Now that the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is in the books, it’s time to take stock of which teams are left, and who has impressed on the ice.
We started with five Canadians teams in the playoffs, and after round one, only two remain.
Goodbye Toronto, so long Montreal, and farewell Calgary.
Ottawa and Edmonton remain the only hope to end our country’s long drought of a Canadian-based Stanley Cup champion.
If you’re keeping score at home, the Montreal Canadiens are the last Canadian team to win it all in 1993.
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I can still hear star goalie Patrick Roy proclaim that he was going to Disneyland.
Pittsburgh is still in the hunt to repeat as champions, something that hasn’t been done since 1998 when Detroit pulled off the double.
Washington, the New York Rangers, St. Louis, Nashville and Anaheim are also in the running for Lord Stanley’s coveted mug.
I think Ottawa and Edmonton, who will face New York and Anaheim in round 2, respectively, have a decent shot at advancing to the Eastern and Western Conference finals.
But if I were forced to lay down some coin, I wouldn’t bet on either club advancing.
Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers are playing some really good hockey, and the Ducks are such a tough out.
But then again, I was the guy who picked Chicago to win the Stanley Cup this year, so what do I know?
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