I still just can’t fathom how people prefer our most significant rival of the past fifteen years winning the Cup to an upstart cocky franchise in their second season. But whatever.
I care more about the Ducks than San Jose. Both Vegas and Anaheim directly impact me more at the moment due to the Vegas assholes at Staples and growing up and still working in Orange County.
While San Jose may have been the Kings biggest rival during the first part of this decade, it is a real stretch to say they are our most significant rival of the past 15 years. Even during the first half of this decade, the Ducks were generally good and those games were real events. Sure, we played San Jose in the playoffs three times but they also played VAN and STL 2x as well as Chicago. The former two featured pretty heated games during the first half of the decade as well.
For me, the SJ "rivalry" has been shit since 2015. They've smoked us pretty much every time until this past season, funnily enough. Even then, the reverse sweep and two Cups makes it not matter. Them winning would suck and would really soften the sting of the reverse sweep for them, but I really don't want to hear Vegas fans talking about how it only took them two years to win one v. 40+.
I still hate SJ, no doubt. Their fans have been gut punched so many times though that I preferred to roll the dice that they would choke again v. pulling for Vegas with its 1-for-1 record as far as making the SCF.
I'm still comfortable with my stance, even if SJ wins the whole thing. I'll just assume Vegas would have instead and that would infuriate me. I'd like 20 years of misery, at least, before Vegas gets one.