Time for NHL to produce a classic playoff

It’s hockey’s turn after rich drama in other sports

VANCOUVER • In this era, when hyperbole is thrown around like confetti at a wedding and the standard for greatness is applied so casually it’s lost most of its relevance, fans have still been treated to three of the most memorable championship games/series in the history of sports over the last 12 months.

It started, of course, with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ seven-game win over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, a series in which true immortal LeBron James put the Cavs on his back when they were down 3-1 and carried them to the title over the winningest team in NBA regular-season history.

That was followed some four months later by the Chicago Cubs, coming back from their own 3-1 deficit against another cursed team, the Cleveland Indians, and winning Game 7 of the World Series in extra innings. With that victory, the Cubs erased a 108-year championship drought.

And the Super Bowl that followed in February of this year might have eclipsed them both. In that epic affair, the New England Patriots were down 28-3 to the Atlanta Falcons late in the third quarter when they reeled off 31 straight points behind Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady and won their fifth title of the Bill Belichick-Brady era.

So, taken in total, you have the three championship events that feature a cast of some of the greatest players in their sports’ history, complemented by near-biblical storylines, and games that defy all reason while delivering an unprecedented level of excitement.

The Stanley Cup tournament begins Wednesday night with a real sense of anticipation in 16 markets — most notably Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, which all hope to become the first Canadian city to win the chalice in 24 years.

As it happens, that’s just one of the juicy talking points that occupy the interest of the chattering classes as these playoffs begin. You also have the debut of generational talent Connor McDavid on the game’s traditional proving ground; the appearance of a sexy, young Leafs team in the NHL’s biggest market; the latest attempt by the Washington Capitals to break their own curse; and a fascinating showdown in the East between the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who are led by Sidney Crosby and coached by Mike Sullivan, and the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets, who are led by Sullivan’s mentor, John Tortorella, the world’s most interesting coach.

So the stage is set for the NHL to deliver something momentous to its fans. The problem is, we’ve been in similar situations before in the post-season and, while the opening round usually delivers the most intense theatre, the excitement tends to dissipate as the playoffs endure their joyless, two-month forced march.

What’s left in the final is usually two exhausted teams hurling themselves at each other before one taps out. Yes, the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win among the big-four leagues in North America and, yes, the courage and endurance of the players is extraordinary. But we’ve learned that doesn’t make for the best hockey in the NHL’s marquee event.

Of the 36 finals since the WHA merger in 1979, just eight have gone seven games, while 17 have ended in four or five games. As for classics, the Rangers’ win over the Canucks in 1994, which ended a 54-year drought on Broadway, likely comes the closest. Beyond that, you’ve got MarcAndre Fleury’s Cup-winning save off Nick Lidstrom in Game 7 in 2009 and an underrated Edmonton and Carolina final in 2006, which few people watched outside the Raleigh triangle and the Alberta capital.

But there hasn’t been a transcendent, seven-game series that captured the imagination of all hockey fans and reeled in the casual observer in the way of a James starring turn in the NBA Finals or Brady in the Super Bowl.

So, back to our original premise, what would qualify as an epic Stanley Cup final in 2017?

It has to start with the players and a McDavidCrosby showdown would be at the top of most fans’ wish list. Chicago, with the irrepressible Patrick Kane and peerless leader Jonathan Toews, would make a compelling final with either the Pens or the Capitals and Alex Ovechkin. You also know NBC would love a ChicagoNew York final. And maybe one of the newer, younger teams can make a Cinderella run and introduce a new set of stars for the game.

Any of those scenarios would create a spark of interest. But whatever happens, you just hope hockey fans are waiting eagerly to see what happens next when the final rolls around. That would be preferable to just waiting for it to be over.

THE STAGE IS SET TO DELIVER SOMETHING MOMENTOUS.

GENE J. PUSKAR / THE CANADIAN PRESS A matchup between Sidney Crosby’s Penguins and Connor McDavid’s Oilers might give the NHL the kind of marquee Stanley Cup final the league hasn’t seen in years.