HARTLEY S HART ATTACK – (Proud to finish 2nd) July 9, 2021 EDITION 844 myprincegeorgenow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from myprincegeorgenow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Stanley Cup Final storylines include Canada s 28-year drought
Lightning looking to repeat, Maroon going for championship hat trick among things to watch by Dan Rosen @drosennhl / NHL.com Senior Writer
TAMPA The Tampa Bay Lightning have to go through a storied franchise with a history of dynastic Stanley Cup championship runs in order to keep building their own dynasty.
The Montreal Canadiens have to go through the defending Stanley Cup champions in order to bring the trophy home for an NHL record 24th time.
The 2021 Stanley Cup Final, the Lightning against the Canadiens, is loaded with plots and subplots, history and tradition, goaltending greats, skill, speed, tenacity, grit and devoted fanbases.
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My Facebook friends have spoken.
I grew up in Belleville, not quite halfway between Toronto and Montreal, and as a result, the fan base was pretty much evenly split between the Habs and the Leafs.
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In those golden days of the 1970s, there were also a lot of Boston Bruins fans (including me) driven by Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and Gerry Cheevers, among others.
But it was the Leafs and Habs that most deeply stirred people’s passions. So on Tuesday, I took to Facebook to take the pulse of my friends.
BIG M, DUFF, LEAFS, HABS, DAD saultthisweek.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from saultthisweek.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
There was hope, optimism and excitement for the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres when they entered the league back in 1970.
51 years later, it’s impossible to call these franchises anything but cursed.
No two teams that have yet to win a Stanley Cup have a longer drought than both the Canucks and Sabres. Not only will either team fail to win a Cup in their 51st season, but there’s a decent chance that neither of them even make the playoffs.
That shouldn’t be a surprise though, since Vancouver and Buffalo have fumbled away their chances of success multiple times over the last half-century.