Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.40

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That breeze you may have been feeling in the days after the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators to become the 2007 Stanley Cup champions was the result of Leaf Nation collectively exhaling in relief. Really, it’s understandable. That breath was being held for close to two months and hey, for much of that time; it seemed the worst would come true. In the end though, not since the Detroit Red Wings swept the Washington Capitals in the 1998 Final has the Stanley Cup been won more efficiently than it was this year by the Ducks in five games.

For the Senators and their fans, the finals were a colossal letdown. While the Sens dominated their opponents through the first three rounds of the playoffs, they looked nothing but helpless against the Ducks. Yes, their performance in the Finals was disappointing but making it that deep into the playoffs is a fine accomplishment and frankly one the Leafs cannot boast about yet. The Sens can no longer be stereotyped as early playoff chokers despite being easily dispatched in the Finals.

The core of the team will be back next year with a year of Finals experience under their belts. In the last twelve years, Detroit, New Jersey, Carolina and Anaheim have all won Cups in years recently following Finals defeats. Clearly lessons learned in the Finals are invaluable pieces of knowledge that can lead to success in the near future.

In the mean time though Leaf fans can rest easily knowing their enemies don’t hold the ultimate trump card. The Anaheim Ducks were the better team by far. They deserved it more and Leaf fans certainly won’t be complaining. That being said, with both the Ducks and Sens likely to have similar rosters come next year, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see a rematch come next years finals. Incidentally, did anyone expect former Leaf Ric Jackman to win a Stanley Cup before Mats Sundin? But hey, all that was just rigamarole.