Watching NBC bail out as soon as the network can is a very sad way to end a season, especially one as hard and grueling as this postseason was.
After all, this was the year that only 2 Canadian-based teams advanced to the playoffs, the fewest since 1978. And both of them could have floated away in OT in a 7th game in the first round. Yet one of them survived to the finals, and the other could have been there too if it had survived that Game 7.
There is still a lingering bitterness as to how the season ended for the Vancouver Canucks. There will always be disappointment when you are the team in the finals that doesn't get to hoist the Cup. The 2010 Philadelphia Flyers, the 2009 Detroit Red Wings, the 2008 Pittsburgh Penguins know that feeling. And the 09 Red Wings know what it's like to win the first two games at home and lose; in fact, the 2011 Cup finals fit the exact same model as 2009.
But the bitterness beyond the disappointment stems from a lack of a fair standard. Whatever you might of Canadians inferiority complex as they are treated by Gary Bettman and the NHL, the bias from the referees and Mike Murphy showed serious ethical violations by the NHL.
Still, there was a great Stanley Cup playoffs run, the TV ratings were up in both countries, there is a 7th Canadian team coming this fall, every playoff game will be on NBC or Versus or another Comcast station, and well, maybe, hope that the Stanley Cup streak won't reach 19 years.
So we leave you with the year-end montage courtesy of CBC. And kudos to Fang Bites for posting the video as well.
Great video. I've seen little CBC, but they're HNIC broadcasts are done with such class - well maybe except for the tacky suit! Love Don Cherry, but glad he's Canadian, and not my relative! NHL hockey may become my favorite sport. Where else do you find athletes with such toughness? They get back on the ice after someone/something broke their faces. Add to that the injured players get root canals or teeth pulled with little if any pain killers in the locker room. I've lost a lot of enthusiasm for NFL football - partly why I'm so jazzed about June 30! Those guys are much more likely playing for the love of the game. They aren't getting 7 or 8 figure salaries.
Posted by: Tim | June 23, 2011 at 01:55 PM