Salon's King Kaufman continues to be one of the better sports wrtiers online...
http://www.salon.com/sports/col/kauf...day/print.html
Quote:
Nothing like an NHL Game 7. Nothing.
With a packed, hankie-waving crowd going wild at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., the Carolina Hurricanes beat the undermanned Buffalo Sabres 4-2 Thursday night to take a classic seven-game conference final and reach the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton-Carolina is exactly the kind of all-small-market final that could never have happened if the NHL hadn't interrupted play for a year with a lockout that was necessary to get the league's financial house in order and restore competitive balance.
Just look at the last Stanley Cup Finals before the stoppage: Tampa Bay vs. Calgary.
Oh. Hmm. Wait a minute.
But hey! Let's talk about the Hurricanes, a Sun Belt team that never could have gotten this far in the old economic system. The 'Canes haven't been to the Finals since 2002.
OK, hang on.
What a game!
|