The Sporting Day: The Stanley Cup

There are fewer more famous trophies in sport. There are certainly none that hold the sheer physical dimensions of the Stanley Cup. It is a cup honoured by time and size and history. It stands tall in the pantheon of great sporting rewards, a prize that represents history and greatness while recognizing to minute detail the sweat and the tears of those who reached the pinnacle of team hockey.

There is no older or more traveled sporting trophy in North America. Donated by Lord Stanley in 1892, the trophy was originally a reward for the champion amateur hockey team in Canada, eventually becoming a challenge cup in the early part of the twentieth century for the emerging professional teams. By 1926, the cup became the sole possession of the National Hockey League and whilst remaining a challenge cup, no non-NHL team ever competed for it since then and in 1947, it became the official championship of the premier hockey league in the world. Today, it is a monument to history and hockey and glory.

This year, it is the Senators of Ottawa and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim who get to add their name to history and the Stanley Cup.

The Senators, holding the hopes of not only Ottawa natives but all Canadian hockey fans. The Senators, in their current guise, have never won a Stanley Cup. And it has been 14 long, hard years for Canada with no franchise from north of the border lifting the championship since 1993.

The Mighty Ducks, the face of the new and modern NHL. Since entering the NHL in 1993, the Ducks have become one of the most popular teams in hockey. But they still have never lifted the Cup, losing their only ever finals appearance in 2003.

The Ducks and the Senators, on the ice and in the face, looking for that peak of sporting glory for that very first time.

The Ducks entered the series as slight favourites and didn’t let backers and fans down when scoring a come from behind victory in game one. It was a great testament to the Ducks- oft regarded as a spoilt side- to come from a goal down at the second period break to win in regulation in what was a tough Stanley Cup affair. The Ducks lead 1-0 but this is far from over. Until someone loses a game on home ice, this series is very much alive…

The best hope for the Ducks is their goaltending. Defence will bring the Cup to Anaheim and that will fall upon goaltender J.S Giguere. He is the rock of the Ducks, the man who has won them plenty with his grabs and safety in the net. If he stays solid at the back, the Ducks will be hard to roll.

Conversely, responsibility rests with the Senators front line attack trio of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson. These three have been the top three forwards throughout the NHL playoffs and their ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over will be the key to a Senators victory. Failure to do so and it will be another sad and sorry year for Canadian hockey.

Don’t rule the Senators out yet. Goaltenders usually win Stanley Cups but this Ottawa attack is lethal and a come from behind win is not beyond the realms.