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The Last Hurrah #12: Philadelphia Flyers v. Calgary Flames 2/16/1993 @ Riverfront Coliseum
On Tuesday, February 16th, 1993, the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames played to a 4-4 tie in the first and final NHL game to date to take place at Riverfront Coliseum, as well as the city of Cincinnati as a whole. Although the game was scheduled as a neutral-site contest to test if Cincinnati would be viable for an NHL franchise, the game itself would be met with a myriad of issues. After opening on Tuesday, September 9th, 1975, Riverfront Coliseum (now Heritage Bank Center) hosted the World Hockey Association’s Cincinnati Stingers from the 1975-76 season to the 1978-79 season, where the team reached the postseason in 1977 and 1979, although they would be knocked out in the first round on both occasions. On April 24th, 1979, as the Stingers fell to the New England Whalers 2-1 to end their postseason run, it would also be the final WHA game for the team as well, with the league folding on June 22nd. Although the team would remain at Riverfront Coliseum after joining the Central Hockey League in the offseason, this attempt would quickly unravel after financial issues forced the team to shut its doors for good on December 18th, 1979. For more than a decade since that date, there had been little chance of hockey returning to the Coliseum any time soon, as the original Cincinnati Cyclones (now Adirondack Thunder) opted to instead play their games at the Cincinnati Gardens when they entered the East Coast Hockey League in 1990. However, this would be flipped on its head before the 1992-93 NHL season. On April 10th, 1992, the league announced that the upcoming regular season schedule would be increased from 80 games to 84, with two of these extra games for each team to be held at neutral-site venues in a variety of new markets. Out of the 15 cities to host for the 1992-93 season, Cincinnati would be one of them, with Riverfront Coliseum selected to secure its first ice hockey matchup in over 13 years. Beginning with the game itself, the Flyers came into the matchup in the midst of a trying season, possessing a 19-28-9 record. Despite this, there was still a lot to be excited about on their end, as Philadelphia had acquired forward Eric Lindros, the first overall pick of the 1991 draft, prior to his debut season and had established himself as one of the most talented rookies in the league. As for the Flames, they held a far more intimidating record at 31-19-8, thanks to the play of forward Theoren Fleury, who would go on to finish 1992-93 with 100 points, as well as defenseman Gary Suter, who would eventually finish seventh in Norris Trophy voting for the year. Starting in net for the Flyers would be backup Dominic Roussel, who would go on to have mixed results in his sophomore season with a 13-11-5 record, although with a save percentage of .881. Meanwhile, Calgary called upon veteran netminder Mike Vernon, already with a Stanley Cup ring from the Flames’ title in 1989, though he too struggled in what would be a suboptimal season, going 29-26-9 while claiming a .887 save percentage. The first period would be all offense from both sides, with Flames forward Joe Nieuwendyk drawing first blood less than two minutes into the game, before Lindros it up at the 7:15 mark. However, Calgary quickly responded, as Fleury found the back of the net just 57 seconds later. The teams would swap goals once again, as forwards Ron Stern and Pelle Eklund scored for Calgary and Philadelphia respectively, before Flames forward Gary Roberts restored the two-goal advantage just six seconds prior to the end of the first period, making it a 4-2 game in favor of Calgary. Before the start of the second period, however, Philadelphia would pull Roussel in favor of regular starter Tommy Soderstrom. Soderstrom, in his rookie season in the league, put together respectable numbers by season’s end at a 20-17-6 record and .892 save percentage and had already earned two career shutouts. As it turned out, this would be just what the team needed following their slow start. Soderstrom and the Flyers would not allow another goal for the rest of the contest, enabling the team to slowly begin chipping away at the deficit as he stopped all 29 shots that came his way. Forward (and should-be Hall of Famer) Rod Brind’Amour added the only goal of the second, before fellow forward Brent Fedyk evened the game up with the lone power play tally just under five minutes into the third period. Neither side would have the edge for the last 15 minutes of regulation, sending it into overtime. In overtime, despite a power play opportunity for Calgary as Flyers defenseman Terry Carkner was given a holding call at the 1:48 mark, they would be unable to capitalize as the five-minute OT frame ended with a 4-4 tie. Although the Flyers improved during the remainder of the season following their trip to Cincinnati, it wouldn’t be enough to avoid a losing record as they finished at 36-37-11 to miss the playoffs. Conversely, the Flames continued their upward trajectory to take a 43-30-11 showing to reach the 1993 playoffs, though the team would have a disappointing postseason, losing in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Los Angeles Kings. Despite the competitive on-ice performance, there were several reasons that the NHL never again visited the Coliseum. Likely the most important factor was that players complained of terrible ice conditions, which can not only create an unfair advantage for one team but, more pressingly, also increase the likelihood of injuries. With the league coming off of a player’s strike just a few short months earlier, that along could make them rethink any future commitments to playing at the Coliseum. However, this was just the tip of the iceberg of grievances. According to postgame articles from the Cincinnati Enquirer, the start of the game was delayed by 37 minutes due to one of the nets being unable to stay connected with the ice surface. Not only that, there were smaller electrical issues that piled on over the course of the game, as the goal lights were not working and the scoreboard shut off at one point in the first period, which led to another delay. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the final attendance numbers would likely be what sank any chance of the NHL returning to the Queen City for the next season, as the Flyers-Flames matchup only brought in 7,973 fans, or roughly half of Riverfront Coliseum’s capacity at the time. With that, when the seven cities were announced for the neutral-site program for the 1993-94 campaign, it came to the surprise of no one that Cincinnati was not on the list. Riverfront Coliseum would be without pro hockey for four more years, until the Cincinnati Cyclones of the International Hockey League (not to be confused with the original Cyclones franchise mentioned earlier) moved into the facility for the 1997-98 season. Despite the IHL’s closure in 2001, the Cyclones would reform in the ECHL for the 2001-02 season, calling what is now known as the Heritage Bank Center home to this day. However, barring any major renovations or unforeseen circumstances, the NHL will never put another regular season game at the arena in all likelihood. Sources: https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/199302160CGY.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/101914756/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/101914825/ Thanks for reading!
zmiller82updated
The Last Hurrah #12: Philadelphia Flyers v. Calgary Flames 2/16/1993 @ Riverfront Coliseum
On Tuesday, February 16th, 1993, the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames played to a 4-4 tie in the first and final NHL game to date to take place at Riverfront Coliseum, as well as the city of Cincinnati as a whole. Although the game was scheduled as a neutral-site contest to test if Cincinnati would be viable for an NHL franchise, the game itself would be met with a myriad of issues. After opening on Tuesday, September 9th, 1975, Riverfront Coliseum (now Heritage Bank Center) hosted the World Hockey Association’s Cincinnati Stingers from the 1975-76 season to the 1978-79 season, where the team reached the postseason in 1977 and 1979, although they would be knocked out in the first round on both occasions. On April 24th, 1979, as the Stingers fell to the New England Whalers 2-1 to end their postseason run, it would also be the final WHA game for the team as well, with the league folding on June 22nd. Although the team would remain at Riverfront Coliseum after joining the Central Hockey League in the offseason, this attempt would quickly unravel after financial issues forced the team to shut its doors for good on December 18th, 1979. For more than a decade since that date, there had been little chance of hockey returning to the Coliseum any time soon, as the original Cincinnati Cyclones (now Adirondack Thunder) opted to instead play their games at the Cincinnati Gardens when they entered the East Coast Hockey League in 1990. However, this would be flipped on its head before the 1992-93 NHL season. On April 10th, 1992, the league announced that the upcoming regular season schedule would be increased from 80 games to 84, with two of these extra games for each team to be held at neutral-site venues in a variety of new markets. Out of the 15 cities to host for the 1992-93 season, Cincinnati would be one of them, with Riverfront Coliseum selected to secure its first ice hockey matchup in over 13 years. Beginning with the game itself, the Flyers came into the matchup in the midst of a trying season, possessing a 19-28-9 record. Despite this, there was still a lot to be excited about on their end, as Philadelphia had acquired forward Eric Lindros, the first overall pick of the 1991 draft, prior to his debut season and had established himself as one of the most talented rookies in the league. As for the Flames, they held a far more intimidating record at 31-19-8, thanks to the play of forward Theoren Fleury, who would go on to finish 1992-93 with 100 points, as well as defenseman Gary Suter, who would eventually finish seventh in Norris Trophy voting for the year. Starting in net for the Flyers would be backup Dominic Roussel, who would go on to have mixed results in his sophomore season with a 13-11-5 record, although with a save percentage of .881. Meanwhile, Calgary called upon veteran netminder Mike Vernon, already with a Stanley Cup ring from the Flames’ title in 1989, though he too struggled in what would be a suboptimal season, going 29-26-9 while claiming a .887 save percentage. The first period would be all offense from both sides, with Flames forward Joe Nieuwendyk drawing first blood less than two minutes into the game, before Lindros it up at the 7:15 mark. However, Calgary quickly responded, as Fleury found the back of the net just 57 seconds later. The teams would swap goals once again, as forwards Ron Stern and Pelle Eklund scored for Calgary and Philadelphia respectively, before Flames forward Gary Roberts restored the two-goal advantage just six seconds prior to the end of the first period, making it a 4-2 game in favor of Calgary. Before the start of the second period, however, Philadelphia would pull Roussel in favor of regular starter Tommy Soderstrom. Soderstrom, in his rookie season in the league, put together respectable numbers by season’s end at a 20-17-6 record and .892 save percentage and had already earned two career shutouts. As it turned out, this would be just what the team needed following their slow start. Soderstrom and the Flyers would not allow another goal for the rest of the contest, enabling the team to slowly begin chipping away at the deficit as he stopped all 29 shots that came his way. Forward (and should-be Hall of Famer) Rod Brind’Amour added the only goal of the second, before fellow forward Brent Fedyk evened the game up with the lone power play tally just under five minutes into the third period. Neither side would have the edge for the last 15 minutes of regulation, sending it into overtime. In overtime, despite a power play opportunity for Calgary as Flyers defenseman Terry Carkner was given a holding call at the 1:48 mark, they would be unable to capitalize as the five-minute OT frame ended with a 4-4 tie. Although the Flyers improved during the remainder of the season following their trip to Cincinnati, it wouldn’t be enough to avoid a losing record as they finished at 36-37-11 to miss the playoffs. Conversely, the Flames continued their upward trajectory to take a 43-30-11 showing to reach the 1993 playoffs, though the team would have a disappointing postseason, losing in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Los Angeles Kings. Despite the competitive on-ice performance, there were several reasons that the NHL never again visited the Coliseum. Likely the most important factor was that players complained of terrible ice conditions, which can not only create an unfair advantage for one team but, more pressingly, also increase the likelihood of injuries. With the league coming off of a player’s strike just a few short months earlier, that along could make them rethink any future commitments to playing at the Coliseum. However, this was just the tip of the iceberg of grievances. According to postgame articles from the Cincinnati Enquirer, the start of the game was delayed by 37 minutes due to one of the nets being unable to stay connected with the ice surface. Not only that, there were smaller electrical issues that piled on over the course of the game, as the goal lights were not working and the scoreboard shut off at one point in the first period, which led to another delay. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the final attendance numbers would likely be what sank any chance of the NHL returning to the Queen City for the next season, as the Flyers-Flames matchup only brought in 7,973 fans, or roughly half of Riverfront Coliseum’s capacity at the time. With that, when the seven cities were announced for the neutral-site program for the 1993-94 campaign, it came to the surprise of no one that Cincinnati was not on the list. Riverfront Coliseum would be without pro hockey for four more years, until the Cincinnati Cyclones of the International Hockey League (not to be confused with the original Cyclones franchise mentioned earlier) moved into the facility for the 1997-98 season. Despite the IHL’s closure in 2001, the Cyclones would reform in the ECHL for the 2001-02 season, calling what is now known as the Heritage Bank Center home to this day. However, barring any major renovations or unforeseen circumstances, the NHL will never put another regular season game at the arena in all likelihood. Sources: https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/199302160CGY.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/101914756/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/101914825/ Thanks for reading!
zmiller82updated
The Last Hurrah #12: Philadelphia Flyers v. Calgary Flames 2/16/1993 @ Riverfront Coliseum
On Tuesday, February 16th, 1993, the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames played to a 4-4 tie in the first and final NHL game to date to take place at Riverfront Coliseum, as well as the city of Cincinnati as a whole. Although the game was scheduled as a neutral-site contest to test if Cincinnati would be viable for an NHL franchise, the game itself would be met with a myriad of issues. After opening on Tuesday, September 9th, 1975, Riverfront Coliseum (now Heritage Bank Center) hosted the World Hockey Association’s Cincinnati Stingers from the 1975-76 season to the 1978-79 season, where the team reached the postseason in 1977 and 1979, although they would be knocked out in the first round on both occasions. On April 24th, 1979, as the Stingers fell to the New England Whalers 2-1 to end their postseason run, it would also be the final WHA game for the team as well, with the league folding on June 22nd. Although the team would remain at Riverfront Coliseum after joining the Central Hockey League in the offseason, this attempt would quickly unravel after financial issues forced the team to shut its doors for good on December 18th, 1979. For more than a decade since that date, there had been little chance of hockey returning to the Coliseum any time soon, as the original Cincinnati Cyclones (now Adirondack Thunder) opted to instead play their games at the Cincinnati Gardens when they entered the East Coast Hockey League in 1990. However, this would be flipped on its head before the 1992-93 NHL season. On April 10th, 1992, the league announced that the upcoming regular season schedule would be increased from 80 games to 84, with two of these extra games for each team to be held at neutral-site venues in a variety of new markets. Out of the 15 cities to host for the 1992-93 season, Cincinnati would be one of them, with Riverfront Coliseum selected to secure its first ice hockey matchup in over 13 years. Beginning with the game itself, the Flyers came into the matchup in the midst of a trying season, possessing a 19-28-9 record. Despite this, there was still a lot to be excited about on their end, as Philadelphia had acquired forward Eric Lindros, the first overall pick of the 1991 draft, prior to his debut season and had established himself as one of the most talented rookies in the league. As for the Flames, they held a far more intimidating record at 31-19-8, thanks to the play of forward Theoren Fleury, who would go on to finish 1992-93 with 100 points, as well as defenseman Gary Suter, who would eventually finish seventh in Norris Trophy voting for the year. Starting in net for the Flyers would be backup Dominic Roussel, who would go on to have mixed results in his sophomore season with a 13-11-5 record, although with a save percentage of .881. Meanwhile, Calgary called upon veteran netminder Mike Vernon, already with a Stanley Cup ring from the Flames’ title in 1989, though he too struggled in what would be a suboptimal season, going 29-26-9 while claiming a .887 save percentage. The first period would be all offense from both sides, with Flames forward Joe Nieuwendyk drawing first blood less than two minutes into the game, before Lindros it up at the 7:15 mark. However, Calgary quickly responded, as Fleury found the back of the net just 57 seconds later. The teams would swap goals once again, as forwards Ron Stern and Pelle Eklund scored for Calgary and Philadelphia respectively, before Flames forward Gary Roberts restored the two-goal advantage just six seconds prior to the end of the first period, making it a 4-2 game in favor of Calgary. Before the start of the second period, however, Philadelphia would pull Roussel in favor of regular starter Tommy Soderstrom. Soderstrom, in his rookie season in the league, put together respectable numbers by season’s end at a 20-17-6 record and .892 save percentage and had already earned two career shutouts. As it turned out, this would be just what the team needed following their slow start. Soderstrom and the Flyers would not allow another goal for the rest of the contest, enabling the team to slowly begin chipping away at the deficit as he stopped all 29 shots that came his way. Forward (and should-be Hall of Famer) Rod Brind’Amour added the only goal of the second, before fellow forward Brent Fedyk evened the game up with the lone power play tally just under five minutes into the third period. Neither side would have the edge for the last 15 minutes of regulation, sending it into overtime. In overtime, despite a power play opportunity for Calgary as Flyers defenseman Terry Carkner was given a holding call at the 1:48 mark, they would be unable to capitalize as the five-minute OT frame ended with a 4-4 tie. Although the Flyers improved during the remainder of the season following their trip to Cincinnati, it wouldn’t be enough to avoid a losing record as they finished at 36-37-11 to miss the playoffs. Conversely, the Flames continued their upward trajectory to take a 43-30-11 showing to reach the 1993 playoffs, though the team would have a disappointing postseason, losing in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Los Angeles Kings. Despite the competitive on-ice performance, there were several reasons that the NHL never again visited the Coliseum. Likely the most important factor was that players complained of terrible ice conditions, which can not only create an unfair advantage for one team but, more pressingly, also increase the likelihood of injuries. With the league coming off of a player’s strike just a few short months earlier, that along could make them rethink any future commitments to playing at the Coliseum. However, this was just the tip of the iceberg of grievances. According to postgame articles from the Cincinnati Enquirer, the start of the game was delayed by 37 minutes due to one of the nets being unable to stay connected with the ice surface. Not only that, there were smaller electrical issues that piled on over the course of the game, as the goal lights were not working and the scoreboard shut off at one point in the first period, which led to another delay. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the final attendance numbers would likely be what sank any chance of the NHL returning to the Queen City for the next season, as the Flyers-Flames matchup only brought in 7,973 fans, or roughly half of Riverfront Coliseum’s capacity at the time. With that, when the seven cities were announced for the neutral-site program for the 1993-94 campaign, it came to the surprise of no one that Cincinnati was not on the list. Riverfront Coliseum would be without pro hockey for four more years, until the Cincinnati Cyclones of the International Hockey League (not to be confused with the original Cyclones franchise mentioned earlier) moved into the facility for the 1997-98 season. Despite the IHL’s closure in 2001, the Cyclones would reform in the ECHL for the 2001-02 season, calling what is now known as the Heritage Bank Center home to this day. However, barring any major renovations or unforeseen circumstances, the NHL will never put another regular season game at the arena in all likelihood. Sources: https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/199302160CGY.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/101914756/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/101914825/ Thanks for reading!
Lightning are going to Three-peat
A new season is upon us. For the Tampa Bay Lightning it begins tonight as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Today every team is undefeated. All 32 NHL teams are still mathematically in the hunt for the postseason. That’ll change by American Thanksgiving when the contenders begin to separate from the pretenders. As the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Lightning are the only team that can repeat as champions this season. They will be reminded of that when the 2021 Stanley Cup banner is raised to the Amalie Arena rafters. The other 31 teams will also remind them when the Lightning is on the schedule. If last season was any indication the Lightning core group will forget last season the moment the banner is hung. Actually this Lightning team can achieve something that hasn’t happened in the salary cap era. A “Three-peat”. Winning three consecutive Cups is rare. Since the original expansion in 1967, only two teams have won three consecutive Cups. Joining the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Islanders could be the proper level of incentive the Lightning need. Since the Cup win over the Canadiens last Spring, there have been numerous changes to the Lightning roster. Sadly, gone is the third line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. No doubt that trio will be missed. Fans shouldn’t expect three players to play like those recently departed players. Their departure however does present opportunities for other players. Also gone are Tyler Johnson, Luke Schenn and David Savard. Now that the final roster has been set, we know who the new faces are. New to the Lightning are forwards: Corey Perry, Pierre-Edoard Bellemare, Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk. On defense, there is a new old name. Zach Bogosian re-signed with the team. Lastly, All-Galaxy Goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy has a new understudy - Brian Elliott replacing the recently retired Curtis McElhinney. As they prepare for the first puck drop of the new season, a review of the division shows that the Lightning are the cream of the crop. Who is going to step up and challenge them? The aging Boston Bruins? The underachieving Toronto Maple Leafs? The much improved Florida Panthers? To be the king, you have to beat the king. Because the core group of the Lightning remains intact, they don’t seem willing to abdicate. This makes it harder for the challengers to dethrone them. So which team will challenge the Lightning the most? I think we saw the team that will ruffle the Lightning feathers the most in the division during the preseason. The Panthers coached by Joel Quenneville should be nipping at the Lightning heels throughout the season. Ultimately, the little brother Cats won’t have enough to supplant the bigger brother Lightning during the regular season or playoffs. Many in the NHL media seem to love Toronto. I get it. They have some of the best forwards in the game. Any team would love to throw Auston Mathews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander on the ice. Yet as we’ve seen in recent postseasons, those guys aren’t enough. In the off-season, the Leafs added more questions than answers to their goaltending and defense. Every team changes every year and the Boston Bruins are no exception. For most playoff contenders it’s the names that remain that give them a leg up. Again, the Bruins are no exception. Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand make one of the best lines in the league. Any opponent that underestimates this line does so to their own detriment. Of the remaining teams, only the Montreal Canadiens could sneak their way into the postseason. Though if they do, they will do it without Captain shea Weber. The other teams: Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres are clearly in the pretender pile. Ottawa and Detroit are on the rise but let’s not forget their starting point. Here’s my prediction for the Atlantic: Lightning Panthers Bruins Maple Leafs Canadiens Detroit Ottawa Buffalo The salary cap era has leveled the playing field. We’ve seen that over the last almost 20 years. It has been difficult to maintain a level of excellency season to season. In this time, the Lightning have proved to be the exception. A quick recap of the Jeff Vinik era in Lightning history showing this level of greatness. Two Stanley Cups in three appearances. Six Conference Finals appearances, winning three of those. Their superiority in this league is well documented over the last dozen years. The thing is this season can catapult this franchise into a stratosphere rarely seen. They have a chance to go back to back to back. A Three-Peat. Some say good things come in threes but the pressure on this 2021-22 roster will be intense. There are a plethora of teams that are looking to dethrone our champions. The issue for those contenders is they lack one thing. The Lightning’s core group. That is where the last two Cups were won. Vasilevskiy is the best big game goalie in the game. On defense, Victor Hedman is an elite defenseman and arguably still the best in the NHL. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are two of the best forwards in the game. Kucherov impressed with his stellar postseason last season while missing every regular season game. Aside from being one of the fastest centers in the game, Point has an incredible nose for the net. Last but not least, their lynchpin - Captain Steven Stamkos. If you have read any of my previous work, you know I am a Stamkos fan. His body of work is Hall of Fame worthy, yet he still maintains a high level of skills. Who on the roster would you rather have on the right dot on the power play? The core group carries the load but no team wins a Cup without all the players playing their roles. The Lightning check all the boxes here. On defense, Ryan McDonagh is as solid a player as he is a leader. I am convinced Anthony Cirelli is a future Selke Award winner. Steady Alex Killorn and 200 foot playing, Ondrej Palat. But wait! There’s more. Among the forwards, Ross Colton, Matthieu Joseph, Pat Maroon join the new players to the roster. On defense, Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak, Jan Rutta, and Cal Foote join Bogosian. As this team has done during the Vinik era, these guys are deep. They are not going to hand back the Cup without a fight. Battles throughout the 82 game regular season. The boys begin to bond over some of the tough wins and losses. The combat at the start of the playoffs. When the games get real, this team has played balls out. The war the Stanley Cup Final brings. Something tells me our boys are ready. Something tells me they are ready to make some NHL history. First team to win three consecutive Cups in the Cap era. One of only three teams to win that many consecutive Cups since 1967 (First NHL expansion). These boys, our boys, are on the precipice of history. Something tells me there isn’t a team ready to take what’s theirs.
Lightning are going to Three-peat
A new season is upon us. For the Tampa Bay Lightning it begins tonight as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Today every team is undefeated. All 32 NHL teams are still mathematically in the hunt for the postseason. That’ll change by American Thanksgiving when the contenders begin to separate from the pretenders. As the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Lightning are the only team that can repeat as champions this season. They will be reminded of that when the 2021 Stanley Cup banner is raised to the Amalie Arena rafters. The other 31 teams will also remind them when the Lightning is on the schedule. If last season was any indication the Lightning core group will forget last season the moment the banner is hung. Actually this Lightning team can achieve something that hasn’t happened in the salary cap era. A “Three-peat”. Winning three consecutive Cups is rare. Since the original expansion in 1967, only two teams have won three consecutive Cups. Joining the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Islanders could be the proper level of incentive the Lightning need. Since the Cup win over the Canadiens last Spring, there have been numerous changes to the Lightning roster. Sadly, gone is the third line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. No doubt that trio will be missed. Fans shouldn’t expect three players to play like those recently departed players. Their departure however does present opportunities for other players. Also gone are Tyler Johnson, Luke Schenn and David Savard. Now that the final roster has been set, we know who the new faces are. New to the Lightning are forwards: Corey Perry, Pierre-Edoard Bellemare, Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk. On defense, there is a new old name. Zach Bogosian re-signed with the team. Lastly, All-Galaxy Goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy has a new understudy - Brian Elliott replacing the recently retired Curtis McElhinney. As they prepare for the first puck drop of the new season, a review of the division shows that the Lightning are the cream of the crop. Who is going to step up and challenge them? The aging Boston Bruins? The underachieving Toronto Maple Leafs? The much improved Florida Panthers? To be the king, you have to beat the king. Because the core group of the Lightning remains intact, they don’t seem willing to abdicate. This makes it harder for the challengers to dethrone them. So which team will challenge the Lightning the most? I think we saw the team that will ruffle the Lightning feathers the most in the division during the preseason. The Panthers coached by Joel Quenneville should be nipping at the Lightning heels throughout the season. Ultimately, the little brother Cats won’t have enough to supplant the bigger brother Lightning during the regular season or playoffs. Many in the NHL media seem to love Toronto. I get it. They have some of the best forwards in the game. Any team would love to throw Auston Mathews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander on the ice. Yet as we’ve seen in recent postseasons, those guys aren’t enough. In the off-season, the Leafs added more questions than answers to their goaltending and defense. Every team changes every year and the Boston Bruins are no exception. For most playoff contenders it’s the names that remain that give them a leg up. Again, the Bruins are no exception. Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand make one of the best lines in the league. Any opponent that underestimates this line does so to their own detriment. Of the remaining teams, only the Montreal Canadiens could sneak their way into the postseason. Though if they do, they will do it without Captain shea Weber. The other teams: Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres are clearly in the pretender pile. Ottawa and Detroit are on the rise but let’s not forget their starting point. Here’s my prediction for the Atlantic: Lightning Panthers Bruins Maple Leafs Canadiens Detroit Ottawa Buffalo The salary cap era has leveled the playing field. We’ve seen that over the last almost 20 years. It has been difficult to maintain a level of excellency season to season. In this time, the Lightning have proved to be the exception. A quick recap of the Jeff Vinik era in Lightning history showing this level of greatness. Two Stanley Cups in three appearances. Six Conference Finals appearances, winning three of those. Their superiority in this league is well documented over the last dozen years. The thing is this season can catapult this franchise into a stratosphere rarely seen. They have a chance to go back to back to back. A Three-Peat. Some say good things come in threes but the pressure on this 2021-22 roster will be intense. There are a plethora of teams that are looking to dethrone our champions. The issue for those contenders is they lack one thing. The Lightning’s core group. That is where the last two Cups were won. Vasilevskiy is the best big game goalie in the game. On defense, Victor Hedman is an elite defenseman and arguably still the best in the NHL. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are two of the best forwards in the game. Kucherov impressed with his stellar postseason last season while missing every regular season game. Aside from being one of the fastest centers in the game, Point has an incredible nose for the net. Last but not least, their lynchpin - Captain Steven Stamkos. If you have read any of my previous work, you know I am a Stamkos fan. His body of work is Hall of Fame worthy, yet he still maintains a high level of skills. Who on the roster would you rather have on the right dot on the power play? The core group carries the load but no team wins a Cup without all the players playing their roles. The Lightning check all the boxes here. On defense, Ryan McDonagh is as solid a player as he is a leader. I am convinced Anthony Cirelli is a future Selke Award winner. Steady Alex Killorn and 200 foot playing, Ondrej Palat. But wait! There’s more. Among the forwards, Ross Colton, Matthieu Joseph, Pat Maroon join the new players to the roster. On defense, Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak, Jan Rutta, and Cal Foote join Bogosian. As this team has done during the Vinik era, these guys are deep. They are not going to hand back the Cup without a fight. Battles throughout the 82 game regular season. The boys begin to bond over some of the tough wins and losses. The combat at the start of the playoffs. When the games get real, this team has played balls out. The war the Stanley Cup Final brings. Something tells me our boys are ready. Something tells me they are ready to make some NHL history. First team to win three consecutive Cups in the Cap era. One of only three teams to win that many consecutive Cups since 1967 (First NHL expansion). These boys, our boys, are on the precipice of history. Something tells me there isn’t a team ready to take what’s theirs.
Lightning are going to Three-peat
A new season is upon us. For the Tampa Bay Lightning it begins tonight as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Today every team is undefeated. All 32 NHL teams are still mathematically in the hunt for the postseason. That’ll change by American Thanksgiving when the contenders begin to separate from the pretenders. As the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Lightning are the only team that can repeat as champions this season. They will be reminded of that when the 2021 Stanley Cup banner is raised to the Amalie Arena rafters. The other 31 teams will also remind them when the Lightning is on the schedule. If last season was any indication the Lightning core group will forget last season the moment the banner is hung. Actually this Lightning team can achieve something that hasn’t happened in the salary cap era. A “Three-peat”. Winning three consecutive Cups is rare. Since the original expansion in 1967, only two teams have won three consecutive Cups. Joining the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Islanders could be the proper level of incentive the Lightning need. Since the Cup win over the Canadiens last Spring, there have been numerous changes to the Lightning roster. Sadly, gone is the third line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. No doubt that trio will be missed. Fans shouldn’t expect three players to play like those recently departed players. Their departure however does present opportunities for other players. Also gone are Tyler Johnson, Luke Schenn and David Savard. Now that the final roster has been set, we know who the new faces are. New to the Lightning are forwards: Corey Perry, Pierre-Edoard Bellemare, Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk. On defense, there is a new old name. Zach Bogosian re-signed with the team. Lastly, All-Galaxy Goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy has a new understudy - Brian Elliott replacing the recently retired Curtis McElhinney. As they prepare for the first puck drop of the new season, a review of the division shows that the Lightning are the cream of the crop. Who is going to step up and challenge them? The aging Boston Bruins? The underachieving Toronto Maple Leafs? The much improved Florida Panthers? To be the king, you have to beat the king. Because the core group of the Lightning remains intact, they don’t seem willing to abdicate. This makes it harder for the challengers to dethrone them. So which team will challenge the Lightning the most? I think we saw the team that will ruffle the Lightning feathers the most in the division during the preseason. The Panthers coached by Joel Quenneville should be nipping at the Lightning heels throughout the season. Ultimately, the little brother Cats won’t have enough to supplant the bigger brother Lightning during the regular season or playoffs. Many in the NHL media seem to love Toronto. I get it. They have some of the best forwards in the game. Any team would love to throw Auston Mathews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander on the ice. Yet as we’ve seen in recent postseasons, those guys aren’t enough. In the off-season, the Leafs added more questions than answers to their goaltending and defense. Every team changes every year and the Boston Bruins are no exception. For most playoff contenders it’s the names that remain that give them a leg up. Again, the Bruins are no exception. Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand make one of the best lines in the league. Any opponent that underestimates this line does so to their own detriment. Of the remaining teams, only the Montreal Canadiens could sneak their way into the postseason. Though if they do, they will do it without Captain shea Weber. The other teams: Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres are clearly in the pretender pile. Ottawa and Detroit are on the rise but let’s not forget their starting point. Here’s my prediction for the Atlantic: Lightning Panthers Bruins Maple Leafs Canadiens Detroit Ottawa Buffalo The salary cap era has leveled the playing field. We’ve seen that over the last almost 20 years. It has been difficult to maintain a level of excellency season to season. In this time, the Lightning have proved to be the exception. A quick recap of the Jeff Vinik era in Lightning history showing this level of greatness. Two Stanley Cups in three appearances. Six Conference Finals appearances, winning three of those. Their superiority in this league is well documented over the last dozen years. The thing is this season can catapult this franchise into a stratosphere rarely seen. They have a chance to go back to back to back. A Three-Peat. Some say good things come in threes but the pressure on this 2021-22 roster will be intense. There are a plethora of teams that are looking to dethrone our champions. The issue for those contenders is they lack one thing. The Lightning’s core group. That is where the last two Cups were won. Vasilevskiy is the best big game goalie in the game. On defense, Victor Hedman is an elite defenseman and arguably still the best in the NHL. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are two of the best forwards in the game. Kucherov impressed with his stellar postseason last season while missing every regular season game. Aside from being one of the fastest centers in the game, Point has an incredible nose for the net. Last but not least, their lynchpin - Captain Steven Stamkos. If you have read any of my previous work, you know I am a Stamkos fan. His body of work is Hall of Fame worthy, yet he still maintains a high level of skills. Who on the roster would you rather have on the right dot on the power play? The core group carries the load but no team wins a Cup without all the players playing their roles. The Lightning check all the boxes here. On defense, Ryan McDonagh is as solid a player as he is a leader. I am convinced Anthony Cirelli is a future Selke Award winner. Steady Alex Killorn and 200 foot playing, Ondrej Palat. But wait! There’s more. Among the forwards, Ross Colton, Matthieu Joseph, Pat Maroon join the new players to the roster. On defense, Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak, Jan Rutta, and Cal Foote join Bogosian. As this team has done during the Vinik era, these guys are deep. They are not going to hand back the Cup without a fight. Battles throughout the 82 game regular season. The boys begin to bond over some of the tough wins and losses. The combat at the start of the playoffs. When the games get real, this team has played balls out. The war the Stanley Cup Final brings. Something tells me our boys are ready. Something tells me they are ready to make some NHL history. First team to win three consecutive Cups in the Cap era. One of only three teams to win that many consecutive Cups since 1967 (First NHL expansion). These boys, our boys, are on the precipice of history. Something tells me there isn’t a team ready to take what’s theirs.