Jason Sirovina | sports writer
Every year 16 hockey teams compete for the historic Stanley Cup in exciting fashion as all the teams begin with a clean slate. Despite this high level of entertainment the NHL doesn’t receive the credit it deserves compared to other series such as the NBA. The reason for hockey not receiving all the credit and hype from fans is because its more popular in certain areas rather than nationwide.
“Hockey doesn’t receive the credit that basketball does because it’s not as publicized and offered in many schools, junior Jesse Rebollar said. It has gotten better though because the California teams such as Los Angeles and San Jose are making an impact on areas that wouldn’t normally be associated with hockey,”.
As for the excitement, the Stanley Cup playoffs are still seven game series but the difference is competition in hockey. Meaning, that the home ice advantage is not as important and no series is a gimme. Every team has a legitimate shot to go all the way and get their names engraved into the historic cup.
“The NHL is so exciting to me because of the L.A. Kings, who are my favorite team and have some of the best players in the league such as Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick. Quick has revolutionized the game as one of the best goaltenders and put L.A. hockey back on the map,” Rebollar said.
The Los Angeles Kings opened the eyes of many people back in the 2012 playoffs in which they swept the Presidents trophy winning, Vancouver Canucks and ultimately won the franchise’s first Stanley cup as a mere eight seed. The Kings showed that home ice isn’t everything and anyone has a shot at the Cup, emphasizing the excitement of the NHL playoffs.
“Another aspect of hockey is that they’re have been the most series comebacks such as the 3-0 deficits. I thinks its happened four times throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Rebollar said. “The fourth time just happened as the Kings came back on the Sharks and made history yet again,”.
The third 3-0 comeback in the NHL occurred on 2010 where the Philadelphia Flyers overcame the Boston Bruins to win the series in a thrilling seventh game. The game featured a three goal deficit for the Flyers who found a way to pull out a victory in overtime. Philadelphia carried this momentum all the way to the Stanley Cup final where they fell short to the Chicago Blackhawks. So it’ll be very interesting to see where Los Angeles ends up when a champion is crowned.
