Seconds after watching the Rangers take apart the Jersey Devils 6-1, I switched over to see the final seconds of the Kentucky - Wisconsin semifinal. Duke had won a few hours earlier and I was checking to see if the Wildcats would be meeting them in the NCAA finals.
Needless to say I was shocked when I learned that Kentucky had lost 71-64. Not only had they lost, but they went the final 90 seconds without scoring a single point. They had been undefeated up to that point and it was looking very much like their year. It just goes to show you that that old Tony D'Amato line "on any given Sunday you're gonna win or you're gonna lose" is true. Except of course this was Saturday. But you get the point. Anybody can win and anybody can lose. Or, more importantly, anybody can beat you if you're not careful.
And that got me thinking about the Blueshirts. For the last three months the hockey world has been touting them as the team to beat; the prohibitive favorites to make it back to the Cup finals and win it all. And who could blame them. On December 6th, their record stood at 11-10-4 and they looked lost. Since then, they have gone 39-11-3 and are currently number one in the Eastern conference. They are only four points away from capturing their first President's trophy since the 1993-94 season - the last time they won the Cup.
The comparisons to Kentucky are unmistakable and unavoidable. Best record? Invincible? Inevitable? I'm sure at the University of Kentucky, they are still in a state of shock. How could the vaunted Wildcats have lost? Actually, if you take a step back and look at their season, they were lucky to advance as far as they did. Several times throughout the tournament they almost lost. In the game before, they survived a last second three point attempt to hold off Notre Dame.
Throughout this season the Rangers have managed to win a lot of close games by margins of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. All exciting games to be sure and all games that could easily have gone the other way. One of those wins came against a Buffalo Sabres team that is currently battling for the worst record in the NHL. Of the 50 wins they have amassed this season, only 18 have been decided by more than 2 goals. An argument could certainly be made that the Rangers have been as lucky as they've been good.
Now I'm not poo-pooing luck. Most head coaches will tell you they'd rather be lucky than good. A lot of good teams end up losing. But the problem with being lucky is that sooner or later your luck runs out. The Rangers may be an elite team this year but they've got company. Of the eight teams that will qualify for the playoffs in the Eastern conference, six are good enough to make it to finals. In the Western conference five teams can make that claim; six if the Kings manage to get in as a wild card. That's a pretty crowded field if you ask me.
Bottom line, yes the Rangers are good enough to win the Cup. Then again we all thought Kentucky was good enough to win the NCAA tournament before they got beaten in the final four. As a result, tomorrow Duke will be playing Wisconsin for the championship. If I were Alain Vigneault, I'd get a copy of that final four game and make sure his players watch it before they start their playoff run.
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