blank'/> THE PUCK REPORT: June 2013

Monday, June 24, 2013

2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines

The time-honored tradition of NHL playoff combatants shaking hands upon the conclusion of a series is among the greatest displays of sportsmanship in professional team sports today. Seconds after the horn sounds on the end of a series, players and coaches from both teams convene at center ice to celebrate each other's efforts.

The videos below capture the final minute of play in each series-ending game to date in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs along with the ensuing traditional team handshake line, sorted by round and series end date.

FIRST ROUND

The Sharks eliminated the Canucks in Game 4 on May 7, 2013.


The Senators eliminated the Canadiens in Game 5 on May 9, 2013.


The Blackhawks eliminated the Wild in Game 5 on May 9, 2013.


The Kings eliminated the Blues in Game 6 on May 10, 2013.


The Penguins eliminated the Islanders in Game 6 on May 11, 2013.


The Red Wings eliminated the Ducks in Game 7 on May 12, 2013.


The Rangers eliminated the Capitals in Game 7 on May 13, 2013.


The Bruins eliminated the Leafs in Game 7 on May 13, 2013.


SECOND ROUND

The Penguins eliminated the Senators in Game 5 on May 24, 2013.

The Bruins eliminated the Rangers in Game 5 on May 25, 2013.

The Kings eliminated the Sharks in Game 7 on May 28, 2013.

The Blackhawks eliminated the Red Wings in Game 7 on May 29, 2013.

THIRD ROUND

The Bruins eliminated the Penguins in Game 4 on June 7, 2013.

The Blackhawks eliminated the Kings in Game 5 on June 8, 2013.

STANLEY CUP FINAL

The Blackhawks eliminated the Bruins in Game 6 on June 24, 2013.
In an age of results reigning over respect, it's encouraging to see such sportsmanship in professional sport, albeit after the score is settled. Cultures grow on the vine of tradition and ours could use more of this.

* See also 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

2013 Stanley Cup Rings On The Roster

While exceptional goaltending, team play, good health and some puck luck typically wins Stanley Cups, a few rings on the roster provides the immeasurable attribute of experience, instilling a culture of confidence and calm as teams venture deep into the playoff abyss.

The remaining four teams in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs have postseason experience in spades as each was a Stanley Cup champion in the past four years (Los Angeles 2012, Boston 2011, Chicago 2010, Pittsburgh 2009). Only once before in NHL history (1945) has this occurred (Boston 1941, Toronto 1942, Detroit 1943, Montreal 1944).


The chart below shows the number of Stanley Cup rings on each team's 2013 postseason roster and the names of each winner.

Team: Stanley Cup Rings
Los Angeles Kings: 24
Bernier, Brown, Carter, Clifford, Doughty, Fraser (2), Greene, King, Kopitar, Lewis, Martinez, Nolan, Penner (2), Quick, Richards, Richardson, Scuderi (2), Stoll, Voynov, Williams (2)


Boston Bruins: 22
Bergeron, Boychuk, Campbell, Chara, Ference, Horton, Jagr (2), Kelly, Krejci, Lucic, Marchand, McQuaid, Paille, Pandolfo (2), Peverly, Rask, Seguin, Seidenberg, Thornton (2)


Pittsburgh Penguins: 13
Adams (2), Cooke, Crosby, Dupuis, Eaton, Fleury, Kennedy, Kunitz (2), Letang, Malkin, Orpik


Chicago Blackhawks: 9
Bickell, Bolland, Hjalmarsson, Hossa, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, Sharp, Toews


While Cup rings are the preferred currency, postseason experience can also be measured in playoff games played.  The chart below shows career playoff games per roster, listing all players with more than 50 games.

Team: Playoff Games
Boston Bruins: 1503
Jagr (192), Pandolfo (131), Chara (119), Ference (110), Redden (106), Kelly (80), Thornton (79), Lucic (74), Bergeron (73), Krejci (71), Seidenberg (59), Paille (58), Boychuk (57)

Pittsburgh Penguins: 1368
Kunitz (95), Cooke (93), Dupuis (93), Adams (89), Morrow (88), Orpik (83), Fleury (79), Malkin (79), Crosby (78), Letang (76), Kennedy (74), Murray (68), Eaton (67), Iginla (65), Martin (63)

Chicago Blackhawks: 1122
Hossa (142), Handzus (86), Sharp (76), Hjalmarsson (64), Keith (64), Rozsival (64), Toews (64), Kane (63), Mayers (63), Seabrook (62), Bolland (56)

Los Angeles Kings: 1056
Richards (96), Scuderi (94), Williams (84), Carter (80), Penner (73), Stoll (62), Greene (54), Regehr (54)


The Kings wear the most rings (24) despite playing the fewest playoff games (1056).  The Bruins trail the Kings by two rings (22) yet possess 50% more career playoff games (1503) on their roster. The Penguins (13 rings, 1368 games) and Blackhawks (9 rings, 1122 games) are relatively light on jewelry but boast more games than the defending champions.  In terms of 50+ postseason game players, the Penguins lead the group (15), followed by the Bruins (13), Blackhawks (11) and Kings (8).

Of the goalies, three have Stanley Cup rings (Fleury, Quick, Rask) and two have no playoff experience 
(Bernier, Khudobin).  With respect to career playoff games, the Penguins lead (97), followed by the Blackhawks (62), Kings (45) and Bruins (25).  The chart below shows goaltender playoff experience by goalie, team and postseason games played.

Goalie (Team): Playoff Games
Fleury (PIT): 79
Quick (LAK): 45
Emery (CHI): 36
Crawford (CHI): 26
Rask (BOS): 25
Vokoun (PIT): 18
Bernier (LAK): 0
Khudobin (BOS): 0


Each remaining head coach wears one career Stanley Cup ring, collected with their current club (BylsmaJulienQuennevilleSutter).

With no shortage of playoff experience amongst the final four teams in this year's postseason, the healthy and lucky will likely prevail.