OPINION
By Bob Duff
NBCSports.com contributor
updated 5:23 a.m. ET June 7, 2007
 | Bob Duff |
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As the Ottawa Senators quickly went south, it became apparent very early in this spring's Stanley Cup finals that the battered mug would be going west.
For the first time since Lester Patrick was a player and not a trophy, Lord Stanley's mug has been captured by a West Coast club, the Anaheim Ducks, who dropped the mighty and in the process, finally lived up to their original nickname.
Not since the spring of 1925, when player-coach Patrick led the Victoria Cougars of the long-since defunct Western Canada Hockey League to victory over the Montreal Canadiens, had a West Coast squad come to the finals and took the legendary silver chalice home.
But you know what? Stanley might want to get used to his new home, because he could be taking up permanent residence.
The power of the National Hockey League is definitely tilted toward the left coast, where Anaheim (Pacific) and the Vancouver Canucks (Northwest) were Western Conference division champions and the San Jose Sharks remain a legitimate contender.
"If you're going to talk about winning the Stanley Cup for any of the West Coast teams, from my perspective, I do think there's something special about it because the travel that's involved, the extra toll that the West Coast teams have to pay from a travel standpoint," said Anaheim general manager Brian Burke, previously GM of the Canucks.
"I think it's a credit to the players on those teams because it is harder. The travel is more difficult. It is longer. The flights are longer. The flights home are longer. Logistically, it's more difficult."
Of this group, Vancouver looks most likely to take the next step. The Canucks have two emerging stars in the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik and perhaps the best goalie in the league, Roberto Luongo, playing behind a stalwart, puck-moving defense.
"The defense is really, I think, one of the more underrated in the NHL," Luongo said. "They're really solid and I think the guys that were already here like Sami Salo and Mattias Ohlund, those are great D-men and then I think we added a big piece of the puzzle with Willie Mitchell, who is really great on the penalty kill and is a really defensive-minded guy. Also, we've got guys that stepped up like Kevin Bieksa, and even Lukas Krajicek."
Vancouver owns a Chicago Cubs-like legacy when it comes to the Stanley Cup. The city hasn't seen a Cup winner since the legendary Cyclone Taylor led the Vancouver Millionaires to victory — ironically over the Ottawa Senators — back in 1915. Since that triumph, Vancouver has gone 0-5 in Cup finals appearances, the last a heart-breaking seven-game setback against the New York Rangers in 1993-94, but that situation is about to change.
As last season got underway, the Canucks were a team in transition, with a new coach and several new faces, but they grew steadily stronger as a team as the season wore on.
"Obviously there was a lot of new faces on the team and there was a new coach and new system, so I think it took a little while for everybody to gel together as a team and play together with the system," Luongo said. "Once we came back from the (all-star) break, we just picked it up, and I think the more the weeks that went by, the better we played as a team and within our system.
Vancouver doesn't mind getting dirty to make a play and is loaded with heart-and-soul mucker types like Matt Cooke, Ryan Kesler, Jeff Cowan, Taylor Pyatt and even veteran Trevor Linden, the sorts of guys who prove invaluable during a Stanley Cup run.
With the right amount of tweaking over the summer to add a little offensive depth, the Canucks will be Stanley Cup champions next spring.
 | Slide show |
| California Cup A visual tour of the Ducks’ series victory over the Senators more photos |
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While Anaheim remains a young team with an outstanding core and future, it's difficult to envision the Ducks winning two Cups in a row after enduring the grind of playing deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row. Anaheim was a Western Conference finalist in 2005-06.
"We're an organization that has worked extremely hard at trying to become an elite hockey club," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "There's a huge group of people that have put forth a lot of hours and a lot of blood and sweat that went into it."
Ducks win first Stanley Cup | |
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Still, since 1990, only two teams — Pittsburgh (1990-91, 1991-92) and Detroit (1996-97, 1997-98) — have managed to win back-to-back Cups.
The Red Wings, this year's vanquished Western Conference finalist, could also be in the mix after a strong season.
"I think we've made significant improvements in our team," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "There's more optimism and a positive feel leaving this year than there was last year. That's a real good sign. I just like our chances here."
Free-agent goalie Dominik Hasek is talking about hanging around for one more season.
"Physically, I feel great," Hasek said. "Also, the desire and passion for the game is there. I enjoy the competition."
Pittsburgh must overcome loss
of secondary scoring and depth |  |
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Regardless, he'll be 43, older than any netminder that's ever won a championship.
On paper, San Jose keeps on looking like that next great team, but on the ice, the Sharks continue to fall flat in the playoffs, with just a 2004 Western Conference final appearance to show for a team that should be much better.
"We seem to keep lapsing," Sharks center Joe Thornton said. "You think we'd be over that by now."
The Nashville Predators, another team that looked to be in an upward pattern but unable to find playoff success, suddenly is a franchise in limbo. Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie has put forth a bid to purchase the team and speculation is that he'll exercise an out in the club's lease with the city based on attendance figures and relocate the franchise.
Las Vegas, Kansas City, Winnipeg and Balsillie's home area of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario are among rumored destinations for the Predators.
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