So, the final two are finally set to go. After a great game last night, the Edmonton Oilers progress into the Stanley Cup finals against the Florida Panthers. When the playoffs had started, I had written down all of the predictions of the various pundits - by the match up, and eventually for the divisionals and the finals. Not a ONE had predicted these two as the final two teams left standing. I tossed the list out last week - it was absolutely pathetic to read - LOL.
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This is what it's all about - the Stanley Cup. The Cup dates from 1893 and obviously has grown with each win, adding new rings as necessary. The Walter Cup that I wrote about last week has a removable bottom where winners will be engraved, but I don't think it will be growing into a second Stanley Cup. |
The game was VERY hard fought, some beautiful skating and some amazing shots, with the goalies earning their money. The final score was 2-1, so yeah - very tight game. The schedule of the final games starts on Saturday the 8th. On the 8th and the 10th, they play in Florida, on the 13th and 15th they are in Edmonton. If there is more than four games required, they'll alternate, the 18th in Florida, the 21st in Edmonton and finally the 24th in Florida. It's rare for the final series to go a full seven games.
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The final two teams left standing - the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. I love that we have a Canadian in the Cup final. There are only 7 Canadian teams in the league, but they play HARD! |
When I look at the schedule, and think about the standard playing schedule for ice hockey, I'm always amazed. These guys (and now gals) play a massive number of games during the regular season, and it's a very LONG season. Then they hit the playoffs and have more games. There are 32 franchise teams - seven of them Canadian, and every team plays every other team several times in a standard season, so there's a LOT of travel involved. A professional ice hockey player on average, plays five to seven years, the season goes from early Fall through (if they're lucky) early Summer. Through all of that, they're making a living wage, but nothing close to a football player (American football). Yet, when all is said and done, this is what my oldest niece's son wants to do with his life. He fell in love with ice hockey when he was 5 or 6 years old, and is considered a very bright prospect as he enters High School this Fall. He plays goalie and is already being watched and recruited by colleges and coached during the off-season by some very important and prominent coaches. He might go far in the league as a professional, if it's still what he wants to do when he graduates from High School in 2027.
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I loved this map of the various USA ice hockey teams and their sphere of geographic influence. If you want to look at the full-sized map (which I saved, but it's too large to put into my blog), just do a search for NHL Power Rankings: Best Teams for the 2021 Season - Drive4Five |
The life of a professional athlete isn't an easy one, and the road to get there isn't easy either. I love watching the guys on the ice. Ice hockey isn't for the faint-at-heart - it's fast and hard and it takes a while to get used to seeing what goes on; but since DH first introduced me to the sport many years ago, I've loved it. Now we're down to the final two teams. I don't have a horse in this race - the Wild didn't even make the playoffs. But I'm going to be watching. It's hockey - what's not to like about seeing guys fighting it out on a sheet of ice while the temps outside are in the 80's and 90's - LOL. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.
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