2018 Stanley Cup Final Starts On Monday Night: Choosing A Side
By Josh Clark
It’s Memorial Day and also happens to be game one of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. So while you watch one of the most anticipated Stanley Cup Final matchups in a while, make sure to also be thankful.
Happy Memorial Day and Game One of the Stanley Cup Final day to all.
As many of you are enjoying a day off from work and other responsibilities, I hope you are reminded of the significance of the day. Today is a day that reminds us to be thankful for what we have, more specifically being our freedom.
It’s a day to remind us of the sacrifice that our freedom requires and to remind us of the debt we carry towards those that have given the ultimate sacrifice.
Though we should be thankful everyday, this day serves as a well-timed reminder. To all of those who are serving and have served this great nation, we thank you a million times over. Without you, we couldn’t have things like NHL hockey nor the ability to watch it nightly with a carefree conscience.
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So thank you. As we shift our focus towards tonight’s proceedings in Vegas, don’t forget what this holiday is truly all about.
And now we turn to game one. After nearly eight weeks of 16 NHL teams clawing and swinging at each other for supremacy, we are down to two. The Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals are this year’s two conference champions. Neither team has ever won a Stanley Cup before. And because of that, 2018 will go down in the NHL history books.
This is turning out to be one of the most exciting Stanley Cup Final matchups in recent memory. Ever since 2012, there has yet to be a Stanley Cup Final that didn’t include one of the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, or Pittsburgh Penguins.
On top of that, both the Capitals and Golden Knights own exciting stories.
The Capitals seem to be long overdue for a Stanley Cup. The franchise has yet to win one since their first season in 1974-75 but have come incredibly close over the past few seasons. The team won the President’s Trophy in 2015-16 and 2016-17 as the best regular season team, but was ousted in the second round in both years by the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
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This is their fourth consecutive year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and tenth in the last eleven. Alex Ovechkin has won just about every NHL award under the sun (Hart, Rocket Richard, Calder, Art Ross) but has yet to add a Cup to his resume. This will be his first ever opportunity to play for one as the Caps have not been to the Final since 1998. One thing is for sure: the Caps will give this shot all they’ve got.
And then you have Vegas. If any regular hockey follower and fan told you that they expected the Golden Knights to compete for the Cup this year, they are a liar. After drafting their team through expansion in the 2017 offseason, many expected the Knights to finish near the bottom of the league this season. Their team didn’t look stacked enough to compete on paper and it was difficult to imagine them leading the charge in the Pacific Division.
But the Knights simply laughed. They won their division, swept through the first round, spent six games in the second round and five games in the third, and now sit four wins from a Cup. It’s their first season in the league. FIRST. And yet, they are the best team in the Western Conference. Go figure.
Marc-Andre Fleury has worked wonders in the crease for VGK and has helped carry the load for the team this season. But with a precise offense and stout defense, the entire team has chipped in.
So here we are at an exciting finish to the 2017-18 season between two juggernauts. A Capitals team that has finally come this far after years of getting so close facing off with a team that has been defying the odds since Oct. 6. Day vs. night. Who will prevail?
And who are you as a Dallas Stars fan cheering for? Are you rooting for Cody Eakin to claim his first ever Stanley Cup? Or do you want to see Ovechkin and a few former Stars (Alex Chiasson and Matt Niskanen) finally finish the job?
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Whoever you want to see win, just be prepared for a battle for the ages. There’s no doubting the legitimacy of either of these clubs. And now we get to see them go punch-for-punch to close out another thrilling year of hockey. Oh happy day.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. so make sure you are tuned in.