JIM LANG ON SPORTS

NHL

And then there were two.

For the first time ever the New York Rangers will face the LA Kings in the Stanley Cup Final. For Gary Bettman and the NHL head office in New York the thought of a Rangers/Kings final must be beyond their wildest dreams.

Both the Staples Center and Madison Square Garden will be filled with celebrities as the two teams battle it out for hockey supremacy.

I love all sports but there is no trophy in professional sports that is more difficult to win than the Stanley Cup.

All 30 teams in the NHL gather for training camp in early September and now here we are in early June and the Cup Final has begun.

If the Stanley Cup Final ends up going seven games (which is a distinct possibility) then that means that these players will have spent the last nine months playing hockey at the highest level. For the past two months they’ve been forced to take their game to another level each step along the way to the Cup Final.

With that in mind let us take a look at the two teams who have made it this far.

The Tenders – Henrik Lundqvist versus Jonathan Quick.
Two years ago Quick put up ridonkulous numbers in the Kings run to the Cup. Quick ended the post-season that year with a .946 save percentage and a 1.41 goals against average. This year Quick has been far more human posting a .906 save percentage and a goals against of 2.86. King Henrik has finally lived up to his lofty nickname in leading the Rangers up the Cup final.
“Hank”, as his teammates call him, has a save percentage of .928 and a 2.03 goals against average so far in the post-season.

The Snipers – Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Marian Gaborik have combined for 26 goals and 65 points through the first three rounds of the playoffs. Contrast that to the Rangers top two playoff scorers, Martin St. Louis and Derek Stepan, and there is no comparison. While the Rangers have some skill up front, the Kings big three have consistently provided Darryl Sutter offensive firepower whenever he needed it. Rick Nash should be putting up those kinds of numbers but he has an anaemic 3 goals and 10 points after three of playoff hockey.

The D-men – This is no knock against the Rangers’ blueline but they don’t anything that comes close to the talent of Doughty. A still young 24 Doughty is a near perfect combination of speed, stickhandling, passing and hockey smarts. Doughty is the total package and routinely makes plays most D-men couldn’t even dream of.

Outside of the excellent Ryan McDonagh the Rangers defence doesn’t provide much offence. They are there to play D, block shots and keep people from running Lundqvist.

The Coaches – I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the sight of Alain Vigneault back in the Cup Final coaching another team must drive Canucks fans bonkers. People tend to forget that the Rangers stumbled out of the gate, going 3-7 in their first 10 games of the Vigneault regime. Never doubting his ability to coach and the talent at his disposal Vigneault stayed the course and the rest is history.

Now Darryl Sutter might not be the most quotable coach in the NHL, but the man sure knows the game inside out. Sutter also doesn’t get enough credit for his ability to get the most out of his players. Carter and Gaborik were all sent packing by other teams and both fit in seamlessly in LA.

While there are numerous factors what that happened, Sutter is the main reason.

The Star Factor – Go to a Kings game and there is a chance you might run into Tom Hanks, David Beckham or Alyssa Milano (She’s a star in my mind). In New York the likes of John McEnroe and Robert DeNiro are regulars at MSG. The bottom line is that all of the star power on hand in both LA and New York will be shown many times during this series.

Who Wins – Call me old fashioned but I always feel the team with the best goalie usually wins the series. This year Lundqvist is playing better than Quick and gives the Rangers a distinct edge in goal. While the Rangers don’t have a sniper like Kopitar, they do have two players with exceptional speed; Chris Kreider and Carl Hagelin. There is a narrative that because the Kings won the West, they will easily win the Cup Final. I don’t buy that at all.

I also don’t buy the thought by some people that this will be a quick series. I am afraid by the time the U.S. Open wraps up at Pinehurst; the Cup Final will still be going strong.

Make no mistake; the Kings are a very good team. But after seven games, King Henrik will be the difference. So get ready to see a teary eyed Martin St. Louis skating around with the Cup after having it is passed to him by Gary Bettman.

BOB COLE

Put me down in the category of those who are thrilled to see that Bob Cole will still be calling games next year. Now 80 years old, Cole is far from his prime. That isn’t a great revelation and even Bob would tell you that. But after watching him weave his verbal magic with that amazing voice of his during the Western Conference Final it is obvious that Cole still has a little gas left in his tank.

Nothing creates more emotional debate on Twitter during a hockey game than those who love Cole (me) and those who can’t stand him (Most Habs fans).

There are few things more subjective than the reasons for loving a certain play-by-play voice. What is great to one person is anything but to someone else.

Unlike some people, I have grasped the concept that there are next to no play-by-play announcers that have no critics. Vin Scully of the Dodgers is at the top of a very short list.

If you don’t like Bob Cole, fine. I respect your opinion and right to not like him. All I ask is that you have the common courtesy to allow me to like a man that has been the soundtrack to hockey for most of my life.

I was also happy to see that Rogers is bringing Paul Romanuk back to Canada to call games. I always liked Romanuk’s call and it will be great to hear him again on a regular basis.
While the NHL is on the verge of a major power shift it is comforting to know that TSN will continue to carry the World Junior Hockey Championships.

They do a great job every year covering an even that has become a holiday tradition in my house. Now my kids watch along with me as we cheer on Team Canada.

THE NHL DRAFT

The NHL Entry Draft is just over three weeks away. This draft will be a very different one for me for personal reasons. The son of a couple my wife and I have been friends with for years has a good chance to be drafted, possibly as high as the third round. His name is Dylan Sadowy of the Saginaw Spirit. I have been friends with his father Al for 25 years and I went to his wedding and he and his wife went to my wedding.

I can remember seeing Dylan when he was an infant. So it is pretty cool to think that he could be drafted in a few weeks. Dylan posted some good numbers at the recent NHL Combine and was interviewed by about a half dozen teams.

Like every other draft eligible player he can’t do much more over the next three weeks but wait patiently. Teams are not about to tip their hand between now and then and there is always the chance a team will pull off a deal to move up in the first round.

I am not sure if anyone reading this has had a family member or friend of the family get drafted. I can only imagine how cool it must feel to see someone they know get drafted. That feeling must be multiplied by 100 when someone’s own son gets his name announced by Gary Bettman that he has been drafted into the NHL.

(Follow Jim on Twitter at @JimLangSports)