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One of the most anticipated games in ice hockey will be played in Detroit this weekend when the Kings of the old NHL, the Red Wings, defend their Stanley Cup title versus the Princes of the new NHL.
The entire Stanley Cup Finals series consists of four rounds of ‘best of seven’, where an original 16 teams are reduced to two. The ultimate play-off series has culminated in the ultimate game: Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Australian Ice Hockey League has seven teams rather than thirty, so it’s appropriate that the top four play for Australia’s own ancient talisman, the Goodall Cup.
The top-finishing four teams meet in a 1 versus 4 and 2 versus 3 semi-final Saturday, numbers indicating regular season final standings, and the winner of the two games advances to the Cup Final on Sunday.
This year the finals will be on the weekend of the 29th and 30th of August with the location to be announced within the next few weeks.
A quick glance at the current standings seems to have the finals home team, the Newcastle North Stars as the only safe-ish bet at this stage of the season, with 25 points from 10 games (83%).
Not too far behind are the Gold Coast Blue Tongues with 17 points from 10 games (57%), a dangerous looking Adelaide Adrenaline with 15 points after only 7 games (71%).
Sydney Ice Dogs 15 points are from 9 games putting them right behind Gold Coast (56%) and only just clear of Melbourne Ice (52%) who have 14 points from their 9 games. Canberra Knights and Penrith’s Bears (Knights 8 points from 9 games, Bears 2 points from 10 games) need big improvements to turn their seasons around and up to an expected 60% or higher win record to make the final placings.
It can all start this weekend when the Bears visit Melbourne and Adelaide on what is known as the toughest of road trips.
The Bears haven’t had much success so far this season, but with two new import players from the former AIHL team on NSW’s Central Coast (Rhinos), the Bears will be a danger to any team who doesn’t take them deadly seriously.
The Knights have always been a bogey team for the Ice Dogs, and will be hoping to beat the higher-placed Dogs again in Canberra on Saturday.
The Ice Dogs will return home on Sunday night to take on first-placed Newcastle North Stars, another old rivalry full of rough and tumble.
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals is on Fox Sports at 10am on Saturday 13th June.
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