Yahoo! Poll Asks Users If the Lakers Will Win the Stanley Cup

You had one job.

All they had to do was get the names right, but judging by this opinion poll that ran on the front page of Yahoo! on Sunday night, that task was a bridge too far.

In the name of gauging public opinion (or finding out whose fanbase frequents their website most), Yahoo! posed a simple question to its users: “Who do you think will win the Stanley Cup?”

The question was noticed by BigLeadSports.

As you can see, the poll is 100 percent normal and standard until you realize that the Los Angeles Lakers are now in competition for Lord Stanley.

Nope, not the Los Angeles Kings. The Lakeshow.

While it is a rather egregious error, the idea of the Lakers competing for the Stanley Cup provokes some tantalizing thoughts. 

Who would be the Lakers' enforcer? Metta World Peace, obviously. He’d be out there high-sticking people in the head and punching fans in the neck in the penalty box, Tie Domi style. 

Kobe Bryant would be a captain comparable to myriad all-time hockey greats, but right now, he reminds me of another 34-year-old who’s still awing spectators with his incredible skills—a man named Pavel Datsyuk. 

Dwight Howard could be a more controversial version of Boston’s Zdeno Chara—but a lot less imposing than the 6’9” Bruins defenseman. 

Steve Nash could be considered a Teemu Selanne of sorts but with less of a downward trend than the 42-year-old Anaheim Ducks winger.

With that being said, let's get down to brass buttons here: Will the Lakers win the Stanley Cup?  

Stephen A. Smith would probably say yes—as long as Bryant is healthy, you cannot count the Lakers out of the Scripps Spelling Bee, the Hunger Games or the Stanley Cup Finals. 

Unfortunately for the Lakers and their NHL playoff dreams, Bryant isn’t healthy. It also doesn’t help that Metta World Peace would probably spend the majority of each period eating ice shavings.