President's Trophy Flop


Well, they're done. Now I can watch the Stanley Cup playoffs stress-free. The Vancouver Canucks have been eliminated, and I couldn't be happier. Being an unapologetic Canuck hater (before it was fashionable to be), I was shocked as much as anyone that they were ousted by Los Angeles in round one.
After losing Game seven of the Cup finals at home, I didn't think they could embarrass themselves any further. They may very well have this year.

Vancouver has just completed the fastest playoff exit for any President's Trophy winning team. Sure, it has happened six times since 1967, including five times in the last dozen seasons. But all of those first place overall teams won at least two games before being upset.

The list of the President's Trophy Flops:
  • Los Angeles over Vancouver, 4 games to 1 in 2012
  • Montreal over Washington, 4 games to 3 in 2010
  • Anaheim over San Jose, 4 games to 2 in 2009
  • Edmonton over Detroit, 4 games to 2 in 2006
  • San Jose over St.Louis 4 games to 3 in 2000
  • Minnesota over Chicago, 4 games to 3 in 1991
  • Montreal over Boston, 4 games to 3 in 1971
In fact there has been one other first place team that was eliminated in five games but that was well before the President's Trophy. In 1957, the Detroit Red Wings finished first with 88 points in 70 games before losing 4 games to 1 to the Boston Bruins.

Perhaps some solace for the Canucks is that last year's fellow finalist Boston was also upset in the first round this year. How often have both Cup finalists failed to get out of the first round the next year? Perhaps unsurprising considering the parity of the current NHL it is actually more the norm than not. Since 2003, SIX times the previous year's Cup finalists failed to win a round the next, it happened only twice in the 35 years before then.

Cup Finalists one year, out in First Round the next:
  • Vancouver, Boston 2012
  • Anaheim, Ottawa 2008
  • Edmonton, Carolina 2007
  • Calgary, Tampa Bay 2006
  • New Jersey, Anaheim 2004
  • Detroit, Carolina 2003
  • Montreal, Los Angeles 1994
  • Boston, St.Louis 1971

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Team Canada 1972, What Might have Been

Image
Guy Lafleur, if he had played in the 72 Summit Series "No way. Can you imagine what our fans would say if we allowed Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito to play for Canada in that series and either...suffered an injury that might prevent them from playing with us for a year or more?" This was the concern of Weston Adams Jr, president of the Boston Bruins as quoted on April 20, 1972. After being speculated and discussed since February 1972 at the Olympics in Sapporo Japan, the series was set to go. Early on however, controversy stirred as to who exactly would be representing Canada. Bruins GM, Milt Schmidt agreed with his boss saying, "My only interest would be to see the Russians play the Bruins for the world championship...or whatever team wins the Stanley Cup." In the Vancouver Sun a few days later, the legendary Jim Coleman responds to the American naysayers suggesting that Team Canada should be made up strictly of players from Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal
Read more

WHA Ottawa Civics, The Two Week Franchise

Image
Tom Earl, Daryl Maggs, Mark Lomenda, Gary MacGregor, Garry Swain "Please let the fans make up their own minds," Henry Feller told a press gathering. "Let them decide if they want pro hockey here. We have to average 7,000 or 8,000 in the remaining 19 home games for a break-even point." Feller was a director of the Founders Club who had interest in buying the WHA's Denver Spurs club. Ivan Mullinex, owner of the Spurs had brought his team to Ottawa in an attempt to drum up interest and save his investment. The date was January 2, 1976 and Mullinex was in debt to a Denver bank to the tune of $1 million dollars. This same day, the newly christened Civics lost their first game under the new moniker by a score of 2-1 at Cincinnati. Star of the team, Ralph Backstrom said after the game, "Our first official notice of the move hit us when we entered the Cincinnati rink and the names on the big scoreboard read: Stingers and Civics. Until that moment we were un
Read more

Denman Arena, Vancouver - "The Pile"

Image
Situated at the corner of Denman and Georgia Streets in Vancouver, sitting on the shore of Coal Harbour, the Denman Arena was once the largest in the world. Built in 1911 by Frank and Lester Patrick at a cost of $300,000 it was the main venue for their newly formed Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Until the Montreal Forum was built in 1926, it was the largest artificial ice arena in the world seating 10,500. Constructed of wood and brick, the large brick facing led Vancouverites to refer to it as The Pile. The Patrick brothers simultaneously built the 3,500 seat Patrick Arena in Victoria to help house their three team league which also included New Westminster. They would proceed to raid the established National Hockey Association of much of it’s top talent to stock their teams. The Pile would host the Vancouver Millionaires Stanley Cup championship in March, 1915, boxing matches featuring Max Baer and “Cinderella Man” James Braddock, movie star Rudolph Valentino as well as bicycle r
Read more