The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Some patriotic hockey columnists have come up with an argument to guarantee the Stanley Cup stays in Canada. Since the Cup was originally intended for "the champion hockey team in the Dominion of Canada," they believe a shrewd lawyer could talk his way into ensuring the sport's Holy Grail never again wound up the clutches of an American squad. But this year at least, Canadian teams have their own plans to bring to coveted trophy back home. For the first time in a long time, our nation is home to three Ñ count 'em three Ñ legitimate Cup contenders in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Let's start with the Senators. The one-time laughing stock boasts one of the more impressive line-ups assembled in recent years. The list of offensive threats in Ottawa is incredible. Opposing goalies can throw away much hope for a shutout when facing Marian Hossa, Daniel Alfredsson, Martin Havlat, Jason Spezza, Bryan Smolinski, Radek Bonk and now some icing on an already sweet cake, Peter Bondra. The Sens are equally strong on defense. Both giant Zdeno Chara and steady Wade Redden will get Norris Trophy consideration. Those guys are so good that it's easy to forget about the talent spread out over the rest of the blueline Ñ Karel Rachunek and Anton Volchenkov come to mind. The biggest perceived problem with the Sens is in net. Can Patrick Lalime be counted on? Yes he can. Statistically, he is among the game's best and his desire to silence critics by hoisting the big silver mug is as strong as anyone else's. If the Sens fail to capture the Cup this year, it certainly won't be from a lack of trying. Owner Eugene Melnyk has spent some serious cash to keep his franchise among the contenders, something previous owner Rod Bryden simply didn't have the wherewithal to do. Meanwhile in Toronto, the Leafs have exceeded many expectations by seriously contending for the President's Trophy. They owe much of that success to the mostly stellar play of the aging Ed Belfour, who has defied naysayers with a 2.17 goals against average. Eddy the Eagle may not win the Vezina Trophy this summer, but he'll certainly get a few votes. Up front, the Leafs' arsenal includes the scoring prowess of Mats Sundin and Alexander Mogilny, the talent and grit of Owen Nolan, Darcy Tucker and Gary Roberts, and a stellar supporting cast of guys like Matt Stajan and Mikael Renberg. Toronto is expected to upgrade its defense corps by the trade deadline, but even as is, its back end is pretty solid. Most teams would love to have the likes of Bryan McCabe, Ken Klee, and Tomas Kaberle patrolling their bluelines. Should they achieve Cup glory this year, there are no shortage of Leafbashers out there who will argue that it was nothing more than a fluke, a one-time wonder. They will be wrong. See 'Vancouver' P.# Con't from P.# Finally out west, the talented Vancouver Canucks are often overshadowed by the powerhouses in Detroit and Colorado. But make no mistake, the hungry Canucks can hold their own against those clubs come playoff time. Despite the firepower of captain Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi, the Canucks are not as impressive on paper as other upper echelon squads. But coach Marc Crawford has his boys playing a solid team game and, just as importantly, they have faith in themselves. Canucks fans certainly aren't worried about their team's defense, led by the great Ed Jovanovski and Mattias Ohlund. As usual, their biggest concern surrounds goalie Dan Cloutier. Cloutier is often amazing but is viewed as an unproven playoff commodity. It's worth noting that all great goalies were at one time unproven commodities. The only way an unproven commodity becomes proven is by playing. Off the ice, fan interest in Vancouver is at its highest level in years and some very intelligent observers have been mentioning the Canucks and the Stanley Cup in the same sentence. With three solid chances for Canada to bring home Lord Stanley's Cup, it should be an extra exciting post-season for a hockey-mad nation.
