Eight Teams to Win the 2014 Stanley Cup

Sean Clancy

          Alright, well first I'd like to get it out of the way that I'm already bitter about the playoffs because my bracket has already gone to shit. After going 8-0 in game 1, four of my eight picks went on to lose their series. The Avalanche weren't able to close their series out, the Red Wings looked good early against the Bruins but ultimately that was pretty stupid pick, the Blues (who I picked to win the Cup) played the exact same losing series they did last season, and the Sharks endured a monumental collapse of historical proportions. And ya know what, they deserve it for the hideous all-black uniforms they wore AGAIN in the playoffs. Four years we've had to tolerate that awful attire, and it might just take an embarrassing loss like this one to get them to change it.

          That being said, we've reached the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs! And which teams are still alive you ask? Well.. the same damn teams as usual. In fact, the remaining eight teams account for six of the last seven Stanley Cup champions, and just like last season, the last five Cup champs are still alive. I find it difficult to root for a lot of these teams because it's not exciting to watch the same few teams compete for the Stanley Cup so often. Here I'll be ranking the order in which I'd like to see each of the remaining teams win the Cup. As I write this intro now, I have no idea how this list will turn out. Journey with me and let's discover just how my mind works.

1. Montreal Canadiens
         

          Trust me, I'm just as Murican as this guy, but it's time for the Stanley Cup to go back to Canada. No Canadian team has won the Cup since Montreal in 1993. This year, the most successful and storied franchise in the league is the only Canadian team still alive, and they have a team that's built for a serious Cup run. Up front they have a great mixture of young players as well as players in their prime. Not to mention the veteran leadership of Brian Gionta and Daniel Briere. Their blue line is solid, highlighted by one of the most exciting players in the league, PK Subban. And finally, the Habs have Carey Price between the pipes, a guy who's really grown on me the past couple of seasons and I would venture to say is one of the best tenders in the league now. There isn't much to not like about the way this team is built.

          One of the things that excites me the most about the playoffs is the fanfare, and while the fans are pretty great in every city (except Philly, anybody else see the half-empty arena with 5 minutes left in game 6 a few nights ago?), it's on a different level when it comes to the Canadian cities. The Habs have a HUGE fan base and I can only imagine what that city would be like if this team made it to the Stanley Cup finals, with a chance to win it all for the first time in over twenty years. Hell, I might buy a George Parros t-shirt, a fake mustache, and a ticket to Montreal just to experience it all in person.

          Oh, and did anyone see their playoff intro? Color me a Habs fan.

I honestly do not understand how this is done with just lights.

2. Los Angeles Kings

           I know what you're thinking. "The Kings? They just won it a couple of season ago! Isn't that what you were just bitching about!?" Yes, it is what I was just bitching about. But there's things about the Kings that I like that take precedence over the fact that they've recently won the Cup. For starters, this is another hockey team built the right way. They're extremely good and extremely deep in all areas. Second, any team that can pull off a comeback from being down three games to none.. well there's only three other teams in the history of the league that have done it. Third, they're one of the few teams in the league that actually has really nice black jerseys. Fourth, coach Darryl Sutter is hilarious.
         

If your butterfly doesn't look like this, you should
be playing a different style.

          Probably the biggest reason I root for the Kings though is Jonathan Quick. For anybody that knows goaltending, anybody that's ever played the position before or studied it as closely as I have, Jonathan Quick is without a doubt the best goaltender in the league. I'm not talking about statistics here. Throw out the wins, the save percentages, the Veizna trophies and all that, because these are all things that are largely influenced by what team you play for (yes, even save percentage). Just by analyzing Quick's athleticism, the way he moves around the crease with such speed and precision, his lightning fast reactions, his aggressiveness and knowing when to use it, his perfectly sealed and unwavering butterfly, and his ability to anticipate plays, improvise saves, and scramble for the puck without losing an ounce of his focus and composure is what differentiates him from being just another good butterfly goalie in the league. His unique take on the butterfly style and ability to perform it so flawlessly and even divert away from it when he needs to is what makes him more than just your standard issue butterfly goalie. It's what makes him the best in the league right now, and he deserves all the success and recognition he can get.

3. Minnesota Wild

          Well, we've already gotten into the teams I don't really care to see win the Cup. Don't get me wrong, the Wild are a great franchise and Chuck Fletcher's done a great job of assembling a serious contender, I just don't think they're quite there yet. I don't think they deserve it yet. They don't have the goaltending and honestly I don't like that Matt Cooke is on this team, and it's bad enough his name is already on the Cup once.

200,000,000 dollars. But there is only. one. goal.

          But then again, there's a lot to be excited about with this team too. They've put together a dangerous group of forwards led by Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, and Jason Pominville, all guys who I would love to see win the Cup. On defense, Ryan Suter is flanked by a good group of defensemen all looking to make names for themselves in this league, and getting their name on the Cup would certainly help with that. Plus, Minnesota is an incredible hockey state, and their Wild have yet to win the Cup since they came into the league in 2000. A championship would be a lot of fun for Minnesota, but like I said, I'm not quite sure I'm ready to go all in on the Wild.

4. Boston Bruins
       
          Well by no surprise to anyone, the Boston Bruins are Cup contenders again. That's because the President's trophy winning team is, and has been for several years, the most complete team in the NHL. They have depth, balance, versatility, skill, determination, and a hundred other good qualities that a Stanley Cup team needs. They've made it to the finals in two of the last three seasons and for good reason; they've earned it.
         

It's Tuukka time.

          Jarome Iginla is getting up there in age, and it's about time he won the Stanley Cup. He's been a great player throughout his career and he's never had a better chance to make it all count than he does this year. Right behind Jonathan Quick for the top goalie in the league is Tuukka Rask, who is going to win the Vezina trophy this year. He is another goalie who deserves a lot of success in this league, and he's got a great chance to earn it with the Bruins. I really like everything about this team, but they've been to the Cup finals a couple times recently and they'll be there again in the near future. As much as I'd love to see Iginla win the Cup, I'm hoping they get knocked out this year in their series against the Canadiens.

5. Anaheim Ducks

          The Ducks won their first Stanley Cup seven seasons ago, and they look to have a strong chance of winning their second this year. They have one of the strongest offenses in the league, an interesting goaltending situation, and one of my favorite coaches in the league, Bruce Boudreau. It's a shame they're also just another team that wears ugly black jerseys, and, well, their goal horn sucks.

          The biggest story for the Ducks is Teemu Selanne, who is playing in his final season in the NHL. If it weren't for him winning the Stanley Cup with the Ducks back in 2007, this team would be much higher on this list. Unfortunately though, there's not much for me to be excited about when it comes to the Ducks.

Although, if Coach Boudreau can find reason to be
fired up, maybe I can too.

6. Chicago Blackhawks
         
          I'm all for dynasties, but is anyone else getting tired of the Chicago Blackhawks? This team has gotten more media coverage over the past few seasons than the Penguins, and that's saying something.

          Okay, to be fair, there are a lot of reasons to like a team like Chicago. For starters, they've easily been one of the most successful franchises in recent years, and that's because of their excellent management and coaching. Following their 2010 Stanley Cup win, a huge portion of the team was dismantled and re-constructed. I don't think I've ever seen a team change so much from one season to the next like the Blackhawks did that year (except maybe the Devils following the lockout-shortened 2013 season). The key though was that they kept their core players, Kane, Toews, Sharp, Hossa, Keith and Seabrook, in tact. A big reason why the Hawks have another chance to win the Cup this season is because all six of these players are still on the roster today. Even more impressive though is Stan Bowman's ability to put forth a team each season that is consistently deep and competitive. If it weren't for all the guys backing up Chicago's core six, they wouldn't be looking at the opportunity to capture their third Stanley Cup in five seasons.
         

"I'll give you an interesting story line!"
I don't care who wins the Cup this year, as long as this
image ends up in a frame and hung somewhere important.

          I'm genuinely excited by the prospect of a team being able to win consecutive Stanley Cups, especially in today's 30-team league which is more competitive than ever. It's even more exciting that this team plays in such a large market, because I've never seen anything like Chicago's Stanley Cup parade last year, which saw millions of people lining the streets to celebrate. But at the same time, because of the endless media coverage of this team and general lack of interesting story lines this year, I won't be disappointed at all when or if they are eliminated.

7. New York Rangers

          I'm still not sure what it is exactly that the Rangers are doing. They've traded away almost their entire first place 11-12 team, and what they've gotten in return is nothing to be excited about. The Rick Nash trade, which I still think was an awful move, has yet to pay any sort of dividends as he managed 39 points in the regular season and has zero goals to this point in the playoffs. Then the Rangers made what could possibly be the worst trade in years, giving up the heart and soul of their team, Ryan Callahan, along with a first round draft pick and a second round draft pick (with the possibility to become a first round pick depending on how far the Rangers go in the playoffs) for a 38 year old Marty St. Louis. In his first 19 games with the Blueshirts, St. Louis scored a goal.

          Ryan Callahan used to be the only thing that really excited me about this team, but now he, along with two incredibly valuable draft picks, are gone. It amazes me Glen Sather still has a job. He needs to stop trading away all of their depth players for stars. They need to focus on developing more than their top line, and work towards building a team that will be able to compete long term. The average life-span of the New York Ranger is far too short for them to ever be a consistent contender like the Blackhawks, Bruins, Kings, etc. Without guys like Callahan and Torterella, there doesn't seem to be much passion left on the Rangers. Alain Vigneault has done his best with an average-at-best roster, but ultimately the Rangers were a much better team two seasons ago. A Stanley Cup in New York would be huge, but because of the way the team is (mis)managed, I don't see them winning it in the near future, nor do they deserve it.

Miss me yet?

8. Pittsburgh Penguins
          Pittsburgh is a team that went to the Stanley Cup finals two seasons in a row several years back, prompting the NHL to make them the center of the hockey universe. Nobody in hockey other than the Penguins likes the Penguins.

If Paul Martin brings back this incredible flow, I'll
bump the Penguins up three spots.

          Don't get me wrong, they're a very good hockey team. Like the Blackhawks, they're a team that's managed to keep their core in tact which has led to consistent success. The reason I have the Penguins at number 8 on my list though is because I'm completely sick of them, their fans, and the media's obsession with them. We've seen Crosby and Malkin have their success and we've had this team shoved down our throats by the NHL for about five or six years now, and I don't know why. The Penguins are not the model hockey team. They've been inconsistent defensively over the last few years, especially in the playoffs, because they place such a heavy emphasis on offense. They're one of the dirtiest teams in the league, and they have the most biased commentators in all of sports. That bias has done nothing but create a fan base that thinks their team is the best in every aspect of everything, and always has been, and always will be. The last thing we need is for the Penguins to win another Cup and give these fools even more reason to not go away.

Sources: hockeyworldblog.com, Harry How/Getty Images, whitecovermag.com, Mark Garfinkel, AP Photos, notsportscenter.com, trlhockey.com, mnhockeyhub.com