Are Detroit winging their way to another Holy Grail?

To win the Cup is to be named the champion of the NHL, the most prized ice hockey championship on the planet. The monstrous trophy is unique, passed from champion to champion, and is engraved with the names of every title holder.

This year has seen its usual fierce competition, with the finest ice hockey teams in America and Canada competing over a massive season, playing an astonishing 82 games. The top eight after the regular season progress to the finals, with team one playing team eight, two playing seven, and so forth. The finals themselves move through a conference quarter final, semi final and then a third series which determines the champions of the Western and Eastern Conferences. Each series is a seven-game maximum, with essentially the first team to record four wins victorious. 

Before reaching the Stanley Cup finals, a team can potentially play 103 games. While this seems prolonged and arduous, unlike other major sports championships where a team may only need to win seven games to be claimed a champion – there truly is no doubt as to who the best team of the year is with an ice hockey season.

In the western conference, the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars are playing for the right to proceed to the Stanley Cup decider. The Red Wings are a landmark club, being one of the original teams of the NHL (albeit their name has changed three times). They are possibly the most supported club in the league, with Detroit known affectionately as “Hockey Town”.