The Highs and The Lows

The 2005-2006 NHL season is officially over. It's pretty hard not to feel just a tad dejected at the loss by the Edmonton Oilers. Those boy's played their hearts out and to watch them after the game just broke my heart. While I don't begrudge the Hurricanes the win as a team, it is the city that I can't be happy for. When women's softball beats out the Stanley Cup playoffs in the ratings down in their market, you know that it's just a niche sport for them and not a way of life like up here.

My only consolation was watching 22-year-old Cam Ward win the Conn Smythe Trophy (pictured above). Awarded annually to the most valuable player of the playoffs, Ward certainly earned this one. I was continually amazed at his skill between the posts, especially when you consider that this is his first full fledged season in the NHL and he was essentially their backup goalie.

What I love the most about the Conn Smythe Trophy is the fact that with only two exceptions, the winners have all been Canadian. The two non-Canadian winners were Brian Leetch of the United States in 1994 and Sweden's Nicklas Lidström in 2002. So while the Cup hasn't been back in Canada in the last 13 years, I'm still incredibly proud of our record for consistently producing some of the best talent to set foot on the ice.

Only 2 months until the 2006-2007 season begins.