Posted on 05/27/2018 1:48:49 PM PDT by airborne
Will it be the Washington Capitals, who have waited 43 long seasons and were swept, by the Detroit Red Wings, in their only other Final appearance, in 1998?
They have earned the right, winning each series after trailing, including losing the first two games to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round and three straight games to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.
(let me know if you want on or off the ping list)
I don’t know whether the success of the Golden Knights is a great miracle sports story, an embarrassment to the NHL, or both.
..time for Ovi to hold Lord Stanley’s cup IMO...
Has there ever been an expansion team to make the playoffs in its first season, much less compete for the championship? In any sport?
I’ve seen 13 Capitals players, including all 3 goalies, come through their AHL affiliate in Hershey.
But it doesn’t feel right to root against Fleury and the other 4 ex-Penguins on the Vegas roster. Or the fact that the Golden Knights have US Army bloodlines.
I’ve got the Vegas Golden Knights winning in 6 games.
No, I think the closest was when the Colorado Rockies made the playoffs in their third season in Major League Baseball.
(Except, of course, in the first year of a league, when they’re all first year teams.)
I’ve certainly suffered long enough. I guess if the Cubs can win the Series, the Caps can win the Cup. Would love to see Ovi hold it up. Would have really loved to see Mike Gartner do the same many years ago, but we live in a fallen world.
SORRY, MY LAST POST SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN ALL CAPS!
Vegas in the Final is a quirk of luck. The “expansion” draft was weighted to favor early success.
Embarrassment....to me,hockey ruined itself with these defensive “systems” that all the teams play. One team looks and plays exactly as the others. Goalies dont really play the position anymore...just get some 6-6 guy ..put ridiculous pads on him, and have him just stand there and block the net. The scoring is at the rate it was in the 1940’s...this style was started in Europe in the mid 90’s to compete with those great Soviet teams. Seems like every game..the score is 2-1..or 3-2. There is no more artistry or skill..its just a scrambled mess. The fact that a expansion team in the finals is a direct result of this defensive, robotic style....
When the nhl added six teams to the original six in 1967 they created two conferences. One held the o6 teams Montreal, Chicago, toronto, Boston, Detroit and the New York Rangers the other held the expansion teams. The playoffs were held by conference. So the St. Louis blues ended up plauing in the SCF that year, and three other teams made the playoffs. Not the same as the knights this year obviously but still officially playoff teams
#ALLCAPS
We attended many Caps games over 30+ years there. They ALWAYS choked and broke our hearts. Go Golden Knights!!!!!! Everything in WDC suc**.
Las Vegas got special advantages this year in the way the draft was set up, because the NHL didn’t want yet another new team that gets mired in year-after-year of losing.
Seattle will probably get the same draft advantages when they get their NHL team.
Isn’t it about time for the next season to start?
Another year with no Canadian team winning the Cup.
Please put me on your ping list.
Live here in Vegas and we all have gone wild for the Vegas Knights.
Grandson plays hockey at their training arena. His team is the “Lil Knights”.
GO KNIGHTS BEAT THE DC SWAMP!!!!
That is what I would like. My main wish is No Blowouts. Id like a good strong finals. I believe the Knights will win. 6 games sounds very probable.
While the system for picking players for a single expansion team NEEDS CHANGE NOW, this couldnt have been predicted because it wasnt predicted. Lets give the coach and the team some credit for playing together like theyve done it for years. Great defense led by the amazing Fleury. They crunched all our favorite teams.
I did secretly want to see the Ovi Fleury matchup, though I rooted for the lightning because I thought they would provide a better fight in the finals.
No blowouts please. And Im ok with either team winning the cup.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.