“Tampa has asked to do it a little bit different this year,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said before presenting Lord Stanley’s silver chalice - and, well, who could argue? And so, the Bolts bound around Bettman before he passed the Stanley Cup to captainPyrotechnics exploded as Stamkos effortlessly hoisted 34.5 lbs of heaven that wiped away five years of failure and one of hockey’s most embarrassing defeats.
Even Tampa Bay owner Jeff Vinik joined the party in the dressing room via FaceTime on Cooper’s phone, telling his team: “Awesome job. Unbelievable effort. Dominant throughout the entire playoffs. You deserve it. We are so excited to see you guys tomorrow.”It was appropriate because on this night, in that surreal bubble, Bettman and the entire NHL events staff deserved only stick taps for completing a lab experiment that seemed so improbable six months earlier.
They pulled it off, avoiding the fate engraved on Lord Stanley’s collar from the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic that still reads: “SERIES NOT COMPLETED.” Rather than isolate from each other, NHL players used the time together to engage in difficult conversation, halting the playoffs for two days in August in a show of solidarity against systemic racism. The image of players of all colors and backgrounds standing shoulder-to-shoulder during a press conference was the enduring image of the bubble.
frank_seravalli Come on....it's Claude Lemieux (NJ 95, COL 96).
frank_seravalli Any idea when the next season starts ?
frank_seravalli Why? Someone had to win.
frank_seravalli Covid Cup champs. Doesnt mean s**t
frank_seravalli Mr Seravalli, I believe Cory Stillman was the last to win back to back cups on different teams. He won with Tampa then wasnt their the lockout and then he won with Carolina
frank_seravalli 2020*.....always
frank_seravalli Somethings made it easier some harder. I don't think we'll remember this as anymore or less impressive than any other year, just weirder.
frank_seravalli Nah
frank_seravalli No it won't. We will never remember this cup except for the fact it doesn't count.
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