2008 Finals or 2009?
-Alaina Scarano-Isbouts
Anyone starting to lose a bit of interest in the Conference Finals yet? You aren’t the only one. Fans from Chicago to Pittsburgh to Carolina to Detroit are probably thinking the same thing… “Wait a minute, this seems a bit familiar…” And it isn’t that much fun.
Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. Last year it was Dallas who made it to the Western finals against Detroit. And last year it was the Flyers who made it to the Eastern conference finals against Pittsburgh. But all the same, things are starting to look a little too familiar to everyone else around the league. Last year, it was both Detroit and Pittsburgh who conquered in the conference finals and moved on to the Stanley Cup Finals.
I hate to discredit the Canes and the Hawks, but it looks as if this year, it is going to be another rematch for the Cup. And to be honest, I can’t imagine anything more boring. One of the most amazing things about the playoffs is watching a team scratch and crawl through the playoffs to get there — not watching the same two teams as the season before trying again. If it were just one team, that would be one thing. Pittsburgh versus Chicago? Fantastic. Detroit versus Carolina? Not bad either. Carolina versus Chicago? Incredible. But I don’t much care for the road we are going down.
It’s not uncommon for a team to make it to the Finals two years in a row. The Dallas Stars did it in 99-00 and the NJ Devils did it in 00-01, although neither team won the cup twice. In 1985 and 1987, the Edmonton Oilers and the Philadelphia Flyers faced each other with the same coaches and the Oilers winning both times. Back in 77 and 78, the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens faced each other in the cup finals both years, with Montreal winning both times. It also happened with the St. Louis Blues and Canadiens in 68 and 69.
The bottom line is that while it’s looking like both Detroit and Pittsburgh will make it to the finals, that’s probably the worst thing that could happen for the NHL and its viewers right now. People are finally starting to pay attention to hockey again, and the only thanks these new fans get is the exact same series they watched last year. The worst bit of all? It’s Detroit again. At least the Penguins are fun to watch; with such young players they still manage to grow and change each year. The only difference this year is that Marian Hossa has switched sides.
The only chance for a great cup finals series is if the Pens win it this time. They have the chance to re-write history to an extent.
