Of the four major sports in America, I think it’s safe to say that the NHL is probably the least major. Since the lockout of 2004-2005, the league has struggled to find its way back to national prominence, as it is overshadowed by the NBA (whose schedule is virtually identical to that of hockey, start in October, end in June), the NFL playoffs, and early MLB action. There isn’t really a hockey season, where a Bruins-Canadians matchup is the top story on ESPN; there’s always something else going on in the world of sports. But these 2009 NHL playoffs that came to an end on Friday could be just what the doctor ordered to revive this league on life support.
One thing the NHL has done to broaden its audience come playoff time is allow a greater number of teams to qualify for the postseason. What’s a better way to get fans pumped up than to see their team compete for a championship? Of the 30 teams in the NHL, a whopping 16 qualify for the playoffs every year. In baseball and football, only 12 qualify. The NHL’s formula has certainly worked in Boston. Now that the Bruins have made the playoffs the past two years, the Black and Gold are finally getting the attention they deserve.
Now, let’s look at this year’s bracket. You can’t get much more thrilling. In the first round alone, there were two in-state series in the first round (Philly vs. Pittsburgh and Anaheim vs. San Jose), a classic Bruins-Canadians rivalry series, and a paradigmatic five of the Original Six hockey teams found their way to the playoffs. But round two is what really got Barry Melrose to slick back his mullet. Of the four series, three went to game seven, and the Chicago-Vancouver series was won by the Blackhawks in six. In the Bruins-Hurricanes series, each game was a toss-up—home-ice advantage meant as much to either team as looks do to Hurricanes’ captain Rod Brind’Amour. When the B’s were down 4-1 in the series, they battled back to force a game seven, which was decided in overtime—the second overtime game in the series. Then, there was Detroit and Anaheim. Game 2's triple OT win for Detroit foreshadowed the epic series that was to come. Twenty-seven goals were scored in the following five games, and a hard-hitting game seven was decided by a late (3 min to go) Detroit goal. The hockey gods were smiling as the Caps took on the Penguins in the dream matchup of the NHL: Sid the Kid, the best all-around player since Gretzky, against the most exciting player in all of hockey, Alexander Ovechkin. The rivalry between these two young stars could very well be what gets our generation away from the steroid-flooded MLB and the jailbirds of the NFL. The goal-scoring machine Ovechkin did not disappoint, scoring eleven goals in seven games, and Crosby had an incredible 29 points. However, emerging star Evgeni Malkin stole the show, accounting for 33points, far and away the most of either team. And Game 2 was a game no shorter than sublime. The two all-stars, a combined 44 years old, (3 years younger than Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios) battled back and forth, and the game ended with a hat-trick for both, the first double hat-trick playoff game in 13 years. The Caps won that game to put Pittsburgh down 2-0. The Penguins fought hard, winning the next three games. Washington forced a game seven by winning the series’ third overtime contest in four games. Pittsburgh won Game 7, and made it to the Conference Finals. In a less-than-stellar Detroit-Chicago and Carolina-Pittsburgh Round 3 (hard to duplicate the sheer stimulation of the conference semis), the Penguins and Red Wings made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, generating a rematch of 2008’s Finals.
There wasn’t a whole lot of thrill in the series, although it did account for the fifth seven game series of the playoffs. Until Game 6, there were no 1-goal games, and the home team came out on top in every matchup. The goalies decided Games 1 and 2, as Chris Osgood brought his A-game, making 31 saves in each game, while Marc-Andre Fleury displayed some uncharacteristic jitters, allowing several soft goals, six in total. The home team continued to dominate through the series, winning every game until Game 7, which was won by Pittsburgh, despite being played Hockey Town. The Detroit fans were silenced as Fleury made a Brodeur-esque diving save as time expired, giving Pittsburgh its first Stanley Cup victory since Mario Lemieux led the team to a 1992 championship.
Could this be the postseason that puts the spotlight back on the NHL? Well, maybe. Hockey is no longer the punch line of jokes, and we don’t need Sherlock Holmes to find NHL coverage on the tube. Let’s wait and see if this was the post-lockout breakout season for the NHL.
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