The quest for
the cup

Anything can happen and Nothing Else Matters

Let the Madness begin! No I am not talking about March Madness. Watch out for Stanford, they may break a few hearts in the early rounds. But I am talking hockey and the quest for the Stanley Cup.

Yes, I am really going to talk hockey, and why not? It is a great sport to watch and it is even better to watch live. It is the only sport that allows fighting, and if you watch long enough you will see beautiful plays, passing and puck movement. The National Hockey League (NHL) is maybe the only league left where an 8 seed can win the title.

Last season hockey fans saw that seeding doesn’t matter. In the Western Conference playoffs, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th teams lost in the first round, and the 8th seeded Edmonton Oiler’s made it all the way to the finals. This year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting races for the playoffs in a few years.

In the Western Conference you have no true No. 1 team. Only three points separate Nashville and Detroit, which means one team will get the top seed and the other will be 4th since both teams are in the same division. The Ducks are just three points behind Nashville in second.

Three teams, Dallas, San Jose, and Minnesota are all tied with 85 points and battling for the 5th playoff spot. Calgary is holding down the 8th and final playoff spot and is not letting it go.

In the Eastern Conference, the race is just as tight with three teams on the outside looking in and just one point separating No. 1 Buffalo with No. 2 New Jersey. The New York Rangers are holding the 8th and final spot with the Montreal Canadians just two points behind them with Toronto and Carolina in between the both of them.

Last year showed me that it doesn’t matter where you fall because every team has an equal shot at the big silver chalice. I remember falling off my girlfriend’s couch onto my knees last year as the No. 7 Colorado Avalanche beat the No. 2 Dallas Stars in 5 games. I was cheering a few days later when No. 1 Detroit lost to No. 8 Edmonton in 7 games. Come playoff time in hockey, everything changes.

Everybody picks up their game and plays all out. Nobody wants to go home in April or May. Most hockey players dream of kissing the Cup since they were little kids. Hockey is a sport where anything can happen. The NFL has its good teams and we know who should win and who will do what every year. Baseball is much the same. We know who will do what and we are left with little surprises. Outside of The March Madness tourney, hockey is the only sport where anything can happen.

With 10 games left this is the time for hockey and to see who wants Lord Stanley’s Cup. This is the time to play all out and put your heart on your sleeve. In the Quest for the Cup, anything can happen and nothing else matters.

- Matt Anderson is a journalism major and staff writer.