NHL Playoffs 2011: Is This the Year the Canucks Win the Cup?

For the first time in its history, the Vancouver Canucks brought home the President’s Trophy this season.  They are looking to have another first in June when the Stanley Cup is presented to the team that wins the playoffs. But first they have to defeat the team that has stopped them in the playoffs during the last two years.

The Canucks finished the regular season in the top spot by 10 points over the Washington Capitols, but as multiple players have said, they still have their eyes on the big trophy.  Days before winning the trophy, Ryan Kessel made it clear that the President’s Trophy wasn’t their main goal.

"It's not our main goal, but it's a goal along the way," Kessel told the NHL. "It was good to clinch the Western Conference and to win the Presidents' Trophy, it's never been done (by the franchise). It would be a good thing for this franchise."

While the Canucks haven’t won the Stanley Cup since the creation of the team in 1971, they have had two chances in the past, playing against the Islanders in 1982 (where they were shut out four games to none) and the Rangers in 1994 in a series that went all the way to the seventh game. 

The team is ready for the pressure of playoff hockey this year, something that definitely wasn’t their strong point last year. During the regular season, they fought back when necessary and played hard. Star goalie Roberto Luongo raised his save percentage from last season significantly, but there’s still the pressure question for him when it comes to the playoffs.

Overall, the team is stronger this year, and with last and this year’s Art Ross Trophy winners (none other than the Sedin twins) both possibly playing stronger than ever, this should be the year the Canucks make it past the Hawks and all other challengers to win the Stanley Cup.

But recent history may work against them as only one team has won the President’s Trophy and gone on to win the Stanley Cup in the same year since 2003 (the Detroit Red Wings).

The team also hopes that the third time will be the charm when it comes to facing the Blackhawks. They won two of the four games against the team in the regular season, but were outscored 13 to 9 in those games (their first game of the season went to a shootout). However, their wins came in the last two match-ups with the Hawks in the regular season, with scores of 3-0 and 4-3, respectively.

If the Canucks win, they will bring the Cup back to the Northwest Division for the first time since 2001 when the Colorado Avalanche won against the New Jersey Devils.

The Canucks have a big hurdle to get over in the first round, but coming off of their best regular season performance, they should carry their momentum all the way to the Finals. The Canucks can accomplish two historic goals in the span of three months and bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time since the Canadiens won it in 1993.