THE PENNANT RACE
By Lowetide
11 years ago
Back in the olden days, we drove in big, heavy cars that rode low to the ground. These cars did huge damage when they ran into things, and guzzled gas grotesquely. When the gas lines showed up it became difficult to keep these dinosaurs on the road. Old ways gave way to innovation.
Man, the good old days were sure the good old days. No matter the era you came of age, certain things were both vital and abundant: girls (God love ’em), cold beer and cars. Those were the main reasons we went out and got jobs back in the day, even in my time when the minimum wage (for the first job I ever worked) was $1.44 an hour.
Didn’t buy a lot of gas.
It was colder then, and that’s the truth. I spent a big part of my childhood in Saskatchewan and can say that the coldest days of my life were as a kid. I’d have killed for global warming in Maidstone about 1974.
Not all the things from the olden days are good, as proven by the advent of smaller, more efficient vehicles. Innovation and new ways of thinking about things are important because if we don’t adjust for size (as shown by the big vehicles of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s) we’re doomed to waste energy and punish the future.
THE STANLEY CUP
How do we apply this to the Stanley? It goes like this: when I was a kid, there were very few truly great hockey players who didn’t win a SC. Norm Ullman is the most famous I recall, and that was due to the incredible depth in Detroit during the early 1950s. Otherwise, if you were good enough to hang around for a decade or so of the original 6, your name is probably on the Cup,
Back in the 1960s NHL rosters were five or so fewer than today, and of course there were 6 teams. So, the entire NHL consisted of about 110 players on any given night. Fast forward to today, and 30 NHL teams employ 23 roster players, or 690 slots.
Winning the Stanley Cup today compared to the original 6 is obviously more difficult. 8 wins got you glory in 1967, now 16 W’s are required. And qualifying for the post-season is difficult too, so the odds are decreased again.
And yet, you’ll hear people say "well he never won a Stanley" as a reason to keep someone like Mark Howe out of the Hall. Cruel, cruel rules that have not been adjusted for the changes that came along after 1967.
THE SOLUTION–PENNANTS!
It’s my belief that the NHL now–at 30 teams–should recognize and reward the two clubs who get to the finals each season. If we did this as a matter of course, worthy men wouldn’t be outside the Hockey Hall of Fame. So much importance is placed on winning a Stanley that it’s beyond reasonable to ask all HOFers to win one before fading into the distance.
Although imperfect, a pennant win would be a much better "line in the sand" compared to the rules of decades ago. Just like that gas guzzler rolling down the highway burning off the GNP of Peru every 80 miles, the old timey "never won a Stanley" is out of date, out of time, out of reason.
Since the 1967 expansion, here are the pennant winners with those still in the race for this season in bold:
- Montreal (11): ’68, ’69, ’71, ’73, ’76-’79, ’86, ’89, ’93
- Philadelphia (8): ’74, ’75, ’76, ’80, ’85, ’87, ’97, ’10
- Boston (8): ’70, ’72, ’74, ’77, ’78, ’88, ’90, ’11
- Edmonton (7): ’83, ’84, ’85, ’87, ’88, ’90, ’06
- Detroit (6): ’95, ’97, ’98, ’02, ’08, ’09
- New York Islanders (5): ’80, ’81, ’82, ’83, ’84
- Chicago (4): ’71, ’73, ’92, ’10
- Dallas (4): ’81, ’91, ’99, ’00
- New Jersey (4): ’95, ’00, ’01, ’03
- Pittsburgh (4): ’91, ’92, ’08, ’09
- Calgary (3): ’86, ’89, ’04
- New York Rangers (3): ’72, ’79, ’94
- St. Louis (3): ’68, ’69, ’70
- Vancouver (3): ’82, ’94, ’11
- Anaheim (2): ’03, ’07
- Buffalo (2): ’75, ’99
- Carolina (2): ’02, ’06
- Colorado (2): ’96, ’01
- Florida (1): ’96
- Los Angeles (1): ’93
- Ottawa (1): ’07
- Tampa Bay (1): ’04
- Washington (1): ’98
- Atlanta
- Columbus
- Minnesota
- Nashville
- Phoenix
- San Jose
- Toronto
If we allow for two pennant winners per season (ala baseball), then a player like Ryan Smyth or Jarome Iginla or Mark Howe receives the credit well earned for going so deep in the run. It also has the added benefit of listing Toronto 30th due to alpha order.
Frankly, I don’t see a negative.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
NHL pennants are never going to happen, but it’s a good idea whose time has come.
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