San Jose started the first period of the semi-finals, taking the wheels off the Red Wings wagon with three goals in 10 minutes. Could it be tired Wings' legs, coming off a Game 7 win against Phoenix? After two periods, the Wings pulled within one goal. After another game or two, we will know if last year's Stanley Cup finalist can compete with the second best team in the league, or the first, now that Washington has dropped out of the hunt.
There are now eight teams left in the semi-final round. This year, every series pits an Original Six team against an expansion club. I don't know when this happened last. Consider the odds. There are 24 expansion teams in the NHL. Out of those 24, four are left in the playoffs. From the Original Six, four are still competing for the 2010 Stanley Cup. So, it is 50/50 right now that the 2010 Cup will go to an "Original" Team.
Here are the match ups (and the dates that the expansion club joined):
East:
Montreal vs Pittsburgh (1967)
Boston vs Philadelphia (1967)
West:
Chicago vs Vancouver (1970)
Detroit vs San Jose (1991)
The Original Six have a long history of winning Cups. Chicago deserves special mention. The Black Hawks have not been competitive in the modern era. Chicago won its last Cup 59 years ago, in 1961, against the Wings. In the post-expansion era, the Hawks have been in the finals three times with two losses against Montreal in 1971 and 1973, and a defeat by the Penguins in 1992.
Most Chicago fans and hockey enthusiasts blame poor management/ownership. Thankfully for the Windy City, things are finally going in the right direction. Its ownership has changed in the last couple of years, and the franchise seems now to be serious about being competitive again. This season, the Hawks finished second in the west, with the third best record in the entire league. Many experts are picking them to go all the way.
Two of the expansion clubs have already won Stanley Cups. Pittsburgh's success spans two decades. The current reigning Champion has won three cups (1991, 1992, 2009) in addition to being the Stanley Cup finalist in 2008. The Pens face Montreal, the surprise of the playoffs. If Jaroslav Halak stays hot, the Pens may be in trouble.
Philadelphia has won two Stanley Cups. The Flyers were the first expansion team to do so, in 1974 and 1975. It was the age of the Broad Street Bullies, and NHL hockey was changed forever with the adoption of the successful Philadelphia model. Facing the Boston Bruins in the semi-finals this year, Philly will have a tough time. Brian Boucher has to stay hot in goal, for the Flyers to have a chance.
San Jose has never won the grand prize. The Sharks made it to the Western finals in 2004, losing to the Calgary Flames. They now face hockey's strongest dynasty of the last two decades, the Detroit Red Wings (four Cups since 1997). Detroit has elevated its game at the right time of the season, and is 12-4-1 over its last 17 games. Rookie netminder Jimmy Howard has emerged as a surprise, posting stats among the top six goalies.
Vancouver has gotten to the Stanley Cup final two times, in 1982 (losing to the NY Islanders in four games) and again in 1994 (downed by the NY Rangers in a seven game classic series). They are riding on the shoulders of Bobby Loo. Can the man pull off an improbable combination of Olympic Gold and a Stanley Cup in the same year? His stats in the first round, against Los Angeles, were not impressive.
Two Canadian teams are left. Vancouver and Montreal. Nobody thought Montreal would make it into the semi-final round. Vancouver? Could go all the way.
Hockey Rules.
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