Canadian Teams that didn’t make the Final that might’ve won it if they did?

[Alex Mohn]

There’s always talk about Canadian teams that were in the cup final (and were close to winning) that obviously faced the outcome of them losing.

But what about Canadian teams that were close to making the cup final (that lost due to injury or something) that would’ve definitely won the cup had they made it.

Teams that come to mind for me are the 2017 Ottawa Senators, they pushed the defending champs to Game 7 and lost by one goal in overtime. Had they scored, they (in my opinion) would’ve 100% beat the predators in the cup final.

Another great example is the 2014 Montreal Canadiens. That team was deadly—with a prime Carey Price who stood on his head
, and a prime P.K. Subban, who helped take out the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins. They made it to the Eastern Conference Final, but then the worst possible thing happened: Carey Price got injured. I truly believe that if they had a healthy Price, especially with the way he was playing, they would have gone on to win the Cup.



What you guys think? Any other Canadian Teams I missed? Sorry for the somewhat weird post bored at my night shift job rn lol.

 

[The Panther]

There’s always talk about Canadian teams that were in the cup final (and were close to winning) that obviously faced the outcome of them losing.

But why should we care about this as Canadian fans who created, nurtured, and developed the sport for 150 years so that today's Florida-based season ticket holders and each of the two franchise's 14 other total fans can annually watch their team win that big Cup thingie?

 

[bobholly39]

There’s always talk about Canadian teams that were in the cup final (and were close to winning) that obviously faced the outcome of them losing.

But what about Canadian teams that were close to making the cup final (that lost due to injury or something) that would’ve definitely won the cup had they made it.

Teams that come to mind for me are the 2017 Ottawa Senators, they pushed the defending champs to Game 7 and lost by one goal in overtime. Had they scored, they (in my opinion) would’ve 100% beat the predators in the cup final.

Another great example is the 2014 Montreal Canadiens. That team was deadly—with a prime Carey Price who stood on his head
, and a prime P.K. Subban, who helped take out the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins. They made it to the Eastern Conference Final, but then the worst possible thing happened: Carey Price got injured. I truly believe that if they had a healthy Price, especially with the way he was playing, they would have gone on to win the Cup.



What you guys think? Any other Canadian Teams I missed? Sorry for the somewhat weird post bored at my night shift job rn lol.

Are you saying since the no cup in Canada in 1993 I assume?

I don't like either of your examples.

I'm a Habs fan and think super highly of Carey Price - but that 2014 Kings team was insane. Habs 100% are the underdogs in this matchup. Now - could the Habs have won the cup? Yes definitely - but they would have been a bigger underdog than the majority of other Canadian teams who did make the finals since 94.

As for 2017 Ottawa -again I don't see it at all. In my opinion, they were a cinderalla team that year who exceeded expectations. I also really, really like the Nashville team that year, and think they win the matchup. *Could* Ottawa have won? Sure - but they are by no means favorite.

I can't think of a single Canadian team who seemed like a strong cup favorite and failed to make the finals. Lots of American teams spring to mind - like Tampa in 2019, Boston in 2023, Caps in 2016 or 17. Bunch of others. I can't think of any equivalent Canadian team.

 

[Idiot Stick]

toronto if conn smythe bennett didnt blow his head smooth off

 

[GMR]

2003 Senators would have a chance.

Or maybe Giguere shuts them down.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

But why should we care about this as Canadian fans who created, nurtured, and developed the sport for 150 years so that today's Florida-based season ticket holders and each of the two franchise's 14 other total fans can annually watch their team win that big Cup thingie?

If you want to do fanbase attacks, do it somewhere off of HFBoards.

 

[JianYang]

I don't think sens "100%" beat the preds. Actually, I wouldn't even even think the sens would be favourites.

2014 canadiens probably beat Rangers with price, but LA was a machine and a terrible matchup in general. They would have had a similar fate as the Rangers in that final.

One team team that didn't make the finals but probably had a great shot if they did were the 2003 senators. They lost in a compeitive conference final against NJ, but if they had advanced, they would have played the Cinderella ducks in the final. Cinderella teams are fun but they never really end up winning the cup, as history shows.

 

[MadLuke]

Never thought of the 2017 Sens as a lock for anything....

Seem more like a typical Cinderella run that end in the finals.

If the 2014 Kings can cleanly beat the rangers... they can beat Montreal ( I am also not certain if they would have been a good matchup for MTL), Rangers vs healthy Price would still have been an NY advantage series (they were close teams but the Rangers had the lead at the moment of the injury, they were more likely to win game 1 and after that win they become a clear favorite)

in the finals, like in the conference finals, this is a Montreal team without an advantage in net (Quick that year is hard to beat....)

Some of the Senators squad would have had a good shot, young obviously but Sakic Nordiques, they won the year after with a significantly different squad but 1995 was still loaded. You fear those wings a lot but they did lose in 4, so you could win....

The nordiques 65 pts was second in the nhl, they scored the most goals that year and for a good reason,

Nolan-Young-Kovalenko-Deadmarsh
Sakic-Forsberg-Ricci,
Kamensky-Clark-Rucinsky-Simon (corbet/lapointe)

Krupp-Wolanin-Lefebvre-Leschishyn-Foote

You see why they want a bit of omph in net and a true elite puck moving D, the exact move they will made, but the dept is so large they could obviously have won it all. You have Rucinsky-Kovalanko-Ricci type in your bottom 9, the kind of player that could lead some team in scoring

 

[jigglysquishy]

The Sens won the 2005 Cup in my heart.


and in my NHL 2005 PS2 save file.

 

[MadLuke]

An if healthy Hasek Senator squad that still had Chara like in 2005 or 2006 could have been the best Canadian team shots at it

 

[McGarnagle]

03 Sens beat the Ducks, definitely.

Lots of butterfly effect stuff at play, but if the 2019 Leafs just get past Boston (which I believe they probably would've if Kadri didn't melt down), they have a clean path to the finals. But they are the Leafs after all and have fumbled at the goal line before.

And obviously we could make the case for the team(s) that didn't make it out of the Smythe division in the 1980s or the Habs/Nordiques in the early 80s.

 

[MadLuke]

03 Sens beat the Ducks, definitely.

Good chance to, but the "better" Devils took 7 games to do it... with Kariya playing only 18:00 minute of a game 7.

Lot of people would have said the 03 Red Wings beat the Ducks definitely or the 111 pts super loaded 03 Stars if those would have been playing in the east and lost to those Devils in 7.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

i have a hard time seeing the ducks shutting down the 2003 senators. that said, i don’t know that i saw the other upsets they pulled happening.

but man, other than the goaltending, what a team, even with alfredsson awol:

smolinski bonk hossa
arvedson white alfredsson
schaefer van allen havlat
varada fisher neil

phillips chara
redden rachunek
leschyshyn volchenkov

 

[gretzkyoilers]

I think the 2023 Oilers beat the Panthers. Jonathan Marchessault said the Oilers were their toughest opponent by far.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

but to me, it’s the 2010 canucks. if they could have beaten chicago, which admittedly is a tall task because that team was absolutely stacked, i would have had no worries about san jose and philly the rest of the way.

sedin sedin samuelsson
raymond kesler burrows
demitra wellwood bernier
hansen rypien grabner

edler ehrhoff
o’brien bieksa
alberts salo

luongo

they were just one dman short (mitchell was out for the year). in a way, it’s like the difference between last year’s oilers and this year’s. the 2010 fourth line had playable players on it (and both speed and toughness to burn), with tanner glass in the press box. the 2011 fourth line had glass as its best player, and a revolving door of random centers (plus manny malhotra post-losing an eye) and victor oreskovich on the other wing.

 

[LightningStorm]

I think the 2003 and 2006 Sens were better than any of the 8 Canadian finalists post 1993 (factoring in injuries the 2011 Canucks had in the finals). Better than the 2007 version of the Sens that made the finals.

 

[carjackmalone]

2002 Canucks with a NHL calibre goalie

Cloutier on the post game interviews blaming his defense for him letting in goals from centre ice

 

[MadLuke]

I imagine all Canadian teams in 2021 could have beat MTL in the finals, but they were eliminated by MTL before reaching it...

 

[JianYang]

i have a hard time seeing the ducks shutting down the 2003 senators. that said, i don’t know that i saw the other upsets they pulled happening.

but man, other than the goaltending, what a team, even with alfredsson awol:

smolinski bonk hossa
arvedson white alfredsson
schaefer van allen havlat
varada fisher neil

phillips chara
redden rachunek
leschyshyn volchenkov

Really good looking roster except the center of the lineup does not look cup caliber..... then again, who did anaheim have down the middle? I can only remember Steve rucchin.

I still maintain the answer to this thread is 03 Ottawa though.

Oddly I don't recall van allen on Ottawa in 03. Wasn't he with them in the 90s? I seem to remember him going from Ottawa to Montreal back in the early 2000s.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Really good looking roster except the center of the lineup does not look cup caliber..... then again, who did anaheim have down the middle? I can only remember Steve rucchin.

I still maintain the answer to this thread is 03 Ottawa though.

adam oates was their leading scorer iirc

even at his age better than any ottawa center, but damn those ottawa wingers

 

[JianYang]

adam oates was their leading scorer iirc

Damn, I forgot about that. Oates in the 2000s is a fading memory for me

 

[Alex Mohn]

toronto if conn smythe bennett didnt blow his head smooth off

Joseph Woll stood his ground. It was more the “passengers” on the leafs.

 

[Alex Mohn]

but to me, it’s the 2010 canucks. if they could have beaten chicago, which admittedly is a tall task because that team was absolutely stacked, i would have had no worries about san jose and philly the rest of the way.

sedin sedin samuelsson
raymond kesler burrows
demitra wellwood bernier
hansen rypien grabner

edler ehrhoff
o’brien bieksa
alberts salo

luongo

they were just one dman short (mitchell was out for the year). in a way, it’s like the difference between last year’s oilers and this year’s. the 2010 fourth line had playable players on it (and both speed and toughness to burn), with tanner glass in the press box. the 2011 fourth line had glass as its best player, and a revolving door of random centers (plus manny malhotra post-losing an eye) and victor oreskovich on the other wing.

We really had the team to win the cup

 

[FilHronek Orchestra]

2002 Canucks with a NHL calibre goalie

Cloutier on the post game interviews blaming his defense for him letting in goals from centre ice

Do you have a source for this?

 

[carjackmalone]

Do you have a source for this?

I didn’t record on vhs any post game scrums