Our Best Squad to never win the Cup

[Busboy]

This.

Although I believe the OP was talking about team that actually played and was assembled and just didn't win.

I'd say 2006 but then Hasek wasn't playing so can't add him to the fold with a brutal Emery.

I'll go 2003 mainly cause we would have won the ****ing cup but ****ing Redden and Lalime ****ed up.

k, i'm voting 2006.

Where's the brutal Emery comment coming from?

He set a record for straight wins entering the league as a rookie that year.

He wasn't stellar in the playoffs but far from brutal. He was definitely good enough that the Gerber signing was controversial since many believed we had a starter in Emery.

 

[Caeldan]

I was AT that game. On what was basically a first date. I cried like a baby too...

I was at that game too.
And it wasn't just Redden on that play. Rachunek too plus was it Havlat that was just coasting back?

Just absolutely horrible all around.

 

[John Holmes*]

I also picked 2003, but Radical Kerplunk (always liked that one) couldn't get us past NJD.

Such a heartbreaking series. I was at that game. Staff were crying.

 

[John Holmes*]

I was at that game too.
And it wasn't just Redden on that play. Rachunek too plus was it Havlat that was just coasting back?

Just absolutely horrible all around.

That was destiny. It was a 2 on 2. Havlat sticking with Friesen would have made it a 2 on 3.

Really, for Grant Marshall of all people to feather a pass through two defensemen, right on to Friesen's tape and he absolutely undressed Lalime, who was still pretty good in that series.

It was a perfect storm.

Just sucks that we were on the receiving end of it.

The tension that night was thick. Would have been awesome if we had won.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

I don't think I'll ever click on this thread again.

I can come to terms with getting killed in the 07 finals. But it hurts too much thinking back to 03/06.

 

[MtRundle]

That was destiny. It was a 2 on 2. Havlat sticking with Friesen would have made it a 2 on 3.

Really, for Grant Marshall of all people to feather a pass through two defensemen, right on to Friesen's tape and he absolutely undressed Lalime, who was still pretty good in that series.

It was a perfect storm.

Just sucks that we were on the receiving end of it.

The tension that night was thick. Would have been awesome if we had won.

Can't believe that was 11 years ago. I remember coming back from 0-2 in that series to force game 7- seemed like a team of destiny.

 

[John Holmes*]

Well you remember wrong since we won game 1 in OT

 

[MtRundle]

Well you remember wrong since we won game 1 in OT

lol down 3-1 to go to game 7

 

[John Holmes*]

You know even though that series ended the way it did, there were some great moments.

The aforementioned game 1 OT win where Havlat fooled everyone and passed the puck to Van Allen for an easy tap in.

The game 6 OT winner where Varada was doing his Jose Canseco impression in the crease (striking out a lot) before Phillips got there and scored. He must have missed that puck at least three times...

 

[Spez]

Am I the only one who thinks that when we do finally win the cup part of the narrative will be beating the leafs finally in the playoffs? Just seems like that would be the perfect way to cap things off. Of course if we could beat the penguins along the way that would be nice as well.

 

[LeafRaker]

Why can't we just win the cup already

 

[John Holmes*]

We've beat the Penguins.

 

[Wallet Inspector]

>my face when reading this thread

 

[Spez]

Yeah but they've had our number the last 3 meetings and it'd be great to send Crysbaby and company home en route to our first cup win.

 

[CanadianHockey]

Another vote for the 04/05-05/06 teams.

I think they were, on paper, the best team we've ever iced, even if 2003 was the closest we've really come to a Cup (07 Ducks >>>> 03 Ducks).

 

[CanadianHockey]

We've beat the Penguins.

Once since the lockout, when their entire core was playing in their first series, and our core consisted of playoff vets who were considered contenders.

 

[SENSational Sens Fan]

Very slight edge to the 2006 team. We weren't just winning games during that regular season, we dominated many of them. Too bad we disappointingly underachieved in the playoffs that year.

 

[trentmccleary]

2006
2003
2004
2007

03 team quite easily, if Lalime could stop a beach ball in games 2,3,4 against New Jersey it would have been a short series.

Scratch game 3 from that list.

Where's the brutal Emery comment coming from?

He had an .864SV% against Buffalo that postseason, blew Game 1 repeatedly and gave up 3 OT winners on 4 OT shots. He was brutal.

That was destiny. It was a 2 on 2. Havlat sticking with Friesen would have made it a 2 on 3.

Really, for Grant Marshall of all people to feather a pass through two defensemen, right on to Friesen's tape and he absolutely undressed Lalime, who was still pretty good in that series.

Rachunek was way out of the play at that point. You see him back in the frame after the goal because he busted his butt to get back after his bad pinch caused it.

Redden was alone looking at Marshall unchecked on the boards with Friesen coming down the middle with Havlat right on top of him. Havlat giving up on the play was the bigger problem and made Redden's decision look much worse than it was.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

This thread just reminded me of my 21 year old self sitting in a bar in Winnipeg with my head in my hands in 2003.

Feels bad man.