How the mighty have fallen: Chicago and LA

WHOneedsSOX

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Mar 1, 2015
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Which is kind of funny because Hawks fans feel the same way about winning in 13 and 15 but falling short in 14.
I agree with that too. Obviously we have no way of knowing if the Kings/Hawks still have enough legs to win the 3rd in a row but at the very least they would've won 2 in a row.
 
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Toews2Bickell

It's Showtime
Nov 24, 2013
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There are things wrong with the Hawks but they have potential solutions coming. They have a lot of cap space to address their bottom 6 and a couple young defenseman coming, Ian Mitchell and Adam Boqvist. Plus a likely top 10-15 pick in a deep draft at forward. As long as Crawford stays Crawford then they’ll be a lot more talented next year with the right additions, including a new staff.
 

fsanford

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The mighty have 5 cups between them though...I'd much rather be that than a team like San Jose or Tampa who are always really good but not quite good enough to win it all.

The salary cap makes it impossible for any team to stay on top forever. Teams will always go through ups and downs.

Teams like the Kings/Hawks etc trade assets, players etc to gain any advantage they can to win. Sooner or later those traded picks and players catches up and you lose depth. They still have great players but not enough depth to carry them.

Nothing will compare being in the building when Martinez shot in that game winner for the Kings to win cup 2. Winning 3 game 7's prior to that, never will experience anything like that again.

Or being in the building after years of futility finally winning the first cup. Your team winning the sports ultimate prize is what you hope for as a fan.

To your point the fact that San Jose traded assets for what could be a very expensive UFA, seems to point to the fact they are tired of participating.

Kings are probably paying for it now, so be it, when the Kings stink up the place on a given night I can still look up at a couple of those Stanley Cup banners, and re-live some great memories.
 
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Dicky113

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Oct 30, 2007
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This is very easy to answer. Sports teams in a salary controlled environment cycle. You suck and rebuild through the draft and hopefully land a couple of core pieces, you build the team around those players as they enter their prime by adding free agents, you win, you pay aging core discusting amounts of money with no movement clauses in unrealistic hope of prolonging the glory, you lose key supporting pieces because you can’t afford them, the core ages, you start to suck, you build through the draft, and around we go.

Some people call it a window, I call it a hump because, hump is a funnier word. Either way, LA, CHI, BOS are over the hump and moving into the dark ages. It will be alright, they just need to suck for a few years, trade their aging core for draft picks, and rebuild. They’ll be relevant again in 5 years
 
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lifelonghockeyfan

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Some people call it a window, I call it a hump because, hump is a funnier word. Either way, LA, CHI, BOS are over the hump and moving into the dark ages. It will be alright, they just need to suck for a few years, trade their aging core for draft picks, and rebuild. They’ll be relevant again in 5 years

Glad you find the "hump" word so funny, which is what I would expect from Dicky:nod:. But you're right in cap league and one with free agency there should be an ebb and tide for most teams.
 
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Osprey

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Feb 18, 2005
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It must be strange to be a teenager or relatively new fan and not really remember a time before Chicago and LA were "mighty." There was nothing mighty about these teams just 10 years ago and for most of the 2000s. From 1998 to 2008, Chicago missed the playoffs 9 out of 10 years and were named by ESPN as the worst franchise in all of professional sports in 2004. LA missed the playoffs 6 straight seasons until 2010. In 2007, LA had the 3rd lowest points in the league and Chicago had the 5th lowest. Both teams were in the league's cellar until they started to crawl out at the about the same around, around 2008 (thanks mainly to the drafting of Toews, Kane, Kopitar and Doughty). In fact, if you look at the big picture, both teams have been mediocre or bad more often in the last 20 years than they've been good, so the thread title does make me chuckle a little.
 
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Osprey

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Feb 18, 2005
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Won’t be for long after we draft Jack Hughes and assemble the uncle sam line with Hughes, Kane and DeBrincat.

Five years ago, Chicago and LA were battling to see who got to be #1 and lift the Cup. Today, they're battling to see who gets to be #1 and draft Hughes. It's too bad that the matter can't be decided by a third 7-game series, like in 2013 and 2014.
 
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ColbyChaos

Marty Snoozeman's Father
Sep 27, 2017
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Five years ago, Chicago and LA were battling to see who got to be #1 and lift the Cup. Today, they're battling to see who gets to be #1 and draft Hughes. It's too bad that the matter can't be decided by a third 7-game series, like in 2013 and 2014.
They do play eachother twice in March may the better team lose
 

TOGuy14

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Dec 30, 2010
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What has happened to these recent powerhouse teams? It is truly baffling. They have both seemingly dropped off a cliff without their rosters changing all that much. They have lost some key secondary pieces but nobody major and their cores are still intact.

It makes you wonder if the NHL has become a fluke and we will never see dynasties like their were in the 80's and there are in other sports right now.

Chicago has been getting progressively worse, Lost in 1st round, swept in 1st round, missed playoffs. LA: missed playoffs, embarrassed in 1st round, missed playoffs, swept in 1st round by an expansion team.

It is inexcusable for two teams that have won multiple cups with the same players to just regress into bottom feeders. It is taking the enjoyment out of watching the NHL knowing that there are no truly great teams anymore.

Age and a lot of mileage on the tires.

Their key guys may still be "only" 30 but have close to 1000 games played or more.

Basically time to pay the piper after all those exciting cup wins. Pittsburgh has a couple extra seasons because Crosby and Malkin are generational but they will hit that same cliff too
 

Billy Kvcmu

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Dec 5, 2014
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Also...STFU with your” there is truly no great team, it’s no fun “ comment.

Do you know how many great teams had never won a single cup ? The 09~12 Canucks were one of the most dominant team post salary cap. 0 cups because of the another great team(Blackhawks), Time Thomas and a BS type of performance by Jonathon Quick.
The best team rarely wins the cup
 

Deegee

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Oct 29, 2013
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So thankful for the salary cap. The NHL with the Wings, Avalanche, and Stars buying their way into the playoffs every year was terrible to watch.

The league was really bad for a bit.
 

Choralone

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Oct 16, 2010
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Also...**** with your” there is truly no great team, it’s no fun “ comment.

Do you know how many great teams had never won a single cup ? The 09~12 Canucks were one of the most dominant team post salary cap. 0 cups because of the another great team(Blackhawks), Time Thomas and a BS type of performance by Jonathon Quick.
The best team rarely wins the cup

If that's what you want to believe. I'm guessing the Canucks were the "best" team in all those match-ups? What a tough break....
 
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sharks9

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This is the reality of the salary cap world. Eventually we'll be saying the same thing about Pittsburgh and Washington and any other Cup contenders who price themselves out of having a competitive team
 

Raccoon Jesus

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Oct 30, 2008
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Age and a lot of mileage on the tires.

Their key guys may still be "only" 30 but have close to 1000 games played or more.

Basically time to pay the piper after all those exciting cup wins. Pittsburgh has a couple extra seasons because Crosby and Malkin are generational but they will hit that same cliff too


I would argue even more so for the Kings given the style of play. Some of those series were exhausting to watch, never mind play in. We did this one twice:



Good 'ol Black and Blue series. So much physical hockey. Total bloodbath.
 

IamNotADancer

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Feb 16, 2017
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These sort of threads make me wonder how long people have been watching the NHL. With almost no exception every team at one point will become terrifyingly bad (Rangers somehow fail at failing and are ruining their chances at drafting top dog).

I vividly remember how bad Tampa was, I remember like it's yesterday how everyone laughed at the Leafs. I remember how the aforementioned Blackhawks were the laughing stock of the league before they even became a "Power House". Additionally I remember the "scary good" Sabres and the almost unbeatable Avalanche and Red Wings years.

It's everyone's turn at one point or another, which is why I never make fun of bad teams. I know full well that eventually the tides will turn and my, at one time superior team will be so bad that people will create threads on hfboards.

So to anyone who is a fan of a team that's "pretty good" right now: Enjoy it while it lasts, eventually you will be in a spot where people, such as yourself will make fun of your terrible team.
 

ColbyChaos

Marty Snoozeman's Father
Sep 27, 2017
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Also...**** with your” there is truly no great team, it’s no fun “ comment.

Do you know how many great teams had never won a single cup ? The 09~12 Canucks were one of the most dominant team post salary cap. 0 cups because of the another great team(Blackhawks), Time Thomas and a BS type of performance by Jonathon Quick.
The best team rarely wins the cup

The 08-13 Cannucks and the Sharks around that same era were definitely two very overlooked teams when it comes to looking back to that era, especially when the sharks had peak Thornton, Marleau, and Mr. 50 in 07 as their top line openly feasting on teams. Meanwhile there are people here who think the rest of the league was just weak while Chicago and LA were winning just because his own team wasn’t making the dance. Gotta love this site
 

WHOneedsSOX

Registered User
Mar 1, 2015
5,304
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Five years ago, Chicago and LA were battling to see who got to be #1 and lift the Cup. Today, they're battling to see who gets to be #1 and draft Hughes. It's too bad that the matter can't be decided by a third 7-game series, like in 2013 and 2014.
I don't think I want to see a 7 game series involving the Kings and anyone this season lol
 

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