Stanley Cup Final's chaotic unpredictability sets an impossibly high bar for NHL hockey
By
Ray Ratto
The bagel they save for the regulars. Don't skim, savour.
Summary
A hyperbolic, humorous opinion piece about the NHL's Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. The author argues that the series has been so improbably bizarre and entertaining—with blowouts, comebacks, and absurd storylines—that the NHL has "ruined" fans by setting an impossibly high bar for future hockey. The piece celebrates the chaos and unpredictability of the series while mocking traditional hockey norms and the league's corporate image.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe NHL would totally deserve that result because you cannot keep ratcheting up the improbability game after game and then, once the suckers are hooked, give the people 'normal' hockey.
The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers have combined to create a Stanley Cup Final that is so wonderfully bizarre and delightfully absurd that the first game that ends up normal could absolutely result in its Toronto offices burned to the ground.
This is hockey nirvana. This is what happens when you throw out the playbook and just let chaos reign.
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