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It marked the begin ning of the end for the Thrashers, the beginning of it all for Vancouver, and it took place in Boston.
So how’s that for wrapping a bow around the Stanley Cup final between the Canucks and Bruins that commences tonight, and Atlanta’s loss of an NHL franchise yesterday for a second and presumably final time?
Brian Burke, then the GM of the Canucks, made three trades leading up to the Entry Draft conducted at the Bruins’ home rink on June 26, 1999. There was one with Chicago, one with Tampa Bay and one with Atlanta, under which the expansion Thrashers would select Patrik Stefan with the first overall choice while Vancouver would select the Sedin twins second and third overall.
This not only represented the most deft maneuvering in Entry Draft history, it established a bedrock of excellence for the Canucks, who have ridden the talents of last year’s Hart Trophy winner, Henrik Sedin, and this year’s favorite for the MVP award, his brother Daniel, to within four games of the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since opening for business in 1970.
At the same time of course, the deal and the selection by then-GM Don Waddell of a player who became a complete washout helped establish a pattern of regrettable blunders for the Thrashers, who never won a single playoff game in 11 seasons in the NHL, and who effectively ceased operations yesterday with the franchise’s announced relocation to Winnipeg in a press conference featuring a historically ungracious Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner.
This is a great time for Canada, not only with a seventh club joining the league, but with the powerhouse President’s Trophy-winning Canucks on the verge of becoming the country’s first Cup winner since the 1993 Canadiens. Of course, if Vancouver, which took over first place overall for good on Feb. 1, does beat the U.S. entry, it likely will do so led by the Swedish twins and by the indominitable and dominant Ryan Kesler, an American.
It’s about talent and big-time players making big-time plays in the crucible. It’s about depth, size and strength, and remember when the new age rules were going to make size obsolete as a factor? Sure.
And it’s about goaltending — elite goaltending in Vancouver provided by Roberto Luongo following his opening-round benching against the Blackhawks, and elite goaltending in Boston from Tim Thomas a year after losing his job to Tuukka Rask.
When Canada won Olympic gold last year, Luongo seemed merely along for the ride after supplanting Martin Brodeur; the beneficiary of playing behind a powerhouse squad. If Canada didn’t win in spite of Luongo, well, it sure didn’t win because of the goaltender. He was to Canada as Chris Osgood was to the 1998 Cup champion Red Wings.
But Vancouver may have won the Western finals over San Jose because of Luongo, just as the Bruins were able to take out the Lightning in seven in the East because of the acrobatic Thomas, the gift from former GM Mike O’Connell who just keeps on giving.
If neither of the Sedins nor Kesler is the best player on the ice, Zdeno Chara will be. The Boston captain, the most productive free-agent signing in NHL history, will likely get 30 minutes a night with partner Dennis Seidenberg, but if he’s on against the Sedins, he won’t be on against Kesler.
Both clubs are deep up front and on defense. Both pay attention to detail. The Vancouver power play can be a thing of beauty. The Boston power play can be a civic blight.
These are hockey’s two best teams. When the series is over, Canada will not only have a seventh team, it will have its first Cup champion in almost two decades.
Vancouver in six.