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- 05/20/2012, 01:22AM ET
Should the LA Kings win the Stanley Cup this year, they are the greatest underdog NHL champions
Briefcase Joe said 05/20, 01:22 AM
The facts speak for themselves. They've swept the number 1 and number 2 seeds, and are on the verge of sweeping the number 3 seed in the Western Conference. In fact, they are the only 8th seeded in the entire history of the league to take out both the number 1 and number 2 seeds.
I'm also betting on the Rangers to take the East, which means that should LA win the cup they will have gone through the hardest possible path in terms of seeds (1-2-3-1).
Look at the lineup as well, they didn't have a 30 goal scorer, nor a number one centre for 3/4 of the season. They just nudged out Dallas for the final playoff spot... these guys define underdogs, and are just 5 wins away from completing the job
[Mahewman]Big Bad Bruins said 05/20, 03:58 AM
Now, i am assuming that your argument is as follows.
That you believe the LA KINGS would be the greatest UNDERDOG NHL stanley cup champions ever.
To discuss the Kings first. They were projected to be a top 10 team to start the season. With Richards, Kopitar, Doughty, Jack Johnson and Quick. They had a very solid core to build around. This was a high hope year.
Then the UNDERACHIEVE word was spoken all year and they battled into the 8th spot in an incredibly competitive western conference.
Now the difference in the NHL now and the NHL 50 years ago is the incredible parity. No league matches the NHL in parity. Any team in the NHL can beat any team on any given night, which is why they play the games.
Considering the league wide skill level. We are seeing more and more upsets and hot streaks than EVER.
Truly a beautiful thing.
So my pick is from 1945. When the 24-22 Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the 38-8 Montreal Canadiens in a 7 game series. All four games they won were via 1 goal fashion.
The point differential alone was larger and they only played 50 games back then.
No one gave them a chance to win.
Greatest NHL Stanley Cup upset ever
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Comments (43) Add A Comment
I've never seen the 1945 Maple Leafs, but the Blackhawks almost came out of no where to win it all.
LAB4life
Total Comments (67)
Call it how you like but I always liked 1971 (not so much at the time cause I was a Chicago fan) but a rookie goalie knocking off the Big Bad Bruins who had score almost 400 goals in the regular season. 10 20 goals scores including Espo with 76 and Bucyk with over 50 himself.
And in the final he took out Chicago and Bobby Hull who had their own great goalie as well, the other Espo.
That Habs Cup was their most unlikely ever and one ot the all time least likely. And with a rookie goalie (although technically he'd only played 6 regular season games and therefore wasn't even a rookie). And in fact won the Calder the nest year... After he'd already won the Conn Smythe.
Hank Kingsley
Port Alberni, BC
Total Comments (11732)
Right is on the correct track. What LA has done is amazing and they deserve all the praise in the world right now. BUT...
As an 8th seed, they under-achieved during the year. They have some of the best players in the game. They were projected to compete for 1st in their division... not struggle like they did. They aren't a "true" underdog.
fvkasm2x
Edmonton, AB
Total Comments (2120)
No one remember, or cares, what happened in the SC finals back in 1945.
THE BISHOP!
Total Comments (13387)
Oh yeah... that's good logic...
DetroitFan*: It Is?!
Total Comments (30950)
The Kings aren't an underdog at all. They should have been there the whole time. They have two extremely talented lines of scoring forwards, depth in their bottom 6 (Stoll, Richardson, Nolan, etc.), and a fantastic goaltender. This is no cinderella team.
A couple thoughts on left's arguments:
1) "nor a number one centre for 3/4 of the season"
What are Kopitar and Richards then? Both of those guys are number one centers. They didn't both miss 3/4 of the season.
2) "they swept the number one seed"
No, they didn't.
PatsFan21
Total Comments (1467)
That wasn't even the finals, it was the semis. They beat Detroit in the finals.
Canuck eh?
Total Comments (18368)
LA (despite injuries) only finished 2 points behind number 3 seed Pheonix.
And they finished 5 points ahead of 9th place Calgary (and 6 points ahead of Dallas who they apparently "nudged out").
I don't see them as the epitome of underdo stories.
YODA
Edmonton, AB
Total Comments (7422)
*underdog
YODA
Edmonton, AB
Total Comments (7422)
Good find. They were still considered underdogs against Detroit. So i guess ill have to correct that. For some reason i thought that was the stanley cup.
[Mahewman]Big Bad…
Nashua , NH
Total Comments (243)
No problem. Just an old Detroit fan is all.
And while you're stirring up bad memories how about the '95 Devils. They beat the Bruins, Penguins and Flyers all with home ice advantage and then swept Detroit (sigh) in the SC Finals.
Canuck eh?
Total Comments (18368)
I'd say the Flyers in '74. First expansion team to win the Cup and they had to get past the Rangers and Bruins to do it.
Nobody expects…
Total Comments (13135)
Fixed. :-)
Canuck eh?
Total Comments (18368)
The glory days of hockey.
Hank Kingsley
Port Alberni, BC
Total Comments (11732)
I have to disagree with this argument about the Kings. Like your opponent said, this team vastly underperformed this season. They have a Vezina type goalie who is playing lights out right now. No reason why this team should have been an 8 seed.
I think the Flyers in the 70's when they beat the Bruins and were much bigger under dogs then this Kings team. However, the Flyers did have 3 future HOF on the team
we_are___
State College, PA
Total Comments (266)
Underachieving all year with a ton of talent on the roster does not make u an underdog
MKL_
Total Comments (724)
This TD is going to drop into the abyss.
[Mahewman]Big Bad…
Nashua , NH
Total Comments (243)
I never knew 5-game series count as sweeps now. When did that change?
Deleted User
Total Comments (238)
The kings did not swep the number 1 seed. Vancover won a game.
Bertha's Big Back…
Grand Forks Afb, ND
Total Comments (3)
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