Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
Be honest - if a team you don't like wins this tournament, this forum does not have a font big enough for the Asterisk you will attach to it. That's just the human nature of sports fandom.
I hope the tournament is as fair as can be, so the winner is not always tainted.
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Agree with the last sentence of course.
I don’t necessarily see it the same for that first part. Other lockout shortened seasons do not get asterisks.
I accept the reality that the world is different. The proposed format rewards the top teams, protects the teams that were out if it by excluding them, and gives a fighting chance to the teams that still had a shot. Then it’s a normal 4 round, 16 win path to the Cup, with a level playing field
There is definitely room for them to botch calls and end up with the usual type of asterisks (Dallas, Tampa Bay in the finals, or the 5 minute major for the Pavelski face plant - although it didn’t end up in a Cup win, Vegas had as good a shot as anyone)