Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins for winning the 2015-16 season's championship. It was a rough season for them in the beginning. You'd think they would not be having of these problems with Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the same team. They turned their season around during Christmas. Thankfully they have been pretty lucky when it comes to luck leading them along. The Penguins thankfully found themselves in the playoffs and winning the cup.
This is the majority of the teams first Stanley Cup they have ever won. Thankfully the veterans step aside and let the newbies bask in the celebration. Phil Kessel was one of the guys who won the cup for the first time in his career. He had issues before he got traded to Pittsburgh last summer, in Boston he had a chance in the during his run with the Bruins, but they only got to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2009. When Kessel was in Toronto, it was just horrible, the media did not treat him with respect. Also the Toronto Maple Leafs never made it to the NHL playoffs when Kessel was on the team.
On a more positive and happier note, another good thing came out of the playoffs. Evgeni Malkin and his fiancée, Anna Kasterova, became parents to Nikita Malkin before (May 31, 2016) game two in the Stanley Cup final. During the celebration after the win in game six, a reporter asked if Nikita will be in the cup. Evgeni replied: "When he is bigger I put in Cup". So it looks like we will be seeing little baby Malkin in the cup later this summer when Evgeni gets his day with the cup.
This years Stanley Cup playoffs was an interesting one since there where no Canadian NHL teams who did not make the playoffs. With this being said, lets go down memory lane and explore what happened in the playoffs this year...
Overview
Round One (April 14th - 27th, 2016)
Florida Panthers vs New York Islanders
This is the first meeting in history between these two teams in the playoffs, it was a six game series (Islanders 4 - Panthers 2).
Tampa Bay Lightening vs Detroit Red Wings
This is the second time these two teams have met, last time was in last year's playoffs in the first round. This year was a five game series (Lightening 4 - Wings 1).
Washington Capitols vs Philadelphia Flyers
This was the Flyers and Capitols fifth meeting in the NHL playoffs and the last meeting was in 2008 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. This was a six game series, where the Capitols took the series (Capitols 4 - Flyers 2).
I have nothing good to say about this series, mainly about the Flyers' fans. They where disrespectful in game three. They had an tribute to the late Ed Snider, they each got an glow and the dark wristband that lit up during the ceremony. Then when the game got going and, things where going badly down hill for the Flyers, the fans got fed up. Really fed up, enough to throw their freebies onto the ice during a fight that broke out on the ice. This lead to the game to stop to clean up the wristbands on the ice. It took both teams to tell them to stop throwing the bands on the ice, even one of the Capitols players got hit on the nose with one. Even with the announcer telling people to stop throwing them on the ice during play but people did. It was ugly, the ugliest moment I saw from a bunch of fans in my life. I feel embarrassed for everyone who lives in Philadelphia, you can be better sportsmen than that. The fans ended up getting the Flyers a two minute penalty for delay of game.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers
This has been the seventh meeting for both teams in NHL history in the playoffs, the last time they met up was last year in the first round. The Penguins won this time, in a five game series (Penguins 4 - Rangers 1).
Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild
This was the first meeting ever between these two teams in the NHL playoffs. Dallas Stars originally used to be the Minnesota North Stars before Don Green signed them to Dallas in 1996. Tempers are still a little fired up because of that trade. I do agree it was probably the most shadiest move to do, ever. There are two teams that come to mind when I think green and gold (yellow): Minnesota North Stars (and black) and the Green Bay Packers. It does not seem right to have the other one missing.
This was a six game series (Stars 4 - Wild 2). It was not the best playoff run for the Wild. They did not play their best, due to the fact that Zach Parise was injured, and things seem to be not clicking at all for the Wild, even including at the end of their season. But, the Stars did shine. The Stars where having an amazing 2015-16 season coming into the play offs. First in the Central Conference. This series was known for a lot of close calls with bonces from the puck and the goal posts.
But there was a very controversial one, that is still being augured today, and probably through out history. It was in game six (Stars 5 - Wild 4), where the Wild where behind with one point and where trying to tie up the game with 45 to 30 seconds to go on the game clock. They did not want to end the season with they way things where looking, they wanted the go on to try to win the playoffs, badly. So with that in mind Mikko Koivu sent a pass to Nino Niederreiter which made the puck go into the goal, but Kari Lehtonen the Stars goalie stopped it with his foot. It looked in. But not according to the referees. In my opinion it was in (I am not saying this because I am a Wild fan, but it was clearly in). It was called in, the Wild would have scored themselves overtime, and possibly a game seven, and maybe the Stanley Cup. Take a look for yourself. Do you think it was in?
St. Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks
This is the playoff rivalry that goes way back, this is the twelfth meeting between both teams. The most recent meeting of these teams where two years ago, in this exact same position. Well, this time it went into a different outcome. The Blues knocked out the Blackhawks off the playoffs. This shows you how hard it is to win back to back Stanley Cups. The series was a seven game series (Blues 4 - Blackhawks 3).
Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators
This is the second time these two teams have met, the last time was in the 2011 Western Conference quarterfinals. They had a seven game series (Predators 4 - Ducks 3).
Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks
This is the fourth meeting between these teams, the last time they met was in the first round of the playoffs in 2014. They had a five game series (Sharks 4 - Kings 1).
Round Two (April 27th - May 12th, 2016)
New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightening
This is the second meeting between these two teams, they last met in the 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. It was a five game series (Lightening 4 - Islanders 1).
Washington Capitols vs Pittsburgh Penguins
One of my favorite kind of series to witness, Sidney Crosby verses Alex Ovechkin. We always see one game being played with both of them playing against each other in their respective countries (Canada and Russia) during the Olympics or the IIHF Worlds in Europe. But we know got something rare, in my opinion, these two in a seven game series against each other. I always in awe when I see these two go toe to toe, head to head.
This was the ninth meeting between both teams, the last was in 2009 during the 2009 Eastern Conference semifinals. The series was a six game series, I would have personally liked it to be seven. But the Penguins lead the series with winning four games, while the Capitols only won two of those games.
Dallas Stars vs St. Louis Blues
This is surprisingly the thirteenth meeting between these teams. Are they counting the Minnesota North Stars too? Because that seems a bit high for a team that has been around since 1996, in my personal opinion. The last time they meet in the playoffs was in 2001 Western Conference semifinals. This was a seven game series (Blues 4 - Stars 3).
Nashville Predators vs San Jose Sharks
This is the third meeting between these two teams. The last time both team met in the playoffs where in the 2007 Western Conference quarterfinals, where the Sharks won the series. They also won this series in seven games. It was a very tight series between both teams (Sharks 4 games - Predators 3 games).
But there was something different about winning this series since the last one in 2007. Not only did Nashville now had their eye on moving forward in the playoffs, they did not see bad luck running it's way. Literally. It was in form of a small black cat that found it's way into the rink and into the San Jose bench. It ran out of the bench when some people where prepping the bench for the game. They opened up the gate, which lead the cat to escape from the bench and run across the Nashville bench to find an exit from the ice. It finally found an exit, via the referee door or another service door of some kind and hid under the bleachers until it was found. This incident was not so lucky for Nashville, but the kitty, Joe Paw-velski (named after Joe Pavelski, the Sharks captain) did find a home after all.
Round Three (May 13th - 26th, 2016)
Tampa Bay Lightening vs Pittsburgh Penguins
This is the second time these two teams have met, the last time was in 2011 in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. This was a seven game series (Penguins 4 - Lightening 3).
St. Louis Blues vs San Jose Sharks
This is the fifth time both of these team have met, the last time was in 2012 in the Western Conference quarterfinals. This was a six game series (Sharks 4 - Blues 2).
Round Four (May 30th - June 12th, 2016)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs San Jose Sharks
The final round led to the Penguins winning their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Sharks found themselves trying for their first ever Stanley Cup. This was the first time these two teams have met in the playoffs, which made it for an interesting playoff run. Out of six games the Penguins won four out of the six with leaving just the Sharks winning twice in the series.
The Sharks wanted to win so badly, one of them decided to blame Sidney Crosby of cheating on faceoffs. Shark's forward Logan Couture got a little salty after the Pen's win in game two. Couture told reporters in a press conference after the game that he believes that Crosby cheats during faceoffs by timing them. The Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan countered: "He’s not as good as he is by accident... He works extremely hard at it. He prides himself in the details of his game, like faceoffs." It may be just the Sharks where feeling salty about how the game went, but this is the wrong way about doing so, complaining about the other guys ability, and not accepting that it was something that was going on with your own team. Man up.
Crosby won the the Conn Symth Trophy (Playoff's Most Valuable Player) before receiving the Stanley Cup. He is the one of the only player to do this with Joe Sakic (NHL career started in 1988 - 2009) to win IIHF's World Juniors Gold (2005), IIHF's Worlds Gold (2015), Olympic Gold Medals (2010, 2014), the NHL's Conn Symth (2016), Hart Memorial Torphies (Most Valuable Player of the season) (2007, 2014), and the Stanley Cup, twice (2009, 2016). Crosby is probably working his way into history if Canada win's this year's World Cup of Hockey, it is making a comeback since it's last appearance in 2004. I am not really that clear on the whole World Cup of Hockey history, if you have any information on it please share it.
Congratulations on this season, and good luck to the Pittsburgh Penguins on their 2016-17 season!
This is the majority of the teams first Stanley Cup they have ever won. Thankfully the veterans step aside and let the newbies bask in the celebration. Phil Kessel was one of the guys who won the cup for the first time in his career. He had issues before he got traded to Pittsburgh last summer, in Boston he had a chance in the during his run with the Bruins, but they only got to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2009. When Kessel was in Toronto, it was just horrible, the media did not treat him with respect. Also the Toronto Maple Leafs never made it to the NHL playoffs when Kessel was on the team.
On a more positive and happier note, another good thing came out of the playoffs. Evgeni Malkin and his fiancée, Anna Kasterova, became parents to Nikita Malkin before (May 31, 2016) game two in the Stanley Cup final. During the celebration after the win in game six, a reporter asked if Nikita will be in the cup. Evgeni replied: "When he is bigger I put in Cup". So it looks like we will be seeing little baby Malkin in the cup later this summer when Evgeni gets his day with the cup.
Congratulations to the 2016 Stanley Cup
champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins!
champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins!
This years Stanley Cup playoffs was an interesting one since there where no Canadian NHL teams who did not make the playoffs. With this being said, lets go down memory lane and explore what happened in the playoffs this year...
Overview
Round One (April 14th - 27th, 2016)
Florida Panthers vs New York Islanders
This is the first meeting in history between these two teams in the playoffs, it was a six game series (Islanders 4 - Panthers 2).
Tampa Bay Lightening vs Detroit Red Wings
This is the second time these two teams have met, last time was in last year's playoffs in the first round. This year was a five game series (Lightening 4 - Wings 1).
Washington Capitols vs Philadelphia Flyers
This was the Flyers and Capitols fifth meeting in the NHL playoffs and the last meeting was in 2008 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. This was a six game series, where the Capitols took the series (Capitols 4 - Flyers 2).
I have nothing good to say about this series, mainly about the Flyers' fans. They where disrespectful in game three. They had an tribute to the late Ed Snider, they each got an glow and the dark wristband that lit up during the ceremony. Then when the game got going and, things where going badly down hill for the Flyers, the fans got fed up. Really fed up, enough to throw their freebies onto the ice during a fight that broke out on the ice. This lead to the game to stop to clean up the wristbands on the ice. It took both teams to tell them to stop throwing the bands on the ice, even one of the Capitols players got hit on the nose with one. Even with the announcer telling people to stop throwing them on the ice during play but people did. It was ugly, the ugliest moment I saw from a bunch of fans in my life. I feel embarrassed for everyone who lives in Philadelphia, you can be better sportsmen than that. The fans ended up getting the Flyers a two minute penalty for delay of game.
The game wasn't stopped, it was as ugly as they made it
sound. This is a very disrespectful thing to do.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers
This has been the seventh meeting for both teams in NHL history in the playoffs, the last time they met up was last year in the first round. The Penguins won this time, in a five game series (Penguins 4 - Rangers 1).
Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild
This was the first meeting ever between these two teams in the NHL playoffs. Dallas Stars originally used to be the Minnesota North Stars before Don Green signed them to Dallas in 1996. Tempers are still a little fired up because of that trade. I do agree it was probably the most shadiest move to do, ever. There are two teams that come to mind when I think green and gold (yellow): Minnesota North Stars (and black) and the Green Bay Packers. It does not seem right to have the other one missing.
This was a six game series (Stars 4 - Wild 2). It was not the best playoff run for the Wild. They did not play their best, due to the fact that Zach Parise was injured, and things seem to be not clicking at all for the Wild, even including at the end of their season. But, the Stars did shine. The Stars where having an amazing 2015-16 season coming into the play offs. First in the Central Conference. This series was known for a lot of close calls with bonces from the puck and the goal posts.
But there was a very controversial one, that is still being augured today, and probably through out history. It was in game six (Stars 5 - Wild 4), where the Wild where behind with one point and where trying to tie up the game with 45 to 30 seconds to go on the game clock. They did not want to end the season with they way things where looking, they wanted the go on to try to win the playoffs, badly. So with that in mind Mikko Koivu sent a pass to Nino Niederreiter which made the puck go into the goal, but Kari Lehtonen the Stars goalie stopped it with his foot. It looked in. But not according to the referees. In my opinion it was in (I am not saying this because I am a Wild fan, but it was clearly in). It was called in, the Wild would have scored themselves overtime, and possibly a game seven, and maybe the Stanley Cup. Take a look for yourself. Do you think it was in?
What do you think?
St. Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks
This is the playoff rivalry that goes way back, this is the twelfth meeting between both teams. The most recent meeting of these teams where two years ago, in this exact same position. Well, this time it went into a different outcome. The Blues knocked out the Blackhawks off the playoffs. This shows you how hard it is to win back to back Stanley Cups. The series was a seven game series (Blues 4 - Blackhawks 3).
Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators
This is the second time these two teams have met, the last time was in the 2011 Western Conference quarterfinals. They had a seven game series (Predators 4 - Ducks 3).
Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks
This is the fourth meeting between these teams, the last time they met was in the first round of the playoffs in 2014. They had a five game series (Sharks 4 - Kings 1).
Round Two (April 27th - May 12th, 2016)
New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightening
This is the second meeting between these two teams, they last met in the 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. It was a five game series (Lightening 4 - Islanders 1).
Washington Capitols vs Pittsburgh Penguins
One of my favorite kind of series to witness, Sidney Crosby verses Alex Ovechkin. We always see one game being played with both of them playing against each other in their respective countries (Canada and Russia) during the Olympics or the IIHF Worlds in Europe. But we know got something rare, in my opinion, these two in a seven game series against each other. I always in awe when I see these two go toe to toe, head to head.
This was the ninth meeting between both teams, the last was in 2009 during the 2009 Eastern Conference semifinals. The series was a six game series, I would have personally liked it to be seven. But the Penguins lead the series with winning four games, while the Capitols only won two of those games.
Dallas Stars vs St. Louis Blues
This is surprisingly the thirteenth meeting between these teams. Are they counting the Minnesota North Stars too? Because that seems a bit high for a team that has been around since 1996, in my personal opinion. The last time they meet in the playoffs was in 2001 Western Conference semifinals. This was a seven game series (Blues 4 - Stars 3).
Nashville Predators vs San Jose Sharks
This is the third meeting between these two teams. The last time both team met in the playoffs where in the 2007 Western Conference quarterfinals, where the Sharks won the series. They also won this series in seven games. It was a very tight series between both teams (Sharks 4 games - Predators 3 games).
But there was something different about winning this series since the last one in 2007. Not only did Nashville now had their eye on moving forward in the playoffs, they did not see bad luck running it's way. Literally. It was in form of a small black cat that found it's way into the rink and into the San Jose bench. It ran out of the bench when some people where prepping the bench for the game. They opened up the gate, which lead the cat to escape from the bench and run across the Nashville bench to find an exit from the ice. It finally found an exit, via the referee door or another service door of some kind and hid under the bleachers until it was found. This incident was not so lucky for Nashville, but the kitty, Joe Paw-velski (named after Joe Pavelski, the Sharks captain) did find a home after all.
What was known for bad luck, seemed to be a
good luck charm for the Sharks.
Round Three (May 13th - 26th, 2016)
Tampa Bay Lightening vs Pittsburgh Penguins
This is the second time these two teams have met, the last time was in 2011 in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. This was a seven game series (Penguins 4 - Lightening 3).
St. Louis Blues vs San Jose Sharks
This is the fifth time both of these team have met, the last time was in 2012 in the Western Conference quarterfinals. This was a six game series (Sharks 4 - Blues 2).
Round Four (May 30th - June 12th, 2016)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs San Jose Sharks
The final round led to the Penguins winning their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Sharks found themselves trying for their first ever Stanley Cup. This was the first time these two teams have met in the playoffs, which made it for an interesting playoff run. Out of six games the Penguins won four out of the six with leaving just the Sharks winning twice in the series.
The Sharks wanted to win so badly, one of them decided to blame Sidney Crosby of cheating on faceoffs. Shark's forward Logan Couture got a little salty after the Pen's win in game two. Couture told reporters in a press conference after the game that he believes that Crosby cheats during faceoffs by timing them. The Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan countered: "He’s not as good as he is by accident... He works extremely hard at it. He prides himself in the details of his game, like faceoffs." It may be just the Sharks where feeling salty about how the game went, but this is the wrong way about doing so, complaining about the other guys ability, and not accepting that it was something that was going on with your own team. Man up.
Crosby won the the Conn Symth Trophy (Playoff's Most Valuable Player) before receiving the Stanley Cup. He is the one of the only player to do this with Joe Sakic (NHL career started in 1988 - 2009) to win IIHF's World Juniors Gold (2005), IIHF's Worlds Gold (2015), Olympic Gold Medals (2010, 2014), the NHL's Conn Symth (2016), Hart Memorial Torphies (Most Valuable Player of the season) (2007, 2014), and the Stanley Cup, twice (2009, 2016). Crosby is probably working his way into history if Canada win's this year's World Cup of Hockey, it is making a comeback since it's last appearance in 2004. I am not really that clear on the whole World Cup of Hockey history, if you have any information on it please share it.
Sidney Crosby (left) and Evegni Malkin (Right) with
the Stanley Cup
Congratulations on this season, and good luck to the Pittsburgh Penguins on their 2016-17 season!
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