Hockey Talk

The Avs Win the Cup

Pure joy. The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup. They have ended the chance at a three peat for the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Gabe Landeskog deserved this cup as captain of the Avalanche but in my opinion he isn't even who I wanted to watch win it the most. I wanted Erik Johnson to have a championship ring and be able to hoist the cup. He gets the chance to now after 14 years in the league and 12 with the Avalanche. He is the longest serving Avalanche player. The work, dedication, and heart he put in proved him beyond worthy of the Cup. 

Players like Josh Manson who is a vet player is now winning the Cup for the first time. 

There is one specific Lightning player I feel bad for though. Corey Perry has made it to the Stanley Cup Finals three years in a row. Starting with Dallas and losing to the Lightning, then playing with Montreal and losing to the Lightning. And now this season, playing with the Lightning and losing to the Avalanche. 

Certain players have come to really stand out in these playoffs including a rising star Val Nichushkin. The way he performed in these playoffs scoring and assisting huge goals really helped this team.

The biggest name is the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy which would be Cale Makar. He didn't win the Norris Trophy for nothing either. I've mentioned it before and I'll say it again about the offensive minded defensman.  At not even 24 years old he has won the Hobey Baker, Calder, Norris, Conn Smyth, and now the Stanley Cup. 

The Avalanche battled hard and deserve to show the amazing moment of hoisting the cup. Both teams fought hard and gave a great series in the finals. The heart was there for Tampa Bay but the legs weren't. The Avalanche never faced a deficit in these playoffs. They started by sweeping the Predators, followed by beating the Wild 4-2, sweeping the Oilers, and then beating Tampa Bay 4-2. They were relentless and the amount of pressure they have sustained against the Lightning was immense. 

One of the only disappointing things with winning the Cup in game 6 is that they didn't;t do it in Denver in their home arena. They had the chance in game 5 but it becomes slightly irrelevant once they have the Cup. And now they do.