ESPN put up on their site 5 reasons why Carolina will win, and 5 reasons why Detroit will win. It should be noted that each was written by a different reporter. I start with the away team:<
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><b><i>Quote:</i></b> Five reasons the Carolina Hurricanes will win the Stanley Cup:<
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>5. Because Andy and Opie are on board<
>OK, we've heard all the Mayberry jokes already. Floyd the Barber and Barney Fife will probably be wearing Hurricanes sweaters on game days. The folks from Mount Pilot are busing in, too. That said, the Raleigh-Durham area is turning into a hockey hotbed (well, sort of). The simple fact of the matter is the Entertainment and Sports Arena is one of the loudest buildings in the NHL and the fans really are excited about getting the chance to watch a championship team. Sure, a few of the neophytes think their team's recent success gives them free license to become annoying e-mail experts, but the vast majority of the fans are just fun-loving people who are getting their first chance to experience the game at its highest level. Remember, you can't blame the fans for the awkward move that seemed to alienate two towns.<
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>4. Because the Hurricanes' defense is really smart<
>Yeah, we know, the Hurricanes don't have a defenseman who would play above the No. 4 spot in Colorado or Detroit. Still, you have to love what the group has accomplished together. Glen Wesley is a great guy, but he was minus-8 this season. They couldn't get Sean Hill out of St. Louis fast enough. Aaron Ward was a Red Wings' castaway. Niclas Wallin is talented, but is still inexperienced. The two most talented players in the group might be Bret Hedican (198th overall pick in 1988) and Marek Malik. Yet, together, this group has been strong positionally, physical when they have to be and extremely patient with the puck. What's more, no defenseman has averaged less than 15 minutes of ice time a game. That's balance.<
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>3. Because Rod Brind'Amour is a lot better than anyone will admit<
>If you want to get right down to it, you can say that Brind'Amour is just about the only good thing that Carolina ended up getting from the original Chris Pronger trade -- and for a while, the end result of Pronger for Brendan Shanahan for Keith Primeau for Brind'Amour looked like one of the worst trades in NHL history. But Brind'Amour has been the glue on the ice in the playoffs this season, holding this team together. He plays 24:21 a game (almost as much as any defenseman), is the best face-off man in the NHL, and has chipped in 11 points. While Ron Francis has been spectacular, he wouldn't be nearly as effective without the BBC line drawing the best checkers in just about every game.<
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>2. Because Arturs Irbe has spunk<
>And, unlike Lou Grant, we love spunk. The little guy from Latvia has endured. He stood up to the Soviet hockey machine in his youth, stood up to the Detroit Red Wings as a member of the San Jose Sharks in 1994 and stood up for his dream as a No. 1 goalie while ferrying through Dallas and Vancouver. Even in Carolina he has had to fight for everything -- and this season he outbattled Tom Barrasso and Kevin Weekes for the right to stand in the Hurricances' net. Irbe works hard, is a great team guy and respects the game. Go ahead and cheer for Dominik Hasek's first Cup if you like, but the guy at the other end of the ice deserves a shot at a championship, too.<
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>1. Because smart, safe hockey will take you far<
>Carolina has skill and speed and a good amount of forward talent, but you probably won't see much of that during the Cup finals. That's because the Hurricanes have made it this far using an ancient hockey secret called the law of averages. It's not a trap, per se, and it's not what you would call "defensive" hockey, it's called puck possession and smart placement. Carolina leads the league in faceoff winning percentage in the playoffs and also is plus-50 in the turnover department. That means the Hurricanes control the puck. By doing that, they also get to place the puck. Carolina puts the puck in the "safe areas" in the offensive zone, meaning they might get one scoring chance in five possessions, but you're probably not going to get any. If the Hurricanes get a lead, they're murder to come back against. Their goals-against average of 1.61 is the lowest of any team in NHL history after three playoff rounds. And hockey is the sort of game where if you keep the score low, anything can happen.<
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>Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a regular contributor to ESPN.com<
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>And now for the team with home-ice advantage:<
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><b><i>Quote:</i></b> Five reasons why the Detroit Red Wings will win the Stanley Cup:<
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>5. Because ESPN The Magazine has already called this the greatest team in the history of ever<
>OK, so maybe that's a little self-serving, but the folks in New York can't end up with egg on their face over this one. The Red Wings owe it to posterity to make short work of the Hurricanes, so they darn well better go out and prove that they are the best team ever assembled in the NHL or any other league (including the WHA). We're expecting 7-0 games every night, gosh darn it. C'mon, hop to it, guys, this is no time to be timid. And, by the way, punch up those Hall-of-Fame scoring numbers while you're at it and cut down on those power-play goals against. Sheesh, you think the '77 Canadiens would have accepted this kind of mediocrity?<
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>4. Because there still is plenty of hunger on this team<
>Yeah, yeah, we know all about the Hall of Famers and all of the rings, but that's overlooking a few key stories. Dominik Hasek has never won a Stanley Cup. Neither has Luc Robitaille or Steve Duchesne. Chris Chelios last hoisted the old canister in 1986 with the Canadiens. In Detroit, fans will accept nothing less. That means the previous four years have seemed like four decades as the Red Wings have gone out twice in the second round and twice in the first. It was easy to see that hunger in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, and it's easy to understand why Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom and crew are fighting so hard for their third ring. If this 11-year run ends with just two Cups, you could almost call it a huge disappointment.<
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>3. Because that guy in net really is "money"<
>Not to dis' Chris Osgood, but this team really does play with a lot more confidence in front of Hasek. Even coach Scotty Bowman has said that Hasek has made a huge difference to a team that has lost a lot of big games over the past four seasons. Look, the guy is as goofy as they come, his style of play is erratic and his tendency to "explain" his teammates' deficiencies is downright irritating, but he is one heck of a backstop. And when a team believes in its goalie -- no matter how quirky/grating he can be -- that team has something very special. Bottom line, Hasek did not give up a goal in Games 6 and 7 of the conference finals. If the Hurricanes want to play a waiting game of "who scores first," Detroit will gladly jump right in.<
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>2. It's not their top six forwards, it's their bottom six<
>Say all you want about Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan and Yzerman, this team thrives because of players like Darren McCarty, Tomas Holmstrom, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby. Carolina can mix and match and play its four lines throughout the finals, but it will have a tough time coming up with a combination that can slow down everything Detroit can throw its way.<
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>1. Because you have to score to win<
>Take out the 13 goals the Hurricanes scored in two games to close out the beleaguered Canadiens and Carolina is averaging 1.68 goals per game in their 16 other contests. That's simply not enough to win a Stanley Cup. Detroit's power play is dangerous, its penalty kill can score (six shorthanded goals), its 5-on-5 play is at least decent. Sure, the Hurricanes can hold down Montreal and Toronto for a period or two while protecting a 1-0 lead, but can they hold down Detroit under the same circumstances? The Red Wings are third in the playoffs in faceoff winning percentage and also love to control the puck. While you can coax a mistake out of Detroit every now and then, you also pay a price if you let them have the puck. Carolina's team defense is great. Detroit's team offense is better.<
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>Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.<
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>Two things left to say.<
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>1) I posted this because I'm as bored as DRays waiting for the games.<
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>2) I laugh at Wario because a Dallas guy wrote the 5 reasons Detroit would win. However pathetically pointless that may be. <i></i>
ESPN's "5 Reasons Why..."
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Nakor BlueRider
Re: ESPN's "5 Reasons Why..."
Umm... In answer to your first question, it was because I was tired as hell and wasn't thinking straight. Oh well. <i></i>