2003 Stanley Cup playoffs hypotheticals

[hitman9172]

The 2003 playoffs always stand out in my memory for a number of reasons:
-Giguere’s unbelievable run
-Kariya’s “off the floor, on the scoreboard” goal after getting knocked out by Scott Stevens
-Andrew Brunette ending Patrick Roy’s career
-Minnesota Wild coming back from down 3-1 to upset Colorado and Vancouver
-Vancouver coming back from 3-1 to beat St Louis
-Jeff Friesen’s last minute goal to eliminate Ottawa in game 7 of the ECF

2 hypotheticals that I’ve wondered about are:

1) what if Vancouver holds on to beat Minnesota? Does the West Coast Express get past Giguere and Anaheim, and then Brodeur and the Devils to win the Cup?

2) what if Ottawa wins game 7 vs New Jersey? How do they match up against Anaheim in the finals? Or tying into the question above, what if they had ended up playing the Canucks in the final?

 

[Crosby2010]

This was the first year in a while where there was a real possibility of an all-Canadian Cup final. There is no reason Vancouver should have lost to Minnesota. Those last three games were terrible. They were actually up 2-0 in Game 7. I think Bertuzzi sort of skated past the bench when he scored a goal and goaded the Wild bench a bit. Bad idea. End result is the Canucks lost. I really don't know if the Canucks get past Giguere as no one else had figured them out, even the Devils barely did. But I will say that if Ottawa wins Game 7 vs. Jersey that they win the Cup vs. Anaheim.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

the canucks were a one line team led by two guys who had more trouble scoring in the playoffs than almost any superstars ever

i don’t think they stand a chance against one of the most dialed in goaltending performances ever (dude allowed one single goal in the third round), coached by babcock

and if they somehow get past anaheim there’s scott stevens waiting for them, flanked by all three of niedermayer, brodeur, and john madden playing the best hockey of their lives

ottawa, that’s an interesting one. tbh i think with their firepower they don’t let anaheim get to seven. but with that group you never knew if they would just suddenly fall apart.

 

[Brodeur]

Anaheim sweeping in the WCF might have hurt their chances (and the ECF going seven games). I remember angering the hockey gods and planning on buying SCF Game 4 tickets with my cousin (Ducks fan) before the Devils clinched. I had to sweat out the ECF and had been practicing sheepishly backing out if Ottawa had advanced.

Ducks clinched on May 16th and had to wait until May 27th for Game 1. Anaheim seemed pretty flat in games 1/2 against the Devils, not sure if that changes if they play Ottawa instead.

Vancouver is an interesting thought. What were their lines like for those playoffs? The Sedins hadn't leveled up yet, so maybe secondary scoring would have been an issue.

Another thing I always like to point out about the 2003 Ducks was that they were really good in the second half that season. I expected Detroit to beat them in the opening round but I figured the Ducks were going to be a harder out than most of the analysts were saying.

Joe Nieuwendyk tweaked his back at the end of Game 6 against Ottawa. NJ's center depth was kinda rough for the finals. To start against Anaheim, our lines were:

Elias-Gomez-Marshall
Pandolfo-Madden-Langenbrunner
Friesen-Brylin-Gionta
Bicek-Rheaume-McKenzie

Later in the series, Pat Burns thought we were too small down the middle so Mike Rupp got inserted for Jiri Bicek (and Brylin went back to wing) in Game 5 and was the improbable Game 7 hero.

To this day I'm still surprised those lines squeezed out enough offense. Elias and Gomez would find chemistry the following season (with Gionta) but they weren't great together in 2002-03.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Vancouver is an interesting thought. What were their lines like for those playoffs? The Sedins hadn't leveled up yet, so maybe secondary scoring would have been an issue.

naslund morrison bertuzzi
sedin sedin klatt
cooke linden letowski
may chubarov ruutu

ohlund sopel
malik jovanovski
baron salo

no, the sedins weren’t very good yet — neither had cleared 40 pts in a season yet. that said, henrik scored more goals than bertuzzi in the playoffs, and daniel tied him in pts.

 

[JackSlater]

I hated the hockey in the 2003 playoffs. Anyway, if Vancouver beats Minnesota I doubt they beat Anaheim based on how they played in the conference finals, but it's possible. Next to no chance that Vancouver beats New Jersey though, just a far better team with very good personnel to handle Vancouver.

I think Ottawa could and likely would have beaten Anaheim in the final. Obviously it was a more talented team, ad Anaheim finally cooled down in the finals. Lalime gives me pause though.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Kinda sad that flukey wcf sweep remains the high watermark of the Wild franchise being from such a hockey loving state in 25 years of existence.

 

[Super Fadio Bro]

It would have been crazy to see a Senators Game 7 win in OT had Jeff Friesen not scored.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

i do wish we’d seen a cloutier vs lalime finals though. man alive

otoh, chara would have absolutely eaten bertuzzi for breakfast

 

[Ghetty Green]

Anaheim sweeping in the WCF might have hurt their chances (and the ECF going seven games). I remember angering the hockey gods and planning on buying SCF Game 4 tickets with my cousin (Ducks fan) before the Devils clinched. I had to sweat out the ECF and had been practicing sheepishly backing out if Ottawa had advanced.

Ducks clinched on May 16th and had to wait until May 27th for Game 1. Anaheim seemed pretty flat in games 1/2 against the Devils, not sure if that changes if they play Ottawa instead.

Vancouver is an interesting thought. What were their lines like for those playoffs? The Sedins hadn't leveled up yet, so maybe secondary scoring would have been an issue.

Another thing I always like to point out about the 2003 Ducks was that they were really good in the second half that season. I expected Detroit to beat them in the opening round but I figured the Ducks were going to be a harder out than most of the analysts were saying.

Joe Nieuwendyk tweaked his back at the end of Game 6 against Ottawa. NJ's center depth was kinda rough for the finals. To start against Anaheim, our lines were:

Elias-Gomez-Marshall
Pandolfo-Madden-Langenbrunner
Friesen-Brylin-Gionta
Bicek-Rheaume-McKenzie

Later in the series, Pat Burns thought we were too small down the middle so Mike Rupp got inserted for Jiri Bicek (and Brylin went back to wing) in Game 5 and was the improbable Game 7 hero.

To this day I'm still surprised those lines squeezed out enough offense. Elias and Gomez would find chemistry the following season (with Gionta) but they weren't great together in 2002-03.

Brylin had a great run. Wasn't he there for all 3 cups?

 

[Brodeur]

Brylin had a great run. Wasn't he there for all 3 cups?

Yup, Sarge was a great role player who could go up and down the lineup. In 1995 he was a rookie and not quite full time yet. In 2000 he was 2LW on a line with Gomez and Mogilny. In 2003, he kinda played everywhere, I think he got time at RW on the Elias-Gomez line. He started the SCF as 3C, ended up as 4LW.

 

[JianYang]

The 2003 playoffs always stand out in my memory for a number of reasons:
-Giguere’s unbelievable run
-Kariya’s “off the floor, on the scoreboard” goal after getting knocked out by Scott Stevens
-Andrew Brunette ending Patrick Roy’s career
-Minnesota Wild coming back from down 3-1 to upset Colorado and Vancouver
-Vancouver coming back from 3-1 to beat St Louis
-Jeff Friesen’s last minute goal to eliminate Ottawa in game 7 of the ECF

2 hypotheticals that I’ve wondered about are:

1) what if Vancouver holds on to beat Minnesota? Does the West Coast Express get past Giguere and Anaheim, and then Brodeur and the Devils to win the Cup?

2) what if Ottawa wins game 7 vs New Jersey? How do they match up against Anaheim in the finals? Or tying into the question above, what if they had ended up playing the Canucks in the final?

For the Canucks, that top line was extremely entertaining to watch, but they weren't winning anything with cloutier. This was only one year removed from that center ice goal by Lidstrom.

He was looking real shaky against the wild too especially as it progressed, and if they escaped that series, it would just be a matter of time for it to be exposed in the 2nd half of the playoffs.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

For the Canucks, that top line was extremely entertaining to watch, but they weren't winning anything with cloutier. This was only one year removed from that center ice goal by Lidstrom.

He was looking real shaky against the wild too especially as it progressed, and if they escaped that series, it would just be a matter of time for it to be exposed in the 2nd half of the playoffs.

An old favourite:

 

[GMR]

The entire tape from those playoffs should be thrown away and burned.

And I'm not just saying that because the Red Wings were swept in embarrassing fashion by a team full of plumbers. The hockey in those playoffs was unwatchable, most obvious in the Western Conference Finals between Anaheim/Minnesota.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I hated the hockey in the 2003 playoffs. Anyway, if Vancouver beats Minnesota I doubt they beat Anaheim based on how they played in the conference finals, but it's possible. Next to no chance that Vancouver beats New Jersey though, just a far better team with very good personnel to handle Vancouver.

I think Ottawa could and likely would have beaten Anaheim in the final. Obviously it was a more talented team, ad Anaheim finally cooled down in the finals. Lalime gives me pause though.

While Lalime did a have a softy vs Toronto, he has the modern day record of gaa and near the top in save percentage.

Playoff Goaltender Records - Lowest Goals-Against Average, Playoff Career (Minimum: 15 Games Played) | NHL Records

Explore the records for Playoff Goaltender Records, Lowest Goals-Against Average, Playoff Career (Minimum: 15 Games Played)

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[JackSlater]

While Lalime did a have a softy vs Toronto, he has the modern day record of gaa and near the top in save percentage.

Playoff Goaltender Records - Lowest Goals-Against Average, Playoff Career (Minimum: 15 Games Played) | NHL Records

Explore the records for Playoff Goaltender Records, Lowest Goals-Against Average, Playoff Career (Minimum: 15 Games Played)

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Yep, goaltending stats can really be limited sometimes. We've got some legends in there in the top 20, and then we have Lalime, Allen, Thomas, and Osgood, all goaltenders who would need their team to compensate for them if there is a hope of winning.

 

[Brodeur]

The entire tape from those playoffs should be thrown away and burned.

And I'm not just saying that because the Red Wings were swept in embarrassing fashion by a team full of plumbers. The hockey in those playoffs was unwatchable, most obvious in the Western Conference Finals between Anaheim/Minnesota.

Even as a Devils fan, I'd concede that wasn't the best playoff to watch although the Ottawa series was pretty good. In a weird way I would totally trade the 2003 Cup for the 2001 Cup. The 2003 team was a caricature of what people assumed the Devils were (highly defensive, just enough offense).

2000-01 Devils: Led the league in scoring, had the #1 PP
2002-03 Devils: 14th in scoring, worst PP in the league

 

[GMR]

Even as a Devils fan, I'd concede that wasn't the best playoff to watch although the Ottawa series was pretty good. In a weird way I would totally trade the 2003 Cup for the 2001 Cup. The 2003 team was a caricature of what people assumed the Devils were (highly defensive, just enough offense).

2000-01 Devils: Led the league in scoring, had the #1 PP
2002-03 Devils: 14th in scoring, worst PP in the league

Yeah, the 2001 Devils team was arguably even better than the 2000 team. The 2003 team was their weakest Cup winner but still a really strong squad built for the playoffs.

 

[tabness]

One of the things that always bothered me about the Wings glory days is that they never got a chance to play the Devils again for sweet revenge for 1995.

Could have happened in 2003 but for Jiggy pads, sigh

 

[Brodeur]

Yeah, the 2001 Devils team was arguably even better than the 2000 team. The 2003 team was their weakest Cup winner but still a really strong squad built for the playoffs.

I'd take the June 2000 squad over the June 2001 on paper. Albeit Mogilny didn't click with Gomez until the following season. Essentially the same roster except:

Lemieux => Corkum/Stevenson
Malakhov => O'Donnell/Sutton

Even at his age, Claude was an upgrade over Corkum/Stevenson. Malakhov was a huge luxury on the 3rd pair next to Colin White. I remember them commenting about their optimal pair being a stay at home D (Stevens/Daneyko/White) being paired with a puck mover (Rafalski/Niedermayer/Malakhov). O'Donnell was a solid D but didn't mesh well with White to the point where he got healthy scratched for a couple games in the SCF for Ken Sutton.