Why the NHL playoffs are the best playoffs in pro sports!!
Ok I know I have written much about the NHL, and have stated my problems with the game. But it is playoff time in the NHL, to me the NHL playoffs are still the best in North America professional sports. I will take it any day over the NBA, NFL or baseball. All the others are good but to me they cant top the NHL. So here are a few reasons why I think the Stanley Cup playoffs are great
The Stanley Cup. There is no other trophy in sports that can compare to the history of the Stanley Cup. The fact that every member of the winning team gets to have it for a day is just great. There are many stories about what has happened to the trophy over the decades. The stories that piece of hardware could tell. Also the winning team gets its names engraved on the trophy, so 50 years from now the member of last years Carolina Hurricanes can look at the cup and see there names on it, no other trophy has that. I was able to get my picture taken with the cup once, and as soon as you get close to it you can feel the history of it. The first thing I looked for was the 71-72 Boston Bruins. It was a great moment for me.
Speaking of the Stanley Cup there is the tradition of the NHL. You have the original six teams (Boston, Detroit, Chicago, NY Rangers, Toronto, Montreal) for decades the NHL was just these 6 teams. So it is something special when these teams play each other, and ever more when they face off in the playoffs. Also Detroit has the nick name hockey town. Is there any town know as baseball town, football town, or basketball town? I don’t think so. Also have the throwing of the octopus after the Red Wings score there first goal of every home game.
Multiple overtime games. Can always count that in every playoff year there will be at least one game that goes to at least 3 overtimes. This year in the first night of the playoffs there was a 4 overtime game between Vancouver and Dallas. I remember watching a few 5 overtimes game in my life. When I was younger would stay up till the all the games were over for the night, cant do that as much anymore, remember sitting up till 3am watching a Pittsburgh-Washington 5OT game, and going to school the next, or the same, moring. There are full period overtimes to, not the 5 minutes like the regular season. So this would be like a baseball game going to 24 innings. You can always count on the person who scores the game winner will not be a big name guy, but usually a 3rd or 4th liner who is more of a checker.
Game 7’s. Sure baseball and basketball have game 7’s, but they do not seem to be as intense as the NHL. I think the hitting in hockey makes it more interesting. The hitting in a game 7 is always harder, the passing more crisper, the goaltending more spectacular and the scoring more beautiful.
Goaltending, in not other sport can one member of a team make such an impact. A team can ride a hot goalie all the way to the Stanley Cup. I have seen many times were one team outplays another team, but that team did not win because the other teams goalie was so on fire. Last year the Edmonton Oilers rode Dwayne Roloson all the way to the finals. He got hurt in game 1 and the Oilers would go on to lose the finals. But they would have not been there is it was not for Roloson. The Oilers were a #8 seed who pulled 3 upsets to get to the finals.
Speaking of Edmonton the Province of Alberta is reason enough to love the Stanley Cup playoffs. There is noting better then watching a game from Edmonton or Calgary. I love watching those games, the crowd is so into it. They all wear the same colors and are so loud. It is twice as intense if it is Edmonton and Calgary playing each other in the playoffs. To me this is the most intense rivalry in all pro sports. You can have you Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. I think for intensity and hatred between the two cities Boston-NY don’t handle a candle to Edmonton-Calgary. I would love just once to be at one of those games. These teams really feed off that energy of their crowds. Calgary is playing Detroit this year, Detroit just owned Calgary in the first two games of the series, both played in Detroit, but once they got back to Calgary played 100% times better. The won the 2 games there and now its an all new series tied at 2 games each.
Power plays. In the NBA, NFL or Baseball do you get the advantage of having an extra player if the other team breaks the rules. A good power play is a beautiful thing to watch.
On the same line of a power play, pulling the goalie. When your team is down by a goal in the last minute it is so nerve raking when your team pulls the goalie to get an extra man. It is also nerve raking for the team that is ahead. It is so intense, cant think of anything like it in any other sport.
The Stanley Cup. There is no other trophy in sports that can compare to the history of the Stanley Cup. The fact that every member of the winning team gets to have it for a day is just great. There are many stories about what has happened to the trophy over the decades. The stories that piece of hardware could tell. Also the winning team gets its names engraved on the trophy, so 50 years from now the member of last years Carolina Hurricanes can look at the cup and see there names on it, no other trophy has that. I was able to get my picture taken with the cup once, and as soon as you get close to it you can feel the history of it. The first thing I looked for was the 71-72 Boston Bruins. It was a great moment for me.
Speaking of the Stanley Cup there is the tradition of the NHL. You have the original six teams (Boston, Detroit, Chicago, NY Rangers, Toronto, Montreal) for decades the NHL was just these 6 teams. So it is something special when these teams play each other, and ever more when they face off in the playoffs. Also Detroit has the nick name hockey town. Is there any town know as baseball town, football town, or basketball town? I don’t think so. Also have the throwing of the octopus after the Red Wings score there first goal of every home game.
Multiple overtime games. Can always count that in every playoff year there will be at least one game that goes to at least 3 overtimes. This year in the first night of the playoffs there was a 4 overtime game between Vancouver and Dallas. I remember watching a few 5 overtimes game in my life. When I was younger would stay up till the all the games were over for the night, cant do that as much anymore, remember sitting up till 3am watching a Pittsburgh-Washington 5OT game, and going to school the next, or the same, moring. There are full period overtimes to, not the 5 minutes like the regular season. So this would be like a baseball game going to 24 innings. You can always count on the person who scores the game winner will not be a big name guy, but usually a 3rd or 4th liner who is more of a checker.
Game 7’s. Sure baseball and basketball have game 7’s, but they do not seem to be as intense as the NHL. I think the hitting in hockey makes it more interesting. The hitting in a game 7 is always harder, the passing more crisper, the goaltending more spectacular and the scoring more beautiful.
Goaltending, in not other sport can one member of a team make such an impact. A team can ride a hot goalie all the way to the Stanley Cup. I have seen many times were one team outplays another team, but that team did not win because the other teams goalie was so on fire. Last year the Edmonton Oilers rode Dwayne Roloson all the way to the finals. He got hurt in game 1 and the Oilers would go on to lose the finals. But they would have not been there is it was not for Roloson. The Oilers were a #8 seed who pulled 3 upsets to get to the finals.
Speaking of Edmonton the Province of Alberta is reason enough to love the Stanley Cup playoffs. There is noting better then watching a game from Edmonton or Calgary. I love watching those games, the crowd is so into it. They all wear the same colors and are so loud. It is twice as intense if it is Edmonton and Calgary playing each other in the playoffs. To me this is the most intense rivalry in all pro sports. You can have you Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. I think for intensity and hatred between the two cities Boston-NY don’t handle a candle to Edmonton-Calgary. I would love just once to be at one of those games. These teams really feed off that energy of their crowds. Calgary is playing Detroit this year, Detroit just owned Calgary in the first two games of the series, both played in Detroit, but once they got back to Calgary played 100% times better. The won the 2 games there and now its an all new series tied at 2 games each.
Power plays. In the NBA, NFL or Baseball do you get the advantage of having an extra player if the other team breaks the rules. A good power play is a beautiful thing to watch.
On the same line of a power play, pulling the goalie. When your team is down by a goal in the last minute it is so nerve raking when your team pulls the goalie to get an extra man. It is also nerve raking for the team that is ahead. It is so intense, cant think of anything like it in any other sport.
posted by Qman16 at 3:59 PM
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