Stanley Cup

Is it too early to start talking Stanley Cup? If you’re like me or most the Red Wings fans I know—it’s never too early. We talk rivalries in the off season, playoffs during pre-season, and certainly the Cup all year round.

I generally refrain from making such drastic statements as the title of this article, but with the way Detroit is currently playing it's hard not to see them making a deep run in the playoffs.

This year’s version of the Vancouver Canucks again looks poised to make the long run to the Stanley Cup Finals.  And when one looks at how similar the 2011-12 version of the Canucks is to last year’s team that lost in Game 7 of the Finals to the Boston Bruins, it only makes sense that the Canucks are considered favourites in the NHL’s Western Conference.

Philadelphia has had its fair share of interesting athletes throughout the years. Along with interesting characters, Philly sports figures have also been known for their infamous quotes.

Whether it was directly after a loss, or a miraculous fourth down reception or at a World Series parade, some Philly sports stars really knew how to blow a gasket or pump up a crowd.

No matter if it's the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, 76ers or Big 5 basketball, these quotes will definitely bring back some memories.

The Chicago Blackhawks finished the 2010-11 season with an upsetting first round playoff loss the the Presidents' Trophy winners in the Vancouver Canucks.

After winning the Stanley Cup, the team went 44-29-9 and reached the playoffs. This year, they look keep the same plan, but this time make it back to the finals.

As the morning doles on, my daughter Jaiden is excited as I am, and she is a 5 year old who is just understanding the significance of this day.

To me, it was a long time coming.

I get dressed, have a few companions pop over to the house for a cup of coffee and some breakfast.  9 A.M. hits and we are out the door.

Destination:  St. Stephen, New Brunswick. 

A small, picturesque border town that neighbours with the American town of Calais, Maine.

Imagine a playoff where any team could face any other team in the Stanley Cup Final. Wouldn’t it be incredible to see the Penguins vs. the Capitals…or Montreal vs.

For a player to get his name forever engraved on Lord Stanley's Cup, he needs to play in 41 regular season games,or appear in just one Stanley Cup Final game.

Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard has filled none of those requirements. However, teams can request for special reasons that a player be exempt from this league rule.

In the days of old, it was commonplace for a NHL team to win consecutive Stanley Cup Championships.

The last time that any team won championships consecutively, was 15 years ago. The Detroit Red Wings won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998.

Before Detroit accomplished the now seemingly elusive back-to-back championships, it was being done with rapid succession.

Tim Thomas had an incredible season backstopping for the Boston Bruins while leading them to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1972. Although Thomas has only been in the NHL for six seasons, could it be safe to say he is working on a hall of fame career. I say, the numbers don't lie.

Every September die-hard hockey fans look forward to drafting season for fantasy hockey. We get so excited to stack our teams and then we realize that after the first round almost every player you imagined would be on your team is gone.

So here it is, the Ultimate (Or should it be called impossible?) Fantasy team, line by line. Most of the entries will be obvious until we get a bit deeper, but hey, we can still have fun with this can't we?

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