2003 Stanley Cup Finals

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Nothingman
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Post by Nothingman » May 29th 2003, 9:54 pm

I don't care for the devils because i'm really tierd of watching their trap, but Scott Stevens is an animal. Give him credit where credit is due, you may hate him because he makes your favorite fanchise stars lives miserable. But the fact remains he is what playoff hockey is all about. His determination and raw emotion makes me proud to be a hockey fan. With that said, I'm rooting for the ducks. I'm ready for something new and I'd like to see Adam Oates and Steve Thomas win a cup. Especially Oates, he's the best passer the game has ever seen. He is worthy of a win, but he would be the first to admit, you have to earn it. If the Devils are the better team, which they seem to be again today in game two, then I'll be the first to says "nice job boys".
"To come to your senses, you must first go out of your mind." - Alan Watts

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Post by GaryEA » May 30th 2003, 1:12 am

Second verse, same as the first... :D

Game Two
Mighty Ducks 0
Devils 3


Devils lead series 2 games to 0

Okay, the Ducks were in attendance tonight, and for part of the first period, I thought the Devs were going to choke while trying to adjust. But the modified trap and the heavy traffic in front of the net worked very well.

Not that it's over. It's not. We're heading to Ducks country and the game could and probably will change dramatically in terms of energy. Home ice advantage is a powerful tool, especially during the Cup Finals, so we'll see what adjustments the Ducks make to try to get around the Devs defense.

I've heard a lot of people razz the trap, but honestly it's worked for almost a decade. After it was highlighted in the '95 Cup win, teams started adopting it, including the Avs. I'm not saying we started it, but it's effective.

The other point people make is that it makes the game boring. For a Devs fan, it's the total opposite. We love it. The Devs are not an offensive-minded team - the primary strength is D, and they work it.

I'm looking forward to seeing a recharged Ducks team on Saturday. It should be a stellar game. They need a win to keep it within reach, and I'm guessing we'll see some scoring from them, though I'd love to see Brodeur get a third shut-out. :D

As for Stevens - the man is a machine. When I met him, he was an imposing figure. He's polite, intelligent and knows his game. He HATES unnecessary penalties, and probably the cleanest hitter in the game.

And yeah, he does own the Flyers come playoff time. :D

The Blues - since I don't closely ollow the team, I wasn't aware that the team had broken down so much. That's a shame. But you never know - a couple of drafts and they could start to regroup.

Gary

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Nothingman
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Post by Nothingman » May 30th 2003, 6:26 pm

Here is a great article on Scott Stevens:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2 ... id=1560814
"To come to your senses, you must first go out of your mind." - Alan Watts

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Post by TomSpeed » May 30th 2003, 7:20 pm

Look out for the Tampa Bay Lightning next year. This team is finally coming around after some really sorry years. I'm not a big hockey fan, but I might see a few games next year. Nothing boosts attendance like a winning team.
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Post by dTheater » Jun 4th 2003, 11:01 pm

Another disgruntled Flyers fan in attendance here, so certainly I hate the Devils, but as much as I do, I don't think I could stand to see a team named after a Disney movie called "The Mighty Ducks" respresenting hockey as the Stanley Cup champions on the White House lawn. And if I've learned one thing as a Devils-hating Flyer fan, it's that the Devils never lose, so while it was nice to see the Ducks tie the series at 2, I still have to say Devils in 7.

I just hope I'm still alive to see the Devils get theirs, whenever that may be. I was too young to revel in their retchedness in the 80s.

And K-man...at least you have the Rams. :wink:
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GaryEA
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Post by GaryEA » Jun 4th 2003, 11:12 pm

You Flyers fans. So silly with your bitterness...

:wink:

Gary

p.s. This popped into my head during game 4 during conversation; The Ducks are up for sale, so do the new owners, whomever they will be, have to pay for the rights to use the name, which is a Disney trademark?

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Nothingman
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Post by Nothingman » Jun 10th 2003, 10:51 am

Congratulations to the Devils on their third Stanley Cup. That was a great series, games 5 and 6 were pure joy to watch. I’m sad that hockey season is over, but on the plus side I can go back to playing myself and spending my evenings outside.

I couldn’t stand to see the looks on the Ducks’ faces as the final seconds ticked away. The disappointment and sadness was gut wrenching. I know if the tables had been turned it would have been equally hard to watch, but that’s the nature of a game 7, the closer you get to tasting your dream, the more bitter the taste of defeat becomes.

Giguere the Conn Smythe? You better believe it. Hands down the most valuable player to any team in the playoffs. Remember the sweep of the defending champs, the dismantling of the number one seat in the west, and setting the all-time playoff shutout record in the sweep of Minnesota, all the while recording the best GAA and save percentage in the modern era. The man earned it, above all others. Giguere became human again in the final, but he still played very well. I’m sure all the Devils fans will cite Brodeur’s record setting 7 playoff shutouts and 3, 3-0 wins in the final. Brodeur is the best goalie in the game now with Roy’s retirement. But he doesn’t carry the devils on his back. His shutouts come not because of his amazing saves and his ability to stand on his head, but they are a product of a tenacious team defense. Brodeur makes a few great saves a night, but his team plays so well in front of him that, he doesn’t have to be super human. The reason Brodeur doesn’t win Conn Smythe’s is because he plays with a group of guys who function as a team better than anyone else in the NHL.

I was very disappointed in the Jersey fans booing the Ducks and Giguere at the end of the game. Take a lesson from the players, show some respect. It wouldn’t matter if an adams team from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan was in the final, if they could take the series to a game 7, the fans should thank them for a great series. In the end the man who had the biggest part in getting his team to that last game won the MVP, so what if he wasn’t a Devil, the Devils still won the game, and the Cup. I’m sorry, but if you think that Ducks should have been booed at that point, you are missing what playoff and hockey and the sport itself are all about. The sad part is that I don’t believe the Anaheim fans would have been any better in their own building had the roles been reversed. I’m sure 60% of the people there would have had to get directions to the rink, and would have never seen a Ducks game before, but because it’s the finals, they’d jump on the bandwagon.

I don’t mean to insult any of the Devils fan here, because I’m sure you guys had no part in this, but this really bothered me as a hockey fan, no matter what teams were out there.

P.S. Hope my Wings can win a game in the post season next year.
"To come to your senses, you must first go out of your mind." - Alan Watts

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Post by GaryEA » Jun 10th 2003, 12:30 pm

A note before I go to work...

YEAH!!!

Gary

p.s. And yes, I was also very disappointed when the Devs fans booed, despite the fact the Devils themselves applauded. I thought it was out of taste, even if everyone of them (myself included) felt Marty should have won it.

However, Giggy(sic) earned it, it's his, and I applaud him.

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Post by lance » Jun 10th 2003, 1:04 pm

GaryEA wrote:A note before I go to work...

YEAH!!!

Gary

p.s. And yes, I was also very disappointed when the Devs fans booed, despite the fact the Devils themselves applauded. I thought it was out of taste, even if everyone of them (myself included) felt Marty should have won it.

However, Giggy(sic) earned it, it's his, and I applaud him.
Congrats to The Devils (& GaryEA) and the Ducks for a terrific championship series.

Best,

Lance Man

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Post by dTheater » Jun 10th 2003, 10:45 pm

I did expect more class from the Devils fans. At least they weren't all booing.
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Post by K-man » Jun 11th 2003, 12:07 pm

I'm glad the Devils won. The trap is boring two watch, but teams have been playing that style forever even if they didn't refer to it as a trap. And after all, it's the playoffs....teams are not so much about entertaining the viewers, they are about winning games. And win games the Devils did! Giggy the Conn-Smythe????I'm not 100% convinced on that one, but the fact that a Duck won it is just another testament to the team-effort performance of the Devils. None of the Devils stood out that much more than the other. (Maybe Broduer, but hey;;;;he's the netminder.) And for the record; another playoff series I enjoy is the Flyers vs. Capitals. Talk about two teams that HATE each other! And as far as the Rams, I think it's safe to say the magic is long gone!
Daddy sold the farm and they've killed my trees. K-man

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GaryEA
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On the Eighth Day, He created the TRAP...

Post by GaryEA » Jun 11th 2003, 11:19 pm

So where was I?

Oh yeah... YEAH BABY! A local paper titled it best: "Lord Stanley III". :D

Three times in nines years. Any sign with the word "Hockeytown" can point to both Detroit and Jersey with little argument.

And whatever anxieties Devs fans had that we were going to give up the series in the same agonizing way we did for the Avalanche - gone. See ya. Bye. Past tense.

Personally, as well as both netminders played, I think the MVP home have the... HOME ICE. Look at it, the home team won every time they were on their own turf in all seven games. That's an incredible statistic. I don't think I've ever heard of something like that before (though it has happened). Give the award to the arenas, because home ice advantage was in total control.

Back to the Devs fans when Giguere won the Conn-Smythe; As much as I felt that it could have gone either way (Broduer was busting records all over the place), Giggy won it, and that's fine with me. I personally feel sorry tht the crowd didn't separate rivalry fast enough to recoginize the history they were watching.

So what now? The Detroit/Colorado/Jersey three-way rivalry continues, and the Devs have cemented their name into the mix. I'd love for the Rangers to come around and be more competitive - a good Lincoln Tunnel rivalry would be delicious!

And while the Devs continue to draw strong talent from the minors (you bet I'm talking about Rupp), I hope the team stays pretty much intact after the inevitable post-Cup contract talks. I'm sure Kenny D will retire (game 7 was his swan song IMO), and he will be missed. He is the heart of the team. Marty and Stevens will most likely stay, while some of the younger players situate themselves, perhaps elsewhere. Playing against Petr Sykora, one of the best Devs ever, was eerie.

And the Ducks? Hell, they played their hearts out and took us on one hell of a ride. I hope they survive the team being put up for sale. Who knows? We may see them change names or even cities in the near future.

Giggy is going to be a force to reckon with, more than now, in years to come. He plays a lot like Broduer in '95 - young, cool, unflappable... until he breaks his stick in anger. :P

So now I am left with hockey withdrawal, a long slow painful process indeed. Is the summer over yet? :D

Gary

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Post by fnordboy » Jun 12th 2003, 12:44 am

GO DUCKS!!!

what? Am I late to this party? :?

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GaryEA
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Post by GaryEA » Jun 12th 2003, 3:08 pm

GO DUCKS!!!

what? Am I late to this party? :?
Aren't your Rangers playing golf right about now?

Oh wait, they have been for over a month. Whoops! My bad!

:D

Gary

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fnordboy
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Post by fnordboy » Jun 12th 2003, 3:21 pm

GaryEA wrote: Aren't your Rangers playing golf right about now?

Oh wait, they have been for over a month. Whoops! My bad!
Cruel. :evil:

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