One game for glory (Stanley Cup Final.....Game 7)

Winnipeg Sun ^ | Al Strachan

[hole_n_one]

One game for glory

Prediction impossible but history favours Devils

By Al Strachan
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Tonight, the National Hockey League's winter of discontent will be made glorious summer.

Glorious summer for one team. Glorious summer for the victor in that single most dramatic setting the league can offer, a sudden-death game for the Stanley Cup.

But for the losers, it will be a summer of nagging doubts, of regrets over that one pass, that one shot, that one game that might have made the difference.

Later tonight, either the Anaheim Mighty Ducks or the New Jersey Devils will be in ecstasy. The other will be in tears. Which will be which?

Who knows? The way this post-season has gone, a prediction is nothing more than a guess.

But if it's purely a matter of precedents being followed, the Ducks don't have a chance. Some examples:

* The Devils will be at home -- where they are 11-1 in the post-season.

* The Devils won the first two games at home, and only once in NHL history has a team done that and failed to win the Cup.

* On 11 previous occasions, the Stanley Cup final has gone to seven games. The home team has won nine times.

* The Ducks have lost their past nine games in New Jersey.

There are more examples, but the point is clear. The Ducks will definitely be swimming against the current tonight.

But numbers aside, there are a couple of factors in their favour.

For one thing, they are much more accustomed to the type of debilitating coast-to-coast travel that has been imposed on the teams in this series. There is a knack to flying from one side of the continent to another, resetting the body clock by three hours, then repeating the process a few days later.

The Ducks perform variations on that theme on a regular basis throughout the season.

The Devils, however, made one road swing into the Pacific time zone in February and never returned. Prior to this series, they hadn't played out of the Eastern time zone since March 5.

Also, by virtue of being pushed to the limit by the Ottawa Senators, tonight's match will be their 14th high-intensity, high-emotion game in 30 days.

Even though the Devils are mostly veterans who know how to conserve energy, a stretch like that simply has to take its toll on the body.

But it's not something that they will consider. Players who have been through games like this say the emotion takes over and you pour out everything you've got. You feel tired, but you rise above it.

On the other hand, there are occasions when your body just doesn't respond the way it would if you were fresh. That little extra jump to get to a loose puck isn't there. The lightning-quick reflexes required to connect dead centre on a one-timer -- or to make the save on it -- are slowed by the tiniest fraction of a second.

It's not enough for the mind to notice, but in a game like hockey, that millisecond can mean the difference between success and failure.

Naturally enough, the Ducks are taking the tack that the precedents aren't against them. They feel that it's their turn to shine.

"We can't play worse than we've played there," said coach Mike Babcock, who could find a bright side to being selected for the Inquisition. "We've got to be due for a good one. I think that's positive. I think the teams are evenly matched."

They certainly seem to be. They've each played well at times and badly at others. They've seemed poised and they've lost their composure. They've had good goaltending and they've had average goaltending.

They've even had moments when they looked like offensive powerhouses.

But when you get right down to it, none of that will matter tonight. Tonight, it will come down to good fortune, hard work and emotion.

It's one game for the Cup, the game that every one of these guys played in his mind as a kid.

It is the essence of hockey.

[hole_n_one]

ABC 8:00pmet/5:00pt

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I'll be watching - it's been a fun series - not a lot of superstars but good competition and plenty of memorable moments and ups and downs. Tonight should be a great game.

[LadyShallott]

I can't wait for this game to start tonight. The last game was great! I just hope the Ducks can keep it focused on the Devils home turf. We shall see-

[SamAdams76]

Thanks for the post. I used to be a rabid hockey fan but I have fallen so out of touch with the sport that I didn't even realize the playoffs were still going on. Back when I watched hockey, the Stanley Cup was over by mid-May. I might check out the game tonight, after all, Game 7 of the finals is almost as good as the Super Bowl. Ought to be a good game. But I don't have any dog in this fight. May the best team win.

It will probably never happen but I think hockey will become a much more exciting sport if the red line was eliminated (so far as calling offsides) so that the game could open up some. It's frustrating as a fan to see all these great developing plays constantly whistled offsides. Also, the clutching, grabbing, neutral zone trap style of play has all but ruined the game in my opinion.

Open the game up! Let the players skate! I remember watching Bobby Orr (a defenseman) taking the puck from behind his own net and blasting up the length of the ice to score (or assist on) a goal on the other side. That was some exciting hockey. Bring those days back!

[StriperSniper]

Awright! We've got "The hole_n_one Network" (TnN) covering this great spectacle of sports!

I just hope it's over in regulation, I forget the exact numbers, but Brodeur is not at his best in overtime.

Go Devils!

[hole_n_one]

Highlights of some past Stanley Cup Game 7s :

2001: Avalanche 3, Devils 1. The lasting image of the 2001 finals is Bourque, one of the greatest defenseman in NHL history, winning the Cup for the first time since breaking into the league in 1979. The Devils led 3-2 going into Game 6 at home, but the Avalanche badly outplayed them in winning 4-0, then won Game 7 on home ice.

1994: Rangers 3, Canucks 2. New York's first Stanley Cup title in 54 years ended the derisive chant the Rangers heard for years in rival arenas: "1940! 1940!" The Rangers' time finally came, but only after they blew a 3-1 series lead. Before Game 5, the Canucks learned the Rangers planned an appearance on David Letterman's show and a cookout with mayor Rudy Giuliani. Vancouver won two straight games.

But led by strong-willed captain Mark Messier and a stirring speech by coach Mike Keenan, the Rangers won Game 7 in the Garden.

1987: Oilers 3, Flyers 1. The first Game 7 in 16 years completed the Oilers' third Stanley Cup run in four years, even though Flyers goalie Ron Hextall won the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP. He was just the fourth player chosen off the losing team.

1971: Canadiens 3, Blackhawks 2. Montreal was the last to accomplish what Anaheim could do Monday night: win Game 7 on the road and take the Cup after losing the first two games away from home. Montreal, which missed the playoffs in 1970 for the first time in 22 years, also trailed 3-2 in its quarterfinal series against Boston. Canadiens captain Jean Beliveau said, "Nobody gave us a chance against Boston and nobody gave us a chance against Chicago, but when you are the Montreal Canadiens, you always have a chance."

What gave Montreal a chance was rookie goalie Ken Dryden, who played only six regular-season games, yet was voted playoffs MVP. Henri Richard, younger brother of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, scored two goals in Game 7.

1965: Canadiens 4, Blackhawks 0. For only the second time in the finals (the first was 1955), the home team won every game -- just as in the first six games of the Mighty Ducks-Devils final. Beliveau was chosen as the first Conn Smythe trophy winner after getting eight goals and eight assists in 13 games. He also got a cash prize for winning the award: $1,000.

1964: Maple Leafs 4, Red Wings 0. With the score tied at 3 late in Game 6, Gordie Howe's slap shot broke Maple Leafs defenseman Bob Baun's ankle. But, in one the most storied tales in Stanley Cup history, Baun had the trainers freeze the injury and tape his leg, and he returned to score the winning goal at 2:43 of overtime. Despite being on crutches the next two days, he never missed a shift in Game 7. He spent the next two months on crutches.

1942: Maple Leafs 3, Red Wings 1. In the greatest comeback in professional sports, the Maple Leafs rallied after losing the first three games. They won the next three by a combined score of 16-6, then finished off the comeback by winning Game 7.

1928: Rangers 2, Montreal Maroons 1. It wasn't a Game 7; the finals were only a best-of-five then. The Rangers, in only their second season, rallied from a 2-1 series deficit even though all five games were played in Montreal. A circus had taken over New York's Madison Square Garden, making it unavailable to the Rangers. The underdog Rangers lost goalie Lorne Chabot to an eye injury in Game 2. With no backup, they were forced to use 44-year-old coach Lester Patrick in goal the rest of the game. He had never played in goal during his pro career, yet made 18 saves as the Rangers won 2-1. The Rangers then signed rookie goalie Joe Miller from the last-place New York Americans, and he had a shutout in Game 4 while playing the rest of the series.

[Numbers Guy]

I might check out the game tonight, after all, Game 7 of the finals is almost as good as the Super Bowl.

Much better than the Super Bowl, which is usually unbelievably dull.

Here's hoping it goes OT. There's nothing better in sports than an NHL Game 7 that goes OT, because if one team overcommits on offense to win the game (pinching in a defenseman), they risk a breakaway the other direction. So failure on one end may mean defeat on the other end. No other sport has that huge risk/reward situation.

I don't have a rooting interest, but I'll be watching all 60 minutes (and hopefully a few more). There's no way I'd devote that much time to an NBA game to watch meaningless first quarters, 20-second time outs that take 60 seconds, and free throws that take another 60 seconds.

I do agree with you about opening up the game--one change that's needed immediately is much more severe limitations on goalie pads. And eliminating the red line should at least be tried in exhibition games (or the minors) to see how well it works.

Here's hoping for an all-time classic.

[hole_n_one]

ANA had a long layoff before the series started and it showed with their sluggish play.

ANA is once again playing at their peak, having beaten NJ 3 of the last 4 games, but, can the Ducks ever win at the Meadowlands?

[hole_n_one]

If you'd like.

[Beck_isright]

After that second period in game 6, all I can say is this will be awesome. See ya after the game, eh.

[StriperSniper]

but, can the Ducks ever win at the Meadowlands?

I hope not until next year!

It is a tough arena for the playoffs. Regular season babies sleep through the games. It was nice today, so the tailgaters will be in full voice. :)

[Dan from Michigan]

I'd love to see this one go to OT.

[Qwerty]

"I'd love to see this one go to OT."

Me too.. so long as Jersey wins. ;-)

[hole_n_one]

As it is, you can cut the tension in that building with a knife.....can you imagine if this thing went to OT?

[hole_n_one]

Is the ice tilted towards the Ducks goal?

[StriperSniper]

Is the ice tilted towards the Ducks goal?

When the Devils are hitting on all cylinders, it sure seems that way.

:)

[hole_n_one]