The most cherished trophy in all of sports is once again on the line during the month of May for the 102nd time in the NHL’s history! The Stanley Cup Playoffs are nearing its peak, with every game more exciting than the next.
The NHL is the only major professional sports league in North America to refer to its playoffs by the name of its championship trophy, a tradition which has arisen because the Stanley Cup is North America’s oldest professional sports trophy, dating back more than two decades before the establishment of the NHL.
Originally inscribed the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, the trophy was donated in 1892 by Lord Stanley of Preston. This tradition that has stood the test of time. It makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs the most unique playoffs in all of sports. The pride, the honor, and intensity each player lays on the line come April is unprecedented across the board in any other professional sport. Because this is seen as the ultimate accomplishment in any sport, playoff hockey is by far the most entertaining, which is what any fan wants to see!
The format of these intense playoff series is as follows: 16 teams, 4 rounds, 1 team left standing that gets to raise Lord Stanley and parade it around the rink in traditional fashion. Sound exciting yet? Currently, there are four teams remaining, battling it out for the claim of being Conference Champions.
In the Eastern Conference the Boston Bruins are pulling away from an underdog team in the Carolina Hurricanes, holding a commanding 3-0 series lead. It’s said a series is never over until the home team loses, unfortunately for the Hurricanes that saying came to life Tuesday night. Luckily, they have one more game behind their amazing fan base of “jerks” that has started to make Carolina a die-hard hockey town after struggling since their lone Stanley Cup victory in 2006.
As for Boston, most people know the level of immense pride each native has in each of their city’s teams. Between these two sold out arenas and the chance for Carolina to play the underdog role once again and come back from three games to none and head to the finals, you won’t want to miss out on the remainder of this series and the atmosphere in either of the two teams’ buildings!
In the Western Conference we see a bit more of a shootout series between two hot teams with a lot of talent, the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks led by Joe Pavelski, Erik Karlsson, Jumbo Joe Thornton, and Brent Burns. The series is currently 2-1 in favor of San Jose, but has the feel of a series that will go seven games. Both teams have a long tenured history in the league, selling out almost every game of these playoffs so far. You won’t want to miss out on the hard-fought action and excitement two puck handling, solid defensive teams have to offer any hockey fan!
With everything on the line, now is the time to secure your Stanley Cup Playoff tickets!
