Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
Not true.
Los Angeles won multiple cups and has only once finished as high as 2nd in the pacific/7th in the league since 2010.
In their two cup winning seasons they finished 13th and 10th, or 8th and 6th in the West.
Definitely not a powerhouse.
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That's why I said ‘all BUT certain’. L.A. is the only counterexample in recent history. In any other case, a team with their regular-season record might have gone on a Cinderella run as far as the finals, but would not have won the Cup.
L.A. was different, largely because the team was put together to play the closest possible style to old-time goon hockey. That style flourishes in the playoffs when the referees put away their whistles, but not in the regular season. The Kings' management correctly guessed that the team would be good enough to qualify for the post-season even with the refs calling the rules, and strong enough to muscle their way past all opposition when the rules were tossed out.