[/quote]Rumsfeld wrote:And keep in mind that powerhouse 2011 team really wasn't that great in the playoffs. Our skill and depth almost got us all the way but we were oh-so-nearly humiliated by the Hawks, squeaked by Nashville on the back of Ryan Kesler, had one fantastic series against the Sharks, and then, yeah, the Bruins. It was really nothing like the impressive Final runs we've seen in recent years from the Kings, Hawks, Ducks and Wings.
Not sure if I agree with this........and even if there is truth to this, who cares?
And no - we didn't just "squeak" by Nashville. Nashville is a good team, but we took it to them. Kesler had a great series but the whole team played well that series as well.
2013 Hawks didn't exactly dominate the Wings or Bruins en route to their cup victory. Does it make their achievement any less? What about 2008 Pitsburgh? 2011 Boston? Lets not make this just about recent teams. Lets talk about Carolina, Tampa Bay, New Jersey, Colorado, Detroit, and Dallas.
Any team that makes the Stanley Cup Final, deserves respect. Period. To say that a Stanley Cup finalist "really wasn't that good during the playoffs", is mind-numbingly ridiculous........especially in the Canucks' case as they got to a Game 7 of the FINALS, and never trailed in a series until their very last defeat. Ridiculous......