smelly Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 Eastern team guaranteed favorite in Cup final -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Chris Stevenson Special to ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA -- Since 1994, the road to the Stanley Cup always looked like an arduous trek to a mountain top a team in the Eastern Conference. STANLEY CUP: WEST VS. EAST Stanley Cup winners since 1994, when the NHL adopted a conference-based seeding system, with regular-season points in parethesis. * - indicates team with home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup final. Plumbers and grinders? Sherpas would have been better. Now, with the earth-shaking developments in the West this spring, the mountains have been flattened. For the Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils, the two teams left standing in the East, the road between them and the Stanley Cup isn't as daunting uphill climb. Now, it's a matter of avoiding potholes. For the first time in that decade, a team from the East will be favored going into this year's Stanley Cup final, regardless who emerges from the remaining five teams. The Senators, who appear to be gathering momentum, outscoring the Philadelphia Flyers 10-3 in the final two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, are the Presidents' Trophy champions and are now playing up to their No. 1 seed. The New Jersey Devils made short work of the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning, beating them both in five games. They are the only Eastern team to win the Stanley Cup in the last nine years, doing it twice ('95 and 2000). Both the Senators and the Devils earned more points in the regular season than any of the three teams left in the Western Conference, giving the Eastern Conference home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup final. The landscape out west has been altered by the giant killers. The Detroit Red Wings, the second seed in the West and the defending Stanley Cup champions, were the first to fall, swept aside by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Colorado Avalanche, the third seed, fell to the Minnesota Wild. The Dallas Stars, the top seed, were erased by the Ducks on Monday night. The teams remaining -- the Ducks, the Vancouver Canucks and the Wild -- do not have the reputations or the playoff experience to make them favored against either the Senators or the Devils. That's not taking anything away from what those teams have accomplished this spring. They simply do not have the aura of the Big Three -- Dallas, Detroit and Colorado -- who had won six of the last seven Cups and had represented the West in the final the past nine years. While the developments in the West are viewed at this point as a one off-year of upsets, there could be legitimate challenge to the Devils' supremacy in the East. "In my opinion, there's a new leader in the Eastern Conference," said Philadelphia Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock in assessing the Senators after his club was eliminated. "These guys are at the top of the heap. We can spend a little time thinking about what we accomplished and a lot of time wondering how we are going to catch Ottawa. For us, moving forward, the question is how do we catch Ottawa because they could be a great team for a number of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylbert Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 When will they learn... Anaheim knocked out Detroit and Dallas... yet they are still looked at as over-achievers... Everyone thought the Ducks would be a playoff contendor this year.... well it turns out they are... and now quickly the press wants to write them off? Fear the Ducks... think of them as better than the "Big 3"... they beat 2 of them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamode Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 They can't be just a fluke, I am still in shock that they beat the Wings, Avs and Stars! However I still think the Cup winner will be from the East, too. Hoping it's our team! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 They can't be just a fluke, I am still in shock that they beat the Wings, Avs and Stars! However I still think the Cup winner will be from the East, too. Hoping it's our team! 2 out of 3 'aint bad! EC Champ = SC Champ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 take a look at the chart. Home Ice has been very important in the SCF since '94 (other than the Devils in '95). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoastdevfan Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 The Devils are 6-0 at home this year. and just 2-2 on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tie_Domi Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 It'll be nice to see the cup back in the East. However, I certainly wouldnt mind to see anaheim raise the cup! What a story that would be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 If the Ducks win, we will be seeing "The Mighty Ducks 3, Quest for Lord Stanley's Cup" coming soon to a theatre near you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 If the Ducks win, we will be seeing "The Mighty Ducks 3, Quest for Lord Stanley's Cup" coming soon to a theatre near you? Actually it would be D4! D1 The state championship of Minn. D2 They beat Iceland at some contrived world championship. D3 Play the varsity at a prep school. Pathetic that I know this, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 If the Ducks win, we will be seeing "The Mighty Ducks 3, Quest for Lord Stanley's Cup" coming soon to a theatre near you? Actually it would be D4! D1 The state championship of Minn. D2 They beat Iceland at some contrived world championship. D3 Play the varsity at a prep school. Pathetic that I know this, huh? QUACK! Not at all! QUACK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrQuotes Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 and to think its all because of [*iceland accent*] THE GOALIE!!! [*iceland accent*] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamode Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 They can't be just a fluke, I am still in shock that they beat the Wings, Avs and Stars! However I still think the Cup winner will be from the East, too. Hoping it's our team! 2 out of 3 'aint bad! EC Champ = SC Champ Duh, I mean all 3 knocked out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 There were THREE of them already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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