Son-of-a Canuck!
Okay, this Leaf fan is admittedly a little perturbed at Montreal’s early lead in the race to see who the greatest Canadian NHL franchise is.
As some of you may recall, Montreal jumped out to a dominant first-round victory with an impressive 30 percent score in the Stanley Cup category of analysis.
I hate ‘em.
For those of you who missed it, you can check out the article, or just take my word that the first round rankings looked something like this:
1. Montreal – with a score of 6.24
2. Edmonton – with a score of 3.70
3. Toronto – with a score of 2.82
4. Calgary – with a score of 0.74
5. Ottawa – with a score of 0.00
6. Vancouver – with a score of 0.00
There was some excellent feedback to the piece, I must say. I was especially interested in those comments that referenced suggestions that I design a formula to take mathematical account for the impact of league expansion on Cup chances.
Touché.
Counterpoint: As the league has continued to grow, winning a Cup has not gotten easier per se. Expansion has watered down talent to where a good team can dominate a mediocre league as opposed to a great team fighting to compete among other great teams.
In a sea of mediocrity, sometimes motivation and passion can overcome skill.
Just ask the 2006 Oilers.
If I should have accounted for anything, it would have been the inclusion of some equation that factors in the difficulties of establishing a dynasty-style championship run in the salary cap era. Well that, and maybe Ottawa’s 23-point season.
I just thought I’d throw that one out there. Come on, ten wins all year? That must





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