10 June 2014

A Thought or 2 - The NHL's Stanley Cup Final

Headline from today's edition of the Los Angeles Times online Sports Section:

Heavily favored at the outset of the series, if anyone doesn't think Los Angeles will complete their successful playoff run, consider the following. Even though there's been a few '3-0' series comebacks in NHL history, (including the Kings' defeat of the San Jose Sharks in this year's opening round), only one has occurred in the finals. In 1942, after being down 3 games to none, the Toronto Maple Leafs came back to win the first ever seven game Cup Final versus the Detroit Red Wings. A huge controversy during Game 4 resulted in a near-riot, and No. 8 for Toronto, Peter Landiak, (who was known as and played as Pete Langelle), scored the Game 7 clinching and Stanley Cup winning goal.

Toronto Maple Leafs versus Detroit Red Wings / April, 1942


Furthermore, there has been no less than twenty 4-game sweeps in the Stanley Cup Finals, (the most recent in 1998 when the Red Wings swept the Capitals), since Toronto's unlikely comeback in 1942. IMHO, even if the Kings don't complete their sweep in New York, there's very little chance that they won't win their second championship in three years on their home ice at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

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