Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2011 22:30:37 GMT -6
The most shocking Stanley Cup was in 2012, when the Coyotes swept the Flyers; chasing Bryzgalov in Game 3 with four stickside goals in the first period.
-TODD
|
|
|
Post by Douggy-D on Sept 30, 2011 13:45:53 GMT -6
The most shocking Stanley Cup was in 2012, when the Coyotes swept the Flyers; chasing Bryzgalov in Game 3 with four stickside goals in the first period. -TODD Todd you're actually crazy .
|
|
|
Post by frozenpondblue531 on Oct 5, 2011 14:05:49 GMT -6
I'll give you my 5 descending from most recent, then give an actual order of most surprising.
2006 Hurricanes Much of this surprise stemmed from the actual players, as Gerber's & Ward's year was very moreso a product of a great team (in regards to record). The Hurricanes ascended 36 Points from the 2004 team, and didn't exactly sign any superstars, but complementary additions which hit their upside. Eric Staal improved his numerical production by 69 Points in the same amount of games. This was Justin Williams' first full productive season after a flash of brilliance 2 years prior. Brind'Amour's increased 32 points. Carolina's outbreak on Offense rooted this season. A couple were perfect complementary additions, a couple were young players who expectedly or unexpectedly broke through, and a couple tossed in career years. Counterpoint: With no NHL the previous year, no one really knew what to expect in the premiere of the "new" NHL. 2006 wholeheartedly was the NHL's "anyone's best guess" year to win it all with new rule changes, a new salary cap, and no previous year to demonstrate as evidence/predictor of the upcoming season.
1995 Devils The Devils win it all with a system unforeseen and not believed to truly win in the NHL until this season. Helping New Jersey's case - the Devils swept a team eliciting comparisons to the best NHL teams ever iced. Also fueling the Devils argument, New Jersey was strongly rumored to be moving to Nashville immediately concluding the Devils' run. The fans, believing Bettman to be a part of the mastermind, booed Bettman so loud at the Intermission one could hardly hear the Fox commentators. McMullen very nearly relocated the Devils anticipating not getting a new arena (eventual Prudential Center), and likely would have moved the franchise if not for the Stanley Cup. It would've been the first Stanley Cup winner to relocate since the Senators met the cat eyes residing in St. Louis' Checkerdome. Counterpoint: This was a lock-shortened season, which would be more conducive to an unexpected winner. New Jersey was 1 game away from the Wales Trophy the year prior, I believe, and had also built their organization with 2 Conference Finals & 5 Playoff appearances in the last 6 years.
1994 Rangers A 33-point improvement helps cease a 54-year drought. Most NHL fans alive had never experienced a Ranger Cup win. Counterpoint: One could argue this Cup was "bought".
1961 Black Hawks Chicago failed to put up a winning season for 15 years (and Cup Finals appearance for 23), yet the fans still stuck. The top 4 forwards were all 25-and-younger who finally all synthesized to have a breakout season together: Hay, Hull, Mikita, Balfour. Interesting note: Al Arbour played Defense for the Black Hawks, though he was a #5 and not significant. Also note Chicago barely snipped over .500 in the regular season, and made its run late. Counterpoint: The Black Hawks only needed to beat out 5 teams.
1926 Maroons The Maroons turned around the 1925 team of the .333 winning percentage into a .625 winning clip of a team. The SRS improvement may have been an unprecedented 0.99 improvement. Counterpoint: Stewart and Siebert, 2 of the top 3 players, were new to the team. But at 22 & 23, were breakout players. The Maroons turned over much of the previous year's team except Clint Benedict. MOM beat out just 6 teams.
My Rankings: 1. 1961 Black Hawks - their 15 year long futile run of no winning seasons grades as more hopeless than the Maroons, Rangers, Devils, or Hurricanes. Regular season record marked above .500, but not impressive.
2. 1926 Maroons - none expected the Maroons' herculane turnaround. The statistical improvements were bar none for its time.
3. 1995 Devils - New Jersey wins this spot because no one could realistically picture a Cup team leaving its state empty handed without their beloved team forever, unless one was a fan of the Ottawa Senators or St Louis Eagles 60 years prior... The chants echoed through the game were historical. The Devils knocked off Detroit, who would've been recognized as one of the great NHL teams if the Cup was finally brought to Hockeytown. Extra points for the unforeseen system, and doubts as to whether it could truly win the Cup.
4. 2006 Hurricanes - while the actual points improvement is a record for a Cup winner, points must be lost due to no hockey for 2 years and a change in the league's infrastructure. The style was new, the cap was new, and there was no evidence to base predictions for the new season off of. The breakout of a couple young players was comparable to the Black Hawks and Maroons though (albeit the careers were not comparable to a Hull or Mikita...)
5. 1994 Rangers - massive point improvement (and flushing of historic 54 year drought), but held the 2nd highest payroll. While the Rangers missed the playoffs the year prior, they had at least been a staple for the playoffs for a decade.
The "Dream Scenario" wrecked in the Cup Finals: 1. 1991 North Stars 2. 1982 Canucks
|
|