A (Post-) Season To Remember

So the Blackhawks have finally ended their nearly 50-year Stanley Cup drought. Can we finally put all the talk of the Marian Hossa curse to rest now?

In all seriousness though, what a memorable playoff 2010 turned out to be. Chicago had a great run and truly earned the Cup with a great TEAM effort. I had figured when this season started that the ‘Hawks would be at least one more year away, but the bitter taste from last year’s loss in the Western Conference Final to Detroit seemed to fuel Chicago’s drive to succeed now. And in this current climate of sport – where the prevailing attitude seems to be, “What have you done for me lately?” – it couldn’t have happened a moment too soon for the long-suffering hockey fans in the Windy City. Sure, there are plenty of bandwagon fans who’ve jumped on board in Chi-town, but what team doesn’t have those fans come out of the woodworks once that winning mojo is rediscovered?

Philadelphia also warrants a tip of the cap on a phenomenal postseason. After an underwhelming regular season – which was riddled with rumors of infighting and injuries to several key players – the Flyers came together (and got healthy) at just the right time. I’d stated to some of my hockey friends when the playoffs started how the Flyers – along with the Bruins and Canadiens – got into the playoffs in the East by default and therefore, didn’t truly belong in the postseason.

Talk about eating crow.

Philly showed me – and the whole hockey world – that they indeed did belong in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and made the most of their opportunity after sneaking in. There was simply way too much talent on this Philadelphia roster to dismiss them as also-rans (something the media did far too often this postseason). The Flyers responded to their detractors with a big middle finger and put on an impressive playoff run that was one of the most memorable in recent memory. After all, they call the playoffs “the second season” for a reason, right?

Philly fans shouldn’t hang their heads. Their team did the City of Brotherly Love proud. Every time the Flyers were considered down-and-out-for-the-count, they responded with the resiliency and heart of a champion. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to land the big trophy.  But they didn't miss by much.

Perhaps my biggest realization about my hockey observations this season is how I’ve found myself drawn more to rooting for certain players rather than teams. I admitted prior to the start of the Stanley Cup Final that I didn’t have a rooting interest in either team. In fact, I wouldn’t have minded some miraculous aberration allowing both teams to lose. But I chose to watch, and as a hockey fan who is watching from a more objective viewpoint as time passes by, I was mostly certainly rewarded.

I suppose some of that mindset stems from not seeing Toronto in the postseason since before the lockout. Maybe it’s because I’ve had those images from the Vancouver Olympics permanently burned into my mind (therefore making the players who played in that tournament more visible to the eye). Maybe it’s because Mike Emrick reminded anyone who watched NBC’s NHL coverage that Duncan Keith played at Michigan State (but never mentioned once that Keith left MSU for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL during his sophomore year in 2002-03….did anyone else catch that?). But the individual efforts in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final really stood out to me. The face-off circle prowess of Jonathan Toews. The never-say-die attitude of Mike Richards. The shut-down capabilities of David Bolland. The tenacity and fearlessness of Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere. The physical pugnacity of Chris Pronger and Dustin Byfuglien. And of course, the missing teeth of Duncan Keith.  While I was certainly aware of these specific skill-sets possessed by these players, seeing them displayed on hockey’s grandest stage seemed to magnify those abilities to the Nth degree. Gotta love seeing who rises to the occasion when the pressure’s on.

Well, now what? The entry draft is two weeks away, so we’ll be riddled with more of the Taylor vs. Tyler debate. My take on that topic will be coming in the near future, so stay tuned.

High Praise For A Marked Man

Over the last couple of days, I’ve found myself both bewildered and amused at the reactions to Chris Pronger’s post-game puck swiping and verbal sparring with both Chicago’s Ben Eager and the media following Monday’s 2-1 victory for the Blackhawks in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Almost instantly, a vitriol-laced backlash against the rock-solid defenseman littered an abundance of hockey blogs throughout the web.

Frankly, I’m wondering what the fuss is all about.
We all know of Pronger’s reputation as a hockey player who treads the line between aggressive, hard-nosed hockey and malicious head-hunting. Many would say he crosses that line into the abyss of reckless abandon far too often, which places Pronger front-and-center into the conversation of “The NHL’s Dirtiest Player”. We also know he’s not exactly the most media-friendly athlete out there. Pronger can be moody. surly, and downright unpleasant to the media. Just ask the folks in Edmonton about his short-lived tenure as an Oiler.

But Pronger is also a player who also has a reputation as a leader. He’s a force to be reckoned with, an immovable object with the perfect combination of size and skill. He continues to log major minutes on the Flyers’ blueline in all situations, playing with the same tireless energy as the young man who won the Norris and Hart Trophies a decade ago. He’s always been the kind of player you hate to play against, but you’d love to have on your team. And he does whatever it takes to help lead his team to victory. I’ve come to appreciate Pronger’s play over the last several seasons, and have often wondered numerous times in that time if the unabashed hatred towards Pronger has blinded many in the hockey world to all his on-ice achievements. For that I’ve provided a brief recap:

• OHL and CHL Defenseman of the Year – 1993
• NHL All-Rookie Team – 1994
• NHL Plus/Minus Leader – 1998, 2000
• 6-Time NHL All-Star – 1999, 2000, 2001 (voted in as starter but injured), 2002, 2004, 2008
• Norris Trophy – 2000
• Hart Trophy – 2000
• NHL First All-Star Team - 2000
• NHL Second All-Star Team - 1998, 2004, 2007
• Stanley Cup champion – 2007
• St. Louis Blues captain – 1997-2003
• Anaheim Ducks captain – 2007-08
• World Junior Championship Gold Medalist – 1993
• World Championship Gold Medalist – 1997
• Olympic Gold Medalist – 2002, 2010

Despite all these accolades, many prefer to focus on this list instead. But it’s safe to say without the edge he has played with for his entire career, many of the honors listed above disappear.

Uncompromising would be the term I’d use to describe Chris Pronger. He is who he is, with no apologies to the media, fans, and the rest of the league. I’m not about to paint Chris Pronger as a cuddly, friendly, huggable player who loves kittens and daisies and ice cream. Nor will I try to make him a sympathetic figure, someone who is being unjustly portrayed as a victim being blacklisted. He clearly will never fir either of those descriptions, and he’ll go to great lengths to prove it to everyone in the hockey world.

Many disagree with Pronger’s rubber-robbing, towel-tossing tactics following Game 2 Monday night – called out as acting "crassly and dishonorably" and “childish” and by some – but they were simply a smokescreen. It was merely a mind game intended to get inside the Blackhawks’ heads as this series moved east. The results of Game 3 (a 4-3 OT win for the Flyers) indicate that Pronger’s ploy worked to an immeasurable degree, but it also backfired somewhat, as the attention has shifted from the Flyers’ do-everything D-man’s on-ice exploits (in erasing Chicago’s dynamic top line of Kane, Toews, and Byfuglien, who’ve tallied a combined 1 goal, 3 assists and a -6 rating in the series’ first 3 games) to a new off-ice controversy. And that’s just another excuse to turn him a punching bag once again. Yet all he’s done is add some spark to this series (considering both Philly’s and Chi-town’s top lines have yet to do so). After all, aren’t we all sick of hearing about the curse of Marian Hossa?

If the Flyers are to challenge Chicago in this series, Chris Pronger needs to continue to be his usual cantankerous self, whether we all like it or not. He’s been easily one of Philadelphia’s best players thus far (along with Danny Briere, who’s also impressed quite mightily in the Final), and no amount of premeditated judgment towards Pronger (and his prior mishaps) should cloud that fact.  And perhaps now that Philly has cut the series deficit in half, the focus can shift back to the ice - where it belongs.

The Wait Is (Almost) Over....

After 4 full days without any hockey (though several stories such this one, this one, and this one have certainly held the attention of the hockey world this week), we’re finally less than 4 hours away from the start of the Stanley Cup Final from the United Center in Chicago. Two franchises steeped in tradition will be looking to end lengthy championship droughts. And while I’m brimming with enthusiasm at the prospect of tuning in tonight to see two of the best teams in the NHL (yeah, I said it), I’ve found myself reverting to behavior not all that unfamiliar: rooting for no one. Such is the curse of the objective perspective, I suppose.

There’s (probably) no possible way I can bring myself to actually cheer for the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final. No way, no how, no chance. Period. They’ve never been my cup of tea, from Bobby Clarke to Dave Schultz, from Mike Keenan to Rick Tocchet, from Eric Lindros to Jeremy Roenick, they’ve been a team of players and coaches I despise and one of the NHL’s franchises I love to loathe the most. As a Leafs fan, the Flyers sealed Toronto’s fate in the sixth game of the second round of the 2004 NHL playoffs….and needless to say, the Leafs haven’t sniffed the aroma of the postseason since. Yeah, that one still stings, and I’m still a bit bitter, considering that (short-lived) playoff run is one of the few joyful Leafs moments for this Toronto fan in recent memory (though this one ranks highly as well).

That being said, I must say I admire the heart, soul, and sheer determination of this current Flyers team. They underachieved all season long but turned it on and found their groove just in the nick of time (otherwise, we could well be talking about the New York Rangers being in this same position….well, then again, maybe not). This team has way too much talent on the roster to be dismissed. I’ve come to admire Chris Pronger over the last couple of seasons, and he showed his true value as a leader on-the-ice (despite the constant scuttlebutt early in the season hovering over an alleged dispute between Pronger and captain Mike Richards, but it appears they’ve resolved any alleged differences). He’s a lock as a Hall of Famer, and at age 35, he was a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate (which validated my choice of Pronger as my first D-man in all 4 of my fantasy hockey leagues), and helped to foster the development of blueline partner Matt Carle into a potent power-play point-man. Meanwhile, Richards is one of the most well-rounded forwards in the league - though the numerous injuries in Philly more or less forced the captain to focus more towards crashing the net this year than defending it (hence, no Selke nod this year). The mix of veteran forwards (Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, amongst others) and young guns (Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk, Ville Leino) have gelled together into quite a formidable unit at just the right time. Plus, the recent Achilles’ Heel of Philly’s playoff runs – goaltending – has become an asset this year, thanks to Michael Leighton (with his playoff leading 1.45 GAA and .948 SV%) and Brian Boucher. Of course, they’ve made history in the process (sorry B’s fans, but it’s got to be mentioned….just use that 1st round pick this year to cushion the blow).



On the other side of the ledger: the Chicago Blackhawks, a franchise that as recently as three full seasons ago was rendered irrelevant both in the Windy City and the rest of the hockey world. What a renaissance this Original Six team has undertaken! The Hawks advanced to the Western Conference Finals last year in their first playoff run in 7 seasons (and only their 2nd playoff berth in 11 seasons), and have taken the next step by advancing to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1992 (when leading scorer Patrick Kane was only 3 ½). The upside of Chicago’s dry spell in the 2000’s was an abundance of lottery draft picks which the Hawks used to build this team into the powerhouse it is today (sound similar, Penguins and Avalanche fans?). Kane and captain Jonathan Toews are amongst the NHL’s elite, and are the core of a deep group of forwards who’ve had a terrific postseason (esp. Dustin Byfuglien and Dave Bolland). The shut-down pair of defensemen Brent Seabrook and Norris-nominated Duncan Keith anchor one of the league’s best defensive teams (2.48 goals allowed/game, tied for 5th best this season). Antti Niemi came from nowhere (well, that’s not true, try from Pelicans Lahti) to steal the Hawks top goaltending job from Cristobal Huet this year, and has silenced the critics who said he’d crumble under the pressure of the playoffs.

As great of a story as the resurgence of Chicago hockey has been, I just can’t bring myself to jump on the bandwagon. Again it wasn’t that long ago when the masses steered clear of the United Center in droves. Proof positive that no matter how strong the traditions and the market are for ANY team, American sports fans want to watch a winner. Not surprisingly, attendance at Blackhawks games has risen dramatically over the last three seasons in concurrence with their rapid ascent in the standings. Translation: Chicago’s got enough bandwagon fans already (every winning team does, no need to read any more into that), and they sure don’t need one more. Besides, following one O6 team with a prolonged Cup drought is enough for me. Safe to say I’m not too thrilled about the prospect of the Hawks ending their 49-year absence from Lord Stanley’s graces, considering who’ll own the longest stint without the silver chalice should Chicago win (though most everyone already seems to think the Leafs had already do own that distinction, judging from the continuous chants of “1967”).
I’m certainly not about to make any predictions on this series, considering my instincts are crap. But I’d say this has the potential to be an unbelievable series that could go 7 (You want history to be made? That’s what Game 7’s were made for….but, let’s not rush ourselves), and that’s what I’m hoping for. I’ll leave the analysis of this series to those more qualified than myself who have scrutinized every possible angle of this matchup.  Puck Daddy has done an excellent job breaking down all the ins-and-outs of the Flyers and Blackhawks (especially on the must-read between the young captains Richards and Toews, both with quite a list of accomplishments in their hockey careers). These two teams are so evenly matched, it’s eerie (regardless of their conference seedings).

No matter what of the outcome of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final is, at least two players will join an elite group this year. Only three players in hockey history have won a Stanley Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal in the same season. Both teams feature players from Team Canada’s triumph in Vancouver this past February – Richards and Pronger for Philly; Keith, Seabrook, and Toews for Chicago. (Bonus points if anyone can name the three who have already turned the trick.)

History will be made, indeed.