How long must a team suffer? How long has a team suffered? This is the sixth of several posts looking into the playoff droughts of 30 of the 32 active NHL franchises to figure out what went wrong and how it ended. This post covers Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, and Winnipeg.
= 2001 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs|2001 = 2002 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs|2002 = 2003 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs|2003 = 2004 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs|2004 = 20.
Score one for the players. Since July 1, NHL free agents continue to sign on the dotted line for massive amounts of dollars. To this end, Canuck fans must be thrilled with the recent additions of forward Ryan Johnson (two-year, $2.3 million contract), and the ever dangerous Darcy Hordichuk (two-year deal). Oh yes, let’s not forget the brilliant acquisition of ex-Leaf, Kyle Wellwood (one year contract worth just under $1 million), who should fit right in to a team on the decline. But let’s face it; the Canucks are easy to pick on.
Vancouver is not the only team that contributed to this “madness” as many other teams have been making ridiculous offers to lure new talent. I have noted some of these deals (five in each category) in my version of the good, the bad, and the ugly:
in the second. callahan had a pair. somehow some way tapped in the rebound while falling to the ice. rangers beat the sharks 5-2. predators and blackhawks needed overtime. stalberg, stop and pop, put on the brakes and ripped one past the goalie. chicago won 5-4 in o.t. finally wild finish between panthers and jets. final minute. winnipeg down one and score the equalizer. wait a minute. the referee waved it off because of a high stick. take another look. kyle wellwood got a piece of it. kane batted it in higher than the net, but the stick can t be higher than the cross bar and that s a goal. jets tied it. completed a comeback in the shootout. wellwood with the game-winner. now for another look at the weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather forecast. good morning. good morning. hard to believe we still have like a million people without power. connecticut is still probably the worst of it. i guess that s where the leaves were just strong enough to hold