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When it came down to the final four, fans of the Boston Bruins were without question at a crossroads.
We all love hockey, so we’re obviously going to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs (even if you’re crying into your Andrej Meszaros gamenight poster during it), but just who could you root for? The New York Rangers are from, well, New York. The Los Angeles Kings already won in 2012. The Chicago Blackhawks prevented you from capturing your second Cup in three years last spring. And I don’t think the world was ready to see the Montreal Canadiens win a Stanley Cup. I mean, Dale Weise would probably accuse the Cup of being disrespectful because it wouldn’t lift itself.
So, now that we’re down to two, who do you want to win the Cup: the Kings or the Rangers?
Obviously, the go-to answer here seems to be the Kings. They’re not really a threat to the Bruins as a rival or anything like that, they meet twice a year, and their roster is made up of guys you’d love to have on your team. Seriously, watching Anze Kopitar every night is an absolute treat. But, there are a few things that a Kings Cup win would mess with in regards to the B’s legacy.
In 2011, the Black-and-Gold became the first team to win three Game 7s en route to a title. Not just in the National Hockey League, but in all of professional sports. That’s an absolutely insane stat when you really think about it. This year’s Kings have already won three Game 7s. It’s selfish, I know, but there’s something that’s cool about the Bruins being the only team to ever accomplish that feat.
And what would another LA title mean for the Bruins? Well, while I think most of us already consider the Blackhawks the superpower of this recent era of NHL hockey, what does it look like if the Kings win their second title in three years? It means that you go Blackhawks (‘10), Bruins (‘11), Kings (‘12), Blackhawks (‘13), Kings (‘14). Instead of becoming an Avalanche, Devils, or Red Wings, the Bruins are the Stars -- a team that made it to the top of the mountain once, but didn’t hang around. Again, it’s a selfish point of view if you’re a Bruins fan, but with a team that’s been so strong over the past five years, the last thing you wanna be known as is the team that’s sandwiched between two dynasties.
That’s not to suggest that the Kings are insufferable or even mildly difficult to root for, though. I think quite the opposite, really. Given the way they’ve battled this postseason, beginning with their first round comeback against the San Jose Sharks, they’re a team that’s impossible to not respect.
On top of that, the Kings have left their mark in New England, too. Goaltender Jonathan Quick is a Connecticut native, and played his college hockey at UMass-Amherst. And going even deeper into the Kings’ system, their American Hockey League affiliate skates out of Manchester, New Hampshire, a little more than an hour away from Boston. Guys like Tyler Toffoli, Dwight King, Slava Voynov, and Jake Muzzin all spent some time around here.
But then again, so have quite a few members of the Rangers.
Forwards Chris Kreider and Brian Boyle are both products of Massachusetts and both played their college hockey at Boston College. Dominic Moore played his college hockey at Harvard University, and even Marty St. Louis has some New England ties dating back to his tenure at the University of Vermont (where he was a teammate of Tim Thomas).
Odds are though, that you straight-up don’t care about that if you’re not from around here.
So, again, who gets your vote for the Cup as a fan?
Personally, I’m rooting for the Blueshirts.
I know that this is a crazy thought to some, especially with the old school demographic of Bruins fans, but I don’t think there’s a real rivalry between the Bruins and Rangers that’s existed in other sports when you’re talking about Boston vs. New York (Sox/Yankees and Pats/Jets or Pats/Giants come to mind). But I look at what the Rangers bring to the table in 2014, really. I like how the team responded when their captain was shipped out. I think Henrik Lundqvist is an incredible goaltender. I think the tragedy that befell St. Louis and his performance that followed was simply inspiring, and the story of Dominic Moore’s return to hockey more than a year after his wife’s tragic passing is amazing.
Plus, the Kings already have one in the past two years, anyways.
With all of that said, I'm pretty excited for this Final. There's just something about an East vs. West battle that seems really awesome, and I don't think these teams will disappoint. This is Atlantic vs. Pacific. Biggie vs. Tupac. A$AP vs. Kendrick. Fire it up.
Go Rangers? Go Rangers.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com