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Originally Posted by wupmasta2000 Watching Dallas and New Jersey that one season was REALLY BAD (in fact, it was so boring that I think I was traumatized) |
My homerism aside, I thought that was an underrated series (better than COL/NJ, NJ/ANA). I think a lot of people conveniently forget that the Devils were really good offensively those years (2nd in FG in 99-00, 1st in 00-01). The 2000 Cup team was pretty damned stacked. But obviously, if you had no emotional attachment to either team, you'll have a hard time watching.
For my own amusement, here's an archive page:
http://www.hockeynut.com/9900/playoffs2000/index.html
Game 1: Devils chase Belfour and beat the Stars 7-3. Arnott's opening goal was a thing of beauty and epitomized the chemistry he had with Elias and Sykora at the time. Sykora's goal that made it 3-1 was another awesome setup that was the opposite of boring. Brodeur made a wicked glove save on Brett Hull--equally could be described as Hull shooting it into Marty's glove.
Game 2: This was the one game that I did not get to see (damn you Physics lab). I got home just in time to see Hull tip the game winner.
Game 3: I remember this as being the "boring" game as both teams seemed to play tentatively. It was noted by the players that this game was in Dallas during the summer and at their old arena, so the ice was extremely bad.
Game 4: Another tenative game for the first half before Nieuwendyk got one past Brodeur. Then the Devils come out and score three goals in less than four minutes to open the third. John Madden's game winning shorthanded goal was even more awesome in that he missed the net on virtually the same situation not less than a minute before.
Game 5/6: Both games are a blur now for me. Although I'm sure I lost all of my fingernails. Triple then double overtime, with the Cup on the line? Not really my definition of boring, although back then you could get away with murder in OT and not have a penalty called.
And this series was right after the Devils came back from being down 3 games to one against Philly in the ECF. But definitely a different style of hockey than you'd see today.
I can handle people saying the current Devils are boring to watch now, but the team from 99-01 was simply beautiful. You had Scott Niedermayer, a young Scott Gomez, and a tail end of his prime Alex Mogilny on the 2nd PP unit!