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Well, I guess the first thing would be that a ‘contender’ probably has to have had a decent amount of success in the NHL regular season and has to end up making the playoffs.  If those things are true for any team, it would be true that they are “in contention” for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

But let’s back up a bit.  It is now November.  It is the second month of the National Hockey League season.  The playoffs start in April.  As of November 10, 2014 at 4:00pm EST, four Eastern Conference teams have a record under .500.  And, as of that same date and time, four Western Conference teams have a record under .500.  According to the standings, the worst team in the West, the Dallas Stars, happens to have two of the best young forwards in the entire league — Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.

So really, when you think about it, at this early stage in the season, anyone can still make a push and do whatever is necessary to push their way into a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Yes – there is a chance that any of the 30 teams in the league can make the playoffs in the 2014-15 season.  I mean, I think it’s probably unlikely that the Buffalo Sabres (3-11-2 as of Nov. 10) make it, but that’s another story in itself.

Here is what constitutes a team as a contender to win the best trophy (that’s not an opinion – it’s a fact) in all of sports:

1) A solid top 6 forwards.

I think this one is pretty obvious.  To win a championship, your team needs to have talent.  If they can’t put 2 lines out on the ice who are physically able to put a puck in the net, then your team isn’t going to score goals.  And they’re not going to win games.  And they’re not going to be awarded the Cup by that guy known as the “Keeper of the Cup” in early June.

Yup, this guy.  The one who literally has the coolest job in the world and even gets to wear white Michael Jackson-like gloves while parading the Cup around the world year round… Where do I apply to take over for Philip Pritchard (apparently he has a name, too!).

2) A capable Penalty Kill unit.

So if you’re going to make the playoffs, your team is going to need to defend against other top teams.  Those teams will usually have some firepower out on their Power Play units, and therefore your team is going to need to know how to successfully kill off a Power Play.  These PK units are usually aggressive, smart, talented and quick to ice the puck as soon as they’re given an opportunity to do so.  In case you’re curious [because I was], the top 3 penalty-killing teams in the NHL are currently Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh (in that order).  And that just supports the fact that good teams typically end up killing penalties pretty well.  Mastering the 4-man box also helps.

3) Speed.

According to Dictionary.com, speed is defined as “rapidity in moving, going, traveling, proceeding, or performing” and also as “relative rapidity in moving, going, etc.; rate of motion or progress.”  Having a team with above-average speed all around is definitely not going to hurt your chances of making it far come April, May and June, that’s for sure.  If you look at each of the Stanley Cup winners following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, you will notice that all of their rosters possessed players with tremendous individual speed out on the ice.

Here’s a list of the champions since ’06 and a few examples of “speedy” players on those teams’ rosters who surely contributed to winning the Cup:

  • 2006 – Carolina Hurricanes
    • i.e. Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Justin Williams, Ray Whitney
  • 2007 – Anaheim Ducks
    • i.e. Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Kunitz, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
  • 2008 – Detroit Red Wings
    • i.e. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Jiri Hudler, Brian Rafalski
  • 2009 – Pittsburgh Penguins
    • i.e. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Kris Letang
  • 2010 – Chicago Blackhawks
    • i.e. Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg

  • 2011- Boston Bruins
    • i.e. David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Nathan Horton, Brad Marchand, Rich Peverly
  • 2012 – Los Angeles Kings
    • i.e. Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jarret Stoll
  • 2013 – Chicago Blackhawks
    • Kane, Keith, Toews, Sharp, Brandon Saad, Michael Frolik
  • 2014 – Los Angeles Kings
    • i.e. Kopitar, Williams, Carter, Doughty, Stoll, Tyler Toffoli, Jake Muzzin

4) An unquestioned “Number 1” goaltender.

Jonathan Quick.  Corey Crawford.  Jonathan Quick.  Tim Thomas.  Antti Niemi….. I’ll stop right there.  Those are the last 4 goaltenders to capture a Stanley Cup title (Quick twice).  During each of their teams’ playoff runs, neither of them had another goalie challenging them for the starting position.  They were all unquestioned starters.  Over the past couple of years, Vancouver struggled because they couldn’t decide if they should put Roberto Luongo or Cory Schneider between the pipes.

Pittsburgh replaced the Mr. Inconsistency, Marc-Andre Fleury, with Tomas Vokoun.

Those “goalie controversies” definitely hindered their chances at winning the cup.  When a team goes back and forth between multiple goaltenders, the starting job is always up for grabs.  Players feel more comfortable when they’re used to have the same guy between the pipes on a consistent basis.  Those players then perform at a higher level.  The goalies also have a better chance at getting in a rhythm when they’re out on the ice facing more shots, so having an unquestioned number 1 guy is huge for a team trying to win.

5) Great coaching.

You can’t just throw a bunch of all-stars out on the ice and expect them to form a Cup-winning team.  You also just can’t throw a bunch of scrubs out on the ice and expect them to form a Cup-winning team, either.  A great coach, combined with the right amount of talent, is capable of going on a run come playoff time.

6) A 4th line that is extremely tough to play against.

Ok, I’ll use my first New Jersey Devils-related example in this entire post as an example of how a 4th line can truly make a difference.  I’m going to list 3 names:

  1. Ryan Carter
  2. Steve Bernier
  3. Stephen Gionta

In 2012, Peter DeBoer, the coach of the Devils, first formed the CBGB (Carter, Bernier, Gionta’s Brother) line when the playoffs arrived.

Gionta wasn’t even playing in the NHL for the majority of the season.  However, once DeBoer threw these guys together, there was no looking back.  Literally.  He currently has no idea what to do without Carter on his active roster (left via Free Agency to join the Minnesota Wild).  Anyway, these guys formed a line with a bit of speed, an ability to forecheck, peskiness, etc.  They provided the energy needed in the form of a spark whenever their line was called upon to do so.  They even picked up a few big points in that magical playoff run.  Without success from the fourth line, though, the Devils would’ve gone nowhere as the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The same thing can go for any of the teams previously listed as recent Stanley Cup Champions earlier in this post.  They all had a solid 4th line that came together at the right time to provide that positive energy and crucial minutes on the ice to give their teams a shot at winning big games.

#BecauseItsTheCup