Tuukka Rask has been saying a lot about how this tournament feels diferent. And he has now opted out and left. This blog is not a slam on him....He has personal reasons for leaving that I am not going to judge...Sidney Crosby said this tournament doesn't mean the 19-20 Season was a failure because this tournament doesn't feel like it is connected in any way to 2019-20....
The reality is the teams are playing hard in the bubble and giving us all some greatly needed escape from all the struggles of the world by giving us hockey round the clock. And they are doing so while being forced to stay in a confined area away from their families....It isn't easy, but they do get paid a lot of money and they truly do know how important this is to the sport and society.
But winning a Stanley Cup ALWAYS takes a ton of effort. It takes a huge amount of commitment and a desperate desire that separates the smallest differences that change a series from 3-1 to 2-2.....
And I am not sure that teams with players who have won a Cup recently are able to find that extra level while being kept in a bubble...
Looking at the recent Cup Champs..
Pittsburgh fell to Montreal 3-1 St Louis is down 2-0 Washington is down 2-0 Boston is tied 1-1 Chicago won their opening round and are now down 2-0 to Vegas...
We are also seeing less series go deep (only one in the first round went the distance)
I am not saying these former champion teams aren't trying, I am just saying with the parity in the NHL they are lacking a little of something that is causing them to come up short right now. That the pressure to NOT lose maybe a little less when the reward is getting to go home to your family...That may not be how they are consciously looking at it, but there has to be some human nature at work here..
What are your thoughts?