With the NBA Finals starting first, and ending so quickly, the NHL took the sport spotlight. Sure, there are millions who don't care at all, but I saw a lot of people posting on Twitter about how great the Stanley Cup Final was. So many people watching hockey for the first time, posting about the speed, the madness, the nail-biting drama. So many people getting their first exposure to hockey with one of hte most dramatic Finals we've had in decades, with so many competing storylines that are easy for a casual. The NHL got a week in the spotlight, and man did the product deliver.
It's funny since rewind a week and the NHL was staring at a 3-0 series, much like the NBA was, but good God the Oilers earned their stripes. That rout in Game 4 felt different than the Mavs similar rout in their Game 4. Their close win in Game 5 set things up so well. The atmosphere and dynamics of that Game 6 in Edmonton, with a stadium as loud as one will ever be. And it all led, with two days of anticipation for a game many billed as the Biggest game in NHL History. From a "history" standpoint, probably an exaggeration. But from what it could mean to the league? Absolutely.
We were either going to get the biggest collapse ever, allowing a Canadian team to win a Cup for the first time in 31 years, with arguably the most talented player ever at its core. Or we get the crowning of a great Florida team, and one more "non-traditional" market that is firming itself up as a hockey hotbed (much like Florida's neighbors three hours north in Tampa). So much rode on this game, but also the chance to entertain millions of people that normally don't watch hockey.
I can't overstate the importance of that game not being a boring rout (much like the last two Game 7's were in 2011 and 2019). The last time the NHL had this much going for it in a single game was probably Game 7 in 2009 - the last great Game 7, when Crosby's Penguins went to Detroit and won against the defending champs. That set off a mini hockey renaissance (along with the rise of the Blackhawks), before the 2012 lockout and tough to love Kings kind of ruined things for a bit. Thsi was hockey's next chance, after a full week of chances, and it delivered.
That first period itself was one of the best played, most dramatic and tense, first periods I've ever watched. And from so many tweets, again many from basketball reporters, football reporters, to even, hell, football players (e.g. Reggie Wayne), it was a collective experience of ultimate enjoyment. Even if the second and third periods didn't quite live up to it, there were a few moments of brilliance that will hopefully attach enough of the first-timers to set hockey on a new course.
First was the six minute stretch in the second period without a whistle, ending perfectly with the Sam Reinhart winning goal, right after the Oilers came an inch away from taking the lead. That six minute stretch was something special. Hockey is never better than when you get one of these stretches without a whistle. Basketball is similar, in a way, but even there the game is slower than hockey. Here it was up an down, a few missed changes, some odd man rushes, some scrambles, and ending exactly a 5:59 without a whistle. In truth, it didn't end with a whistle, it ended with a goal horn.
Second was the last few minutes of the game. Yes, it would've been nice if the Oilers had a clearer chance in those dying seconds after pulling the goalie. Yes, it would've been great if Bobrovsky had to lay out at the death for a few saves, say like Marc Andre-Fleury had to in 2009. But still, the energy, the noise in the building - amplified somehow by the 40% or so that seemed to be Oilers fans. Those last seconds with the fans realizing it was over was a noise level that should grab people.
And finally, of course, the celebration of the handshake line and the Cup, the moments of all these players skating aroudn. It is almost passe to say it at this point, but the fact that the NHL hands the trophy to the players first, and you get this moment of them skating aroudn with the Cup, is just so iconic. It is the best trophy in sports. Even non-hockey fans just absolutely know this their core.
For all the people who like me are trying to make this a super important moment for the sport, if not a turning point of sorts, much of that is wishful thinking. We want hockey to be more loved. Of course, despite having some lingering "big-4"-ness, we know the NBA left it a long time ago. But if we can steal a few fans back, well we should want a bigger tent. It was so cool seeing people who don't really watch hockey tweet about the game and more pontedly tweet about how great the game is - how incredible playoff hockey is. It is that great, and hopefully this is the start of more of that to come.
