Some might say that the Stanley Cup Finals ended as a series when Chris Phillips somehow contrived to put the puck into his own net to give Anaheim a 3-1 lead in Game 5. But as I see it, this series was over after Game 4 – and the Senators have no one to blame but themselves.

The article for Game 4 spawned several comments taking me to task for my criticism of Senators goaltender Ray Emery. My response to them would simply consist of this – look at Emery’s body of work in the Finals compared to Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s. Say for example that your life depended on the efforts of one goaltender, would you honestly put your life in Ray Emery’s hands? Frankly, I’d rather bet my life on a poker hand where I had 2-7 off-suit (which, for the record, is statistically the worst hand in Texas Hold ‘Em).

That said, the best team did win in this series. Anaheim’s roster is probably the deepest collection of talent in the NHL. A few teams had a better regular-season record than they did, but that rarely matters in the end. The Ducks deserve all the credit in the world for putting this team together. When your defense corps boasts Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin, that’s a level of talent almost unheard of. On top of that, Anaheim had arguably the best checking line in the league, combined with deadly scorers in Teemu Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf and Andy McDonald.

"While Anaheim fully deserved their Cup win, the question must be asked regarding what it means for the league."


While Anaheim fully deserved their Cup win, the question must be asked regarding what it means for the league. Three seasons ago, Tampa Bay (arguably a dubious hockey market) defeated the Calgary Flames in the final. Two seasons ago, Carolina (a dubious hockey market, full stop) outlasted the Edmonton Oilers. This season, yet another questionable hockey market bested a Canadian city that would have collectively sacrificed anything to take home the Stanley Cup. Surely this can’t be a good thing for the NHL?

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has realised his dream of over-expanding the league into cities that aren’t exactly traditional hockey markets. Personally, I believe that the NHL should never have given franchises to cities that only typically see ice in their mixed drinks. At the end of the day, how much does Tampa or Anaheim or Raleigh truly care about this sport? Will Anaheim’s win even make it to the back page of their newspapers, despite the fact that the Angels have just lost to the Minnesota Twins?

Forget what Bettman would tell you – the heart and soul of this sport sings "Oh Canada", not "The Star Spangled Banner".  With that in mind, the fact that a Canadian side hasn’t won it all since my Montreal Canadiens dominated the Los Angeles Kings in 1993 is a glaring sign that this sport is in trouble.

The reality is that the league’s games are aired on a third-rate television network and the best teams have unfortunately tended to be in markets that couldn’t possibly care less. It wasn’t that long ago when strong teams resided in Montreal, New York, Detroit, and even the now-moribund Boston. Call me old-fashioned, but I thought it was only just when teams like Tampa Bay and Anaheim were doormats for the rest of the league. I thought it was a travesty when New Jersey couldn’t sell out playoff games despite always being a threat to win it all.

I suppose it would be churlish to blame the hard-working players on the Ducks’ roster for playing in a market where nine out of 10 people couldn’t pick Pronger out of a police lineup (and udging by his suspensions, that’s probably where he belongs). But, I can’t help thinking that this result was the worst possible thing that could happen to the game.