NHL All - Time Playoff Begins

 

I finally completed my 16 all-time teams set for NHL 23 and set up my playoff bracket. I ranked the teams by the number of Cups won since the 1966 -1967 season for my matchups. Montreal is ranked number one due to the fact they hoisted the Cup 10 times since then. I pitted them against the Maple Leafs as that was the last time they won a cup before the expansion of the Original Six beating Montreal in six games. Pittsburgh was seeded number 2 with five Cups and they drew the Rangers who have also only secured one championship. When teams were tied for the number of championships, I went with the winning percentage for each team in the Stanley Cup Final to break any ties for my rankings. Therefore, Edmonton (.618) dropped to the third seed with a slightly lower win percentage than Pittsburgh (.629). I skipped out on a couple of teams that won Cups during this timeframe as I was able to include many of the key players from those teams in the other teams I created. A couple of those teams may appear later as I plan to add a few more to this set down the road.

So what better way to kick off the "Quest for the Cup" than with two of the most storied rivals in the history of the league? Toronto glided into the Bell Centre against the heavily favored Canadiens and shocked the hometown powerhouse behind the phenomenal goaltending of Johnny Bower. Bower was in top form as you'll see in the highlight reel below committing larceny on a number of the Habs' top guns.

Fellow Prince Edward Islander Rick Vaive was a force in the victory setting up linemate Frank Mahovlich with the tying goal in the third and potting an empty netter to seal the deal in Game 1. His line which included center Darryl Sittler was buzzing in the third-period comeback, laying siege to Montreal netminder Ken Dryden. Despite coming out on the short end of the stick, Dryden's puck-stopping prowess earned him the first star honors.

Borje Salming was instrumental as well, feeding Vaive on the game-tying rush and springing Dave Keon loose down the right side on an ill-advised Canadiens' line change for the game-winning goal.

The Bruins will be visiting Tampa Bay in what should be a gritty series, and each one of those games will naturally be featured here along with a sprinkling of other games as the playoffs move forward. This should be a lot of fun as the greatest players of the past and present wrestle for the best trophy in professional sports.