First, congrats to the Anaheim Ducks for winning the 2007 Stanley Cup. They played with a lot of physicality and grit, and were truly the best team in these playoffs. I was especially happy to see Scott Niedermayer hand the cup to his brother Rob.
I remember 2003, and the one thing that slightly tempered the New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup celebration was the fact that Scott had won his third cup with the Devils, but at the expense of his brother Rob, who had never won it. Watching them meet in the end-of-series handshake line, you could tell that if it was possible to quickly make a trade, Scott would have done anything to have his brother Rob enjoy the moment fully.
So watching Scott give the Holy Grail to Rob was truly a wonderful moment. I'm sure Ottawa fans were too disappointed to appreciate it, but anyone else that loves hockey, anyone else that loves sports, and anyone else that has a sibling, knows just how touching that moment was. Having briefly had a chance to get to know Scott while writing some hockey articles for several outlets back in 2003 and 2004, I know just how special it was for him to have his brother take the Cup and skate with it.
And this may just be the beginning for the Ducks. Sure they have their share of "gray beards", but they are mostly a young team with the potential to build on this year.
Item Two: NHL Awards Preview
Okay, so now that the Cup has been presented, there's one last bit of business before the amateur draft signals the official start of summer: the NHL Awards. Here's a quick glimpse:
- Calder (Rookie of the year): This is one of those where I think because Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal are teammates, they will cancel each other out and allow Colorado's Paul Stastny to win.
- Selke (Best defensive forward): Hard to argue with Sammy Pahlsson after watching him in the Finals shut down Ottawa's big scoring line.
- Adams (Best coach): It's a regular season award, which is why Randy Carlisle isn't nominated - Lindy Ruff of Buffalo is the choice here.
- Vezina (Best goalie): I'll admit an obvious bias towards Martin Brodeur, and tell you that in other years, he would be a no-brainer. Still, Vancouver needed Roberto Luongo much more than the Devils needed Brodeur, so I say it will go to Luongo.
- Lady Bing (Most gentlemanly): Got a love a bruising, physical sport that is known for violence and yet hands out a sportsmanship award. Joe Sakic is my choice here.
- Norris (Best defenseman): Again, because two of the candidates (Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger) are teammates, I'll take the other nominee, Nicklas Lidstrom of Detroit.
- Hart (League MVP): Two of three candidates are goalies (Brodeur and Luongo) and the other is Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. This is a difficult call, but I think the voters will feel that Crosby will win a lot of these later on, so I say Luongo, even though my hart, er, heart, says Brodeur.
Picture being a team that has won the NBA Championship 3 times in 7 years. Being a team that plays the game the right way, and has good guys that you can root for. Now imagine being the second billing on the NBA Finals marquee to a team that's never been there before.
That's what it means to be the San Antonio Spurs and enter the 2007 NBA Finals playing second fiddle to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Most people believe that this Knig James' coronation ceremony; that he will now lead the Cavs to the title just like his "numbersake", Michael Jordan did in 1991 with the Bulls. That Chicago team had never been to the finals, and were playing a Los Angeles Lakers team that had been to numerous finals. Yet the Bulls won, and now people are drawing a comparison between MJ and those Bulls, and LBJ and these Cavs.
Except that Lakers team was an aging team, and this Spurs team is still in their prime. These Spurs have the ability to do what a selfish Detroit team couldn't; focus on being a team first in their attempt to shutdown LeBron and the Cavs. I think it'll go the full 7, and that home court will help show the way for San Antonio. As for LeBron, his time will come, but I just don't think it'll be this year.
Random thoughts: Did you hear about Annika Sorenstam calling out Michelle Wie? This is what the LPGA needs - not a bunch of docile, timid, and respectful players, but tough chicks calling each other and smashing each other with 4-irons. Okay, maybe not the last part - still, it is nice to see that players on the LPGA Tour have a pulse. As for Wie, perhaps she's making the right decision going to Stanford full-time this fall. She needs to live life a little bit before settling down into a full-time professional grind. It worked for Tiger, maybe singing "Come Join the Band" (the Stanford fight song) is just what she needs for a while... here's why horse racing will never again dominate the sports landscape - Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, who lost by a nose hair in the Preakness, is not racing in the Belmont Stakes this weekend. No rematch, no trying attain lasting glory. Nope, once you lose a shot at the Triple Crown, you pack it in. That doesn't seem to jive with our sense of competition, does it?... So Billy Donovan had a change of heart and decided to go back to Florida, leaving the Orlando Magic at the door. Well, actually, the analogy would be better stated that he went through with the wedding ceremony, but called Raul Felder just after the reception started. You know what though? Good for Donovan that he knew he didn't want to coach in the NBA and had the guts to try to fix it before he got too far along. Better he not go through the motions and hurt the Orlando franchise. Takes guts to admit that you're wrong publicly and subject yourself to ridicule, but he made the right decision... Oh, and back to the Ducks for a minute - Memo to KNBC's Fred Rogan: Know which Niedermayer brother your talking to, like which one came to the Ducks from New Jersey as a free agent, and which one has been in Anaheim for a while. That was hard to watch...How soon until someone posts a spoof video of Paris Hilton's jail stay in the MasterCard 'Priceless' theme...
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