Tuesday, June 12, 2012

HOCKEYWOOD: Kings Win First Stanley Cup

Going into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals the pressure was on the Los Angeles Kings.

They had a chance in Game 4 to sweep the New Jersey Devils and win the Stanley Cup on home ice. They failed to do so.

They had an opportunity to close out the series in five games on the road like they had in two of their three previous playoff series. They failed to do so.

A lot of thoughts had to be racing through the heads of the players on the Kings roster but one thought I guaranteed everyone had was they did not want to get on a plane and have to fly back to Newark for a Game 7.

Much like Game 5 both teams started out strong trying to established the tempo of the game. Shots were few and far between for the Devils while Martin Brodeur was turning away everything the Kings threw at him.

It was going take a significant event to swing momentum in favor of Los Angeles. Cue up Devils forward Steve Bernier.




There was some debate as to whether or not the call should have been a two minute minor or a five minute major. To me it's a no brainer. A boarding penalty is the most dangerous penalty a player can commit. In my mind all boarding calls should be five minute majors.

Bernier intent was to finish his check not to injure Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi. If Bernier would have just played the puck instead of the body there would have been no penalty. With Scuderi cut and bleeding as a result of the hit the official had no choice but to give Bernier a five minute major and a game misconduct.

With the penalty being called I felt the next five minutes would determine who would win the Stanley Cup. Would Brodeur continue to stop Los Angeles from scoring or would one of the Kings seize this opportunity.

Cue up Dustin Brown.




The Los Angeles captain hadn't scored a goal in the series and had only one point going into Game 6. In a series where the team scoring first had won every game, Brown's goal gave the Kings a 1-0 lead.

More importantly, because it was a major, Los Angeles still had over four minutes left on the power play. Nearly two minutes later Brown would strike again.




Jeff Carter was credited with the goal as he tipped past Brodeur in but Brown's shot on net is what set it up. With that Los Angeles had a 2-0 lead and the fear of every New Jersey fan was coming true.

At this point if I was Devils coach Pete DeBoer I would have used my time out to settle things down and gives the players a breather as they tried to finish killing off the penalty. DeBoer didn't use his timeout and it cost New Jersey.




Trevor Lewis backhanded goal gave Los Angeles a 3-0 lead. In a post-season where the Kings have given up three goals only once it was going to be nearly impossible for the Devils to win this game. New Jersey had to score the next goal to even have a chance to get back in the game.

Instead Carter struck again.




That goal made it 4-0 Los Angeles. All that was left to do in Staples Center was count down the time to the eventual celebration.

Adam Henrique scored late in the 2nd period to get the Devils on the board but an empty net goal by Trevor Lewis and a wrist shot by Matt Greene gave the Kings a 6-1 lead.

With those final two goals for Los Angeles the celebration was on at Staples Center. I'll let Mike Emrick describe the final seconds as only he can.




If I ever win the lottery I would pay him to narrate my life for one day.

With the celebration underway it was time to hand out the hardware. First was The Conn Smythe Trophy to the MVP of the playoffs. That would go to Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick.




Everytime I see the Conn Smythe Trophy I can't help but think it looks like the world's biggest paperweight.

Quick was well deserving of the award as he finished with a record of 16-4, a GAA of 1.41 and a save percentage of .946.

After that the moment Los Angeles fans had been waiting for since 1967 finally arrived. The presentation of Lord Stanley's Cup.




As a hockey fan that is a sight I never get tired of seeing.

With the presentation complete the Los Angeles Kings were officially Stanley Cup Champions.

Some people will think of the Kings as an unlikely champion because they were an number eight seed. However this team wasn't your traditional eight seed. The Kings had a chance to win the Pacific Division going into the final week of the season.

For the last couple years I felt Los Angeles was on the verge of joining the elite teams in the NHL. The front office has done a great job of drafting players starting with captain Dustin Brown in 2004.

Quick, Anze Kopitar, and Drew Doughty were all drafted by the Kings while Justin Williams, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were all brought in via trade.

The acquisition of Carter along with the hiring of coach Darryl Sutter is what turned Los Angeles from just your typical eight seed into Stanley Cup Champions.

The scary thing for the rest of the NHL is the Kings, because of their draft picks and acquisitions have a core of players that should be good for years to come. Los Angeles will have just over $16 million in projected cap space going into next season. With Dustin Penner not expected back the Kings will have money to add a forward (Parise?)

With the players on their roster the thought of a repeat isn't too far-fetched. But Los Angeles fans aren't even thinking about that today. They are enjoying a championship that was 45 years in the making.

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings. 2012 Stanley Cup Champions.




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