Anaheim just tied Game 4 at 1-1. When they have scored, the Ducks have exposed Ottawa's bush-league positioning all series. Is there really a reason for three of the Senators' four penalty killers to be strewn about the goal line, intermittently from one corner to the other? Ottawa has been outplayed and those who predicted their victory — including this writer — will likely appear foolish in the coming days.
But the Sens are not the team they were two weeks ago when they disposed of the President's Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres in five games. Ottawa's absence of hockey fundamentals is only surpassed by their eroding confidence. Last year's Edmonton Oilers came back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a Game 7. Perhaps Brian Murray & Co. should meet with Chris Pronger for a video review session of that series.[1] Unfortunately, history has it out for teams in Ottawa's position. Only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs have ever won the Cup after trailing in a series 3-1.
But every hockey writer from D.C. to B.C. is going to analyze Game 4 and prognosticate on Game 5. So let's look at a few other things in the hockey world that don't necessarily involve these Stanley Cup Finals.
1) In the five minutes it took to write two paragraphs, Anahiem's Andy McDonald just abused the Senators for his second goal in 60 seconds. Sorry, Canada, not this year. In the past three consecutive Cup Finals, three of Canada's six remaining NHL teams were in the matchup: Calgary in 2004; Edmonton in 2006; Ottawa in 2007. At this rate, the country's chances of one of its cities winning a championship are fading, fast. The other three — Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal — are almost certifiable guarantees to not even make a run in the next few years.
Ostensibly, the Sens are going to allow the Cup to take up residence in Orange County, California. If this occurs, there is a very real chance Maurice "Rocket" Richard will rise from the dead and zombify NHL Commish Gary Bettman. At any rate, all 37 of America's hockey fans should consider the advice of Tuesday's "A.M. Jump" on ESPN.com's Page2: "If the Ducks win one more, that would mark the third straight Cup finals in which a U.S. sunbelt team had knocked off a Canadian team. Pray for the good folks of Tampa, Raleigh, and Anaheim if [Ottawa loses] — hell hath no fury like two DC-8s carrying a full payload of molten maple syrup."
2) It's been 16 years since the NHL instituted permanent video replay. It has been one of the best additions to the game in recent history. Since 1991, it has cultivated a culture of regulatory accuracy that, although often cause of delay, helps ensure that the right calls are made. Ultimately, that's what counts.
3) At 19 years of age, Sidney Crosby has become the youngest player (19 yrs, 9 mos) to do two incredible things: (1) assassinate the Great One's record as the youngest player to surpass 200 career points; (2) become the player with the fewest days removed from his mother's uterus to don an NHL team's captaincy — it had previously been done by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier (19 yrs, 11 mos, in 2000).
This raises interesting questions about whether "The Kid" is prepared for such a role. At only 19, how will he handle more added pressure, as though being the Pittsburgh Penguins' embodied, deified savior and its primary proprietor of offensive dominance isn't enough? But if history is any indicator, he should do fine. He's already revealed his leadership qualities to teammates and fans both on and off the ice. And he finds himself in good company. Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic, and Lecavalier each wore the "C" as youngsters; there are six Stanley Cup rings among them.
4) The NHL's television ratings have been abysmal, a sore topic for the last decade or more. Currently, the league's ratings are so low that most viewers are probably watching by accident. John Maffei, staff writer for the North County Times in San Diego — the immediate southern county of Orange County's Anaheim — raises a fairly poignant inqury, "Why would both leagues — the NBA and NHL — schedule deciding Game 7s for Monday nights? Those kinds of decisions could be why the NHL is averaging about a 1 rating for the playoffs." Sure, they're not at a Game 7 yet, but you get the point.
Yet, that would seem to imply that the NHL's ratings are noticeably higher on nights that are not Mondays. Sadly, they are not. According to reports, "During the NHL's regular season ... about 200,000 fans [tuned] in to telecasts on Versus. NBC's ratings for Sunday afternoon games were also poor, at just over a 1.0 share for much of the season."[2]
The NHL's TV woes are cyclical — they can't arrange more promising broadcast deals because they're ratings are so low, but poor broadcast deals exacerbate those same poor ratings. Will the NHL ever ascend from the cellar of television's expansive, constantly renovated house?
[1]: Chris Pronger was a staple of the 2006 Oiler team that lost in seven games to the Caroline Hurricanes. That he finds himself in the Finals one year later is a rarity — maybe just as rare as one player receiving two suspensions in the same postseason.
[2]: Throughout the 2006-2007 season, Versus — an extremity of Comcast — aired games mostly on Monday and Tuesday nights, except during the playoffs, when they aired/are airing every night games are scheduled. NBC telecasts are random.
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