Changing of the Guard

The last nine Stanley Cups have been won by four teams: the Red Wings (3), Devils (3), Avalanche (2), and Stars (1). Over the past 10 years, those four teams have started the NHL season on the short list of Stanley Cup contenders. And now all four are out of the playoffs before the Conference Finals. With the collective bargaining agreement expiring, a lockout/walkout looming and time moving on; this was probably their last harrah. We have likely seen the last NHL games of Stevens, Forsberg, Yzerman, and Shanahan. I’m sure that all of them would have liked to ended hoisting the Cup over their heads. Now all of them will be watching someone else on TV.