NHL Playoffs: The 10 biggest post-season disappointments in the past decade - Part 1
Being the best team during the regular season does not ensure victory during the post-season as many teams in the past and currently have been thrown down by the ones who were expected to be easily manhandled.
Disappointments in the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs happen all the time, which just goes to show that every team and each player of that team plays with an entirely different mindset once they are in the post-season. The passion and dedication is
at peak while playing in a playoff series because everyone wants to raise that 'oh so beautiful' Stanley Cup above their heads for their own pride.
During the past decade, we have seen many disappointments during the playoffs. Some were expected to happen and others happened all of a sudden unexpectedly. Taking a look at them is a great way to reminisce on the great hockey history of the past and at
the same time get an insight to what can really cause a disappointment.
In a countdown to the biggest disappointment in NHL playoffs history during the past 10 years, each series will be discussed in detail so that those who have not even seen hockey will be able to imagine what hockey fans feel when those moments come across.
10. Los Angeles Kings vs. Detroit Red Wings (2001 Western Conference Quarterfinals)
A team like Detroit always poses a challenge to whatever opponent they might be going up against. The Red Wings were the second seed of the Western Conference that year and were an overall favourite for their season-long performance. Entering the quarterfinals,
the Red Wings were sure to eliminate the seventh-place Los Angeles Kings, but who could have thought that it would turnout in exactly the opposite way.
LA lost game one and two as Detroit easily knocked them around, with a 4-0 shutout in the second. Frantically, LA bounced back in game three and four with minor victories, one coming in overtime which did not faze the Red Wings or their fan base at all.
The Kings took a 3-2 lead in the series after another marginal win in game five which still had no affect on the Detroit team or spectators who called it something not to be concerned about.
Detroit was a huge favourite entering game six against a petty LA team and was eliminated by 3-2 which just put everyone in shock. Los Angeles advanced to the next round of the playoffs to be eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche but annihilating the Red
Wings gave them their own place in the eyes of fans altogether.
9. San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers (2006 Western Conference Semi-Finals)
The semi-final series between the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers was a repeat of the 2001 quarterfinals mentioned earlier. This time it was a little more brutal. The Oilers lost in game one and two and came back during games three and four to level
the series.
Edmonton’s Shawn Horcoff made the game winning goal in game three to lift them to a 3-2 victory in triple overtime. San Jose’s goalie made over 55 saves in that game, but all in vain. The Oilers levelled the series 2-2 in game four when they had a monumental
6-3 victory over the Sharks which turned the tables into their favour. Edmonton, the eighth seed of the Western Conference, eliminated the fifth seed, San Jose, in huge game five and six wins for a major disappointment of the year.
The Oilers miraculously reached the Stanley Cup finals that year but were eliminated after a close seven-game series with the Carolina Hurricanes.
To be continued in the part 2...
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