Ottawa Senators last hope for Canada after the elimination of Vancouver Canucks –NHL Playoffs Special
Canada has not seen a Stanley Cup championship since the Montreal Canadiens brought back the most coveted prize in the hockey world back in 1993 as they whitewashed Chicago Blackhawks.
Last year, Canadian fans had high hopes vested with Vancouver Canucks as they made a run for the championship but were unfortunately eliminated in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals against Boston Bruins.
Vancouver’s loss triggered some of the biggest riots in Canadian history and fans took to the streets and lit basically anything flammable on fire to show their anger.
Now with Vancouver Canucks out of the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Western Conference Playoffs, this time right in the opening round by Los Angeles Kings in a 4-1 series, Ottawa Senators are the Canadian’s only hope.
"When you set your goals you don't say 'We want to be the last Canadian team around,"' Ottawa’s Jason Spezza said. "You just want to be the last team standing period. That's all we want to do, is focus on winning our series and keep moving on."
Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators were the only two Canadian based teams that were headed into the playoffs after the 2011-2012 NHL regular season came to an end. Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens failed to make it from the Eastern
Conference while Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers were ousted from the West.
Hopes were high once again for Canucks as they entered on top of not only the West but were winners of the President’s Trophy yet again for the second time straight after recording league high 111 points in the season.
Senators were just lucky as termed by a number of Ottawa players. They failed miserably last year and this time, something just clicked for them as they had captain Daniel Alfredsson back in the line-up while Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson were performing
at the top of their game.
"It's not something you think about or want to do," Alfredsson said. "We just want to focus on what we're going to do. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to be in the playoffs, first and foremost, and then compete hard in the playoffs. We're doing
that and we want to keep going."
Luckily, Ottawa is also playing well during the postseason as Craig Anderson has showed some solid goaltending against a team like New York Rangers, the top seed of the Eastern Conference.
Not only that, rookie players like newly acquired, Kyle Turris, who was brought in from Phoenix Coyotes after a regular season trade, has shown exceptional ways of contributing that may not always result in scoring.
Not only having a number of top quality players has worked out for Ottawa, but team chemistry has played a huge factor in where they are today. Currently, the Senators are tied with New York Rangers and are on the verge of eliminating the top Eastern Conference
team.
"We've never given up and we've really come together as a team chemistry-wise," Turris said. "I think it shows on the ice."
Senators were in the Stanley Cup Finals back in 2007 but lost to Anaheim Ducks, 4-1. This time, as Ottawa plays incredibly well, making a run for the cup will not only benefit the team’s spirit and morals but also be a huge victory for Canada, a country
which yearns for a Stanley Cup.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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