2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final: Players Who Deserve a Stanley Cup
There's no doubt that the two teams that get to the Stanley Cup Finals every year deserve to be there. They have worked hard, fought adversity and made the most of their talent to be left standing in late May and early June.
This year, the two teams that have proven themselves worthy of a chance at hockey's ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup, are the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks. Both teams had doubts following them at some point, but they have risen above the criticism.
The efforts of both teams should be applauded, but fans can't help but think about who truly deserves the Stanley Cup. Maybe it's a player who is contemplating retirement, or maybe it's a goaltender who has put his team on his back during the playoff run.
In no particular order, here are players who deserve to be on the winning end of the Finals next month.
As always, please let me know if you feel I missed anyone.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin
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The Swedish twins have been virtually inseparable since coming over to North America.
They were drafted together in the first round of the 1999 NHL Draft (Daniel was the second overall pick, while Henrik was third). They have played on the Canucks together for 10 years. They have represented Sweden in Olympic competition and won the gold medal in 2006.
Last year, Henrik took home the Art Ross Trophy after posting 112 points in the regular season. This year, Daniel put up 104 points to take the trophy from his brother.
Henrik is the captain of the Canucks, a position he took this season. Daniel is an alternate captain.
They have similar playoff point totals, with Henrik tallying 65 points in 83 playoff games and Daniel posting 58 points in the same amount of games.
The only thing missing from the Sedins' resumes is a Stanley Cup, and they deserve to hoist it together.
Roberto Luongo
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For a while, Luongo's ability to carry his team to a big win was in doubt.
However, that began to change in last year's Olympic games, when Luongo posted a perfect 5-0 record with a 1.76 GAA as Canada took home the gold medal.
This year, he picked up a Vezina Trophy nomination after posting a 38-15-7 record with four shutouts. He was first in the NHL in wins. His .928 save percentage was ranked fourth, and his 2.11 GAA was ranked second.
He has continued his Vezina worthy play in the posteason, going 12-6 and tying for first in wins. He is also first with two shutouts. He has a .922 save percentage (ranked sxith) and a 2.29 GAA (fifth).
Luongo deserves the Cup not only to silence his critics, but also to put his past behind him.
He stepped down from the team captaincy after last season and also spent time in the struggling Florida Panthers organization before coming to Vancouver.
Manny Malhotra
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Malhotra came to Vancouver this season, but he is a veteran of over 700 NHL games. He has also spent his career with the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks.
Malhotra was having a solid season with the Canucks, posting 30 points and a plus-nine through 72 games. However, on March 16, he suffered an eye injury in a game against the Colorado Avalanche.
He has had two surgeries to save his vision and was recently cleared for light contact. He is not 100 percent ruled out for the finals.
Even if Malhotra does not return for the finals, he is still eligible to have his name on the Cup. NHL rules say that a player has to play at least 41 regular season games or one finals game to be eligible.
Malhotra has paid his dues in the league, and he deserves the chance to fulfill his dreams. Besides, there probably wouldn't be many dry eyes if he gets to hold the Cup.
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Mark Recchi
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Recchi is the oldest active player in the NHL and one of two players born in the 1960s still playing in the league.
This past offseason, he signed another one-year deal with Boston in hopes of capturing his third Stanley Cup. He acts as an alternate captain and can still produce, posting 48 points in the regular season and seven points so far in the postseason.
Recchi is no stranger to the Stanley Cup playoffs. He won his first title with the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins after posting 113 points in the regular season and 34 points in 24 playoff games.
In 2006, he helped the Carolina Hurricanes to their first championship in team history after being traded from Pittsburgh. He asked to be traded for a chance at his second Stanley Cup.
He was traded to Boston from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009, where he has been ever since.
In March, Recchi said he would retire if the Bruins captured the Cup.
Although he already has two Cups, who wouldn't desire to win another? This would be the ultimate way for Recchi to go out, and he has earned it.
Patrice Bergeron
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Bergeron has been through a lot in his young NHL career.
He has dealt with concussions at least twice in the last four seasons. The most notable incident was in the early part of the 2007-08 season, when he was hit from behind by Randy Jones of the Philadelphia Flyers. As a result, Bergeron was done for the year after playing just 10 games.
He was injured again in December 2008 in a collision with then-Hurricane and now teammate Dennis Seidenberg, but he only missed a month after that incident.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, he reportedly suffered a mild concussion after being hit by Claude Giroux. However, he was able to return for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Bergeron has had two 50-point seasons since his first concussion and has also been strong in the playoffs. This year, he is second on Boston with 15 points in the playoffs, and his 11 assists are sixth in the NHL.
Bergeron has had a rough road and can't seem to escape concussions, but he has come back strong each time. A Stanley Cup would be, and should be, his reward.
Nathan Horton
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For several years, Horton was a bright spot on a Panthers team that has never been able to find any success.
Despite being on a weak squad, Horton put up at least 40 points every year, including four years with at least 50 points.
He finally got a time to shine after being traded to the Bruins with Gregory Campbell in the offseason. Although Campbell has played his role well, Horton has really grabbed the spotlight.
He finished with 53 points to be third on Boston in scoring and is tied for the team playoff scoring lead with 17 points. His eight goals are second in the NHL, as are his three game-winning goals.
Horton has scored two series-clinching goals. The first was the overtime goal in Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Last night, he scored the lone goal against Tampa Bay to put the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.
Although Horton was noticed before arriving in Boston, he is getting more attention now that he is on a stronger team.
He has become one of the Bruins' key players in his first trip to the playoffs, and his efforts should be rewarded with his first Stanley Cup.
Tim Thomas
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Thomas won the 2009 Vezina Trophy after going 36-11-7 with five shutouts and posting a .933 save percentage and 2.10 GAA.
However, he struggled in the 2009-10 season, going just 17-18-8. Although his save percentage (.915) and GAA (2.56) were still solid, he was not better than Tuukka Rask, who handled starting goaltender duties that year.
But this year, Thomas has bounced back. His 35-11-9 record with nine shutouts put him ninth in the NHL in wins and second in shutouts. He was tops with a .938 save percentage and 2.00 GAA. As a result, he earned a nomination for the Vezina Trophy.
Thomas has continued to do well in the playoffs, going 12-6 to be tied for first in the NHL in playoff wins. He is second with a .929 save percentage and fourth with a 2.29 GAA.
After working hard to improve and earn back the trust of head coach Claude Julien, Thomas deserves to cap off the season with his first Stanley Cup.
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