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| Los Angeles Kings (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The Kings would never have gotten here if the San Jose Sharks, who had a 3-0 lead in the opening round of the playoffs, had won one more game. They didn't do that, and the Kings won the next four. LA then went on to beat the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks in the next rounds. They had plenty of help from goaltender Jonathan Quick and goal scorers Martinez, Williams, Marion Gaborik and Willie Mitchell.
(If you are a Rangers, Minnesota Wild or Columbus Blue Jacket fan, how galling it must be for Gaborik to win the Cup and your team didn't.)
The Rangers made it this far thanks to the big pads and stick of goaltender Henrik Lundquist and goal scorer Martin St. Louis. Their road went through the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. Still, the Rangers have not won the Cup since 1994, and the Madison Square Garden faithful will keep reminding them of that fact until they do win one.
So the Stanley Cup will be chilling on the beaches of Southern California for a second summer. Also for a second summer, there are reports that the Kings are about to be put up for sale by its owner AEG. If it ever happens, the sale should go a lot smoother than that other Staples Center tenant, the NBA Los Angeles Clippers. No need to go into why right now.
But the Los Angeles Kings, while they weren't the most dominant team in the NHL this past season, have proven that the Western Conference is where the best hockey is being played right now. The Kings and Blackhawks having won four of the last five Stanley Cups is proof enough of that.
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