like him. I also wonder what he would have been like once Lidstrom was the only member of the old guard left in 2007. I would guess that Avery would have ended up as a better, but less well known, player.

Cleary signed a two-way in 2005 after a successful PTO, where the Red Wings had a small handful of NHL experienced guys trying out.

I'm not sure I agree that Cleary would've been the odd man out. He had a really good camp, and a big fan in Mike Babcock, so the Wings probably still sign him as affordable depth and probably end up waiving/demoting a spare part lower on the depth chart like #13F Mark Mowers or rarely dressed #8D Jamie Rivers.

But it's also possible the Red Wings end up in the same spot that allowed for Cleary to try out anyway, considering:

-Avery and Jason Williams both kind of had the same value as young (3 months apart) waiver exempt guys that were right on the NHL bubble. If the Wings still make the Schneider trade but keep Avery, it's probably a strong possibility that it's Williams going to the Kings instead. So they could've gone into 05-06 with Avery instead of Williams, thus still leaving the possibility for signing Cleary.
-IIRC, Avery played some center in Detroit, so it's possible that with him in tow for 03-04 they don't see as much of Mark Mowers. Or, if Mowers is still around after the lockout, he's on the depth chart as an experienced AHLer for GR and the NHL club is still looking for warm bodies at the bottom of the line-up. Even from the get go that season, it seemed that Mowers was lower on the depth chart than Cleary and could eventually find himself in GR.

Also:
-Do they still sign Samuelsson? He was signed during training camp, a couple weeks before Cleary was offered a contract.
-Franzen was exempt from waivers. Maybe they consider sending him to GR to start?
-If the Red Wings ended up having one more injury at forward other than Yzerman coming out of the 05 training camp even with Avery added to the complete 05-06 roster, Cleary probably still makes the NHL roster and at some point forces them to waive someone else once everyone is healthy.

As for 06-07, depending on what kind of player Avery is or what his 05-06 season looks like, he maybe re-sings for cheaper than he did with LA and then you probably just have no failed Greg Johnson signing or failed Brad Norton enforcer experiment, and Filppula's ascension to being a regular on the roster comes if (or actually when) Kopecky goes down long term. Avery probably would've been interesting in that series against the Ducks. Imagine him driving Pronger and Niedermayer nuts enough for them to want to slam his head into the glass instead of Holmstrom's...

 

[CharlestownChiefsESC]

Here's a new one what if the slew foot in Game 5 was called negating St.Louis's 2nd goal vs the Bruins. Do the Bruins go on on to win Game 5 and capture the cup in 6????

 

[VanIslander]

What if's about SINGLE plays and sports reminds me of what the great American cable sports radio network host "The Babe" used to say about a single blown call by a ref/ump: ... SCORE MORE!!!!

Any time a playoff series comes down to one play, then... neither team can say it DESERVED to win!

 

[brachyrynchos]

Butch Goring was offsides when he received a drop pass from Gillies in game 6 of the 1980 Finals, seconds later it led to a Duane Sutter goal that gave the Isles a 2-1 lead (14:08 1st period). Isles went on to win the Cup that game in overtime, if the linesman blew his whistle there's a chance the Islanders don't win that game and lose game 7 (in Philly?). So maybe no Islanders dynasty, perhaps their core players face more criticism about their ability to win which could've led to possibly some sort of shakeup with the roster or staff. And while the Isles would be viewed differently, so would the Flyers... Clarke, Propp, Linesman, Holmgren, etc.

 

[Talisman]

What if Jaromir jagr had return to penguins in 2011 to play with crosby/malkin??.

what if the penguins had draft Filip Forsberg in 2012 NHL draft!!.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

Butch Goring was offsides when he received a drop pass from Gillies in game 6 of the 1980 Finals, seconds later it led to a Duane Sutter goal that gave the Isles a 2-1 lead (14:08 1st period). Isles went on to win the Cup that game in overtime, if the linesman blew his whistle there's a chance the Islanders don't win that game and lose game 7 (in Philly?). So maybe no Islanders dynasty, perhaps their core players face more criticism about their ability to win which could've led to possibly some sort of shakeup with the roster or staff. And while the Isles would be viewed differently, so would the Flyers... Clarke, Propp, Linesman, Holmgren, etc.

The Islanders would have stayed mostly intact had they lost to the Flyers. I remember reading years ago that Bill Torrey was going to perform a shakeup of the roster had they not made the 1980 Finals. If Leon Stickle had called that offsides, the Flyers probably still lose game 6. Had there been a game 7 at the Spectrum, I believe the Islanders win. That Islander team was not going to be denied.

 

[ForsbergForever]

What if Jaromir jagr had return to penguins in 2011 to play with crosby/malkin??.

what if the penguins had draft Filip Forsberg in 2012 NHL draft!!.

Or if the Pens draft Jonathan Toews or Phil Kessel instead of Jordan Staal in 2006...

 

[Talisman]

Or if the Pens draft Jonathan Toews or Phil Kessel instead of Jordan Staal in 2006...

i have think about that Toews card also afterwards….

 

[ChiTownPhilly]

What if's about SINGLE plays and sports reminds me of what the great American cable sports radio network host "The Babe" used to say about a single blown call by a ref/ump: ... SCORE MORE!!!!

Any time a playoff series comes down to one play, then... neither team can say it DESERVED to win!

Off-topic, granted-- but reminds me of a basketball anecdote. The 1984 US Men's Olympic Basketball Team was headed by Bob Knight. Someone asked him how he would address a scenario like the infamous "Munich Screwjob" of 1972. [At this point, imagine a Knight-esque eruption on the Olympic floor, right?] His answer was as understated as it was practical. He said something like 'well, we just gotta make sure we have a bigger lead at that point in the game.'

 

[bobholly39]

Here's a new one what if the slew foot in Game 5 was called negating St.Louis's 2nd goal vs the Bruins. Do the Bruins go on on to win Game 5 and capture the cup in 6????

You can say that about a thousand different plays in different playoff games over the years that could have led to one team winning the cup over another.

What if the Habs player (I think it was Plekanec, but not sure) doesn't hit the post in round 1 game 7 OT against Boston - do Habs win the cup instead of Boston?

What if Jaromir jagr had return to penguins in 2011 to play with crosby/malkin??.

what if the penguins had draft Filip Forsberg in 2012 NHL draft!!.

Jagr in Pittsburgh again could have been a lot of fun, but i get a sense it wouldn't necessarily have been as successful as it sounds on paper.

Or if the Pens draft Jonathan Toews or Phil Kessel instead of Jordan Staal in 2006...

I think Toews benefited more from having his own team in Chicago. If he had to play behind Malkin and Crosby i don't think he becomes quite the player he is. And him not being captain (because there's no way Crosby doesn't get it, it would have generated a circus in the media) sounds weird.

Now if Pitt could somehow get Kane, a winger, that's more interesting. Or if Chicago could have drafted Malkin on top of Toews, that becomes just as interesting. But Toews in Pitts to me seems almost like he'd be lost in the shuffle a bit, and not as big a boost as it sounds.

 

[brachyrynchos]

The Islanders would have stayed mostly intact had they lost to the Flyers. I remember reading years ago that Bill Torrey was going to perform a shakeup of the roster had they not made the 1980 Finals. If Leon Stickle had called that offsides, the Flyers probably still lose game 6. Had there been a game 7 at the Spectrum, I believe the Islanders win. That Islander team was not going to be denied.

A game 6 loss would've put the momentum in favor of Philly and put a bit of pressure on the Isles who were up 3-1 in the series at one point. And while the Isles won game 1 in Philly (4-3 OT) they had problems there in games 2 and 5, losing 8-3 and 6-3 respectively. Game 7 at the Spectrum with perhaps some Kate Smith would've been a real challenge for the Isles, would've been interesting to see. Cheers.

 

[VanIslander]

What if the Iron Curtain hadn't fallen for another decade and defections stopped?

Imagine the Soviet juniors line of Alex Mogilny - Sergei Fedorov - Pavel Bure continued?!

 

[Canucks1096]

What if 1994 game 6 and game 7 in the finals was two days apart instead of one, Canucks would of had a good chance to win the cup.

 

[CharlestownChiefsESC]

Now that the previous poster mentioned 94, What if Tikkanen's goal counted in Game 5 in 94. The disallowed goal took the wind out of the RANGERS sails and gave Vancouver the momentum. With a 1-0 lead early on and the crowd on their side do the RANGERS win the cup in Game 5. Im thinking yes.

 

[Voight]

What if the Iron Curtain hadn't fallen for another decade and defections stopped?

Imagine the Soviet juniors line of Alex Mogilny - Sergei Fedorov - Pavel Bure continued?!

All 3 left before the Iron Curtain fell tho (well Bure defected shortly before it "officially" fell), so even if the USSR had collapsed in the late 90s they would have already been there.

 

[Pominville Knows]

All 3 left before the Iron Curtain fell tho (well Bure defected shortly before it "officially" fell), so even if the USSR had collapsed in the late 90s they would have already been there.

This probably only if Glasnost and whatever would still have happened in the mid eighties.