Please, give us Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final

Jun 26, 2022, 14:23 EDT

Please, give us Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final

Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final takes place tonight in Tampa Bay, and I’m rooting for the Lightning. Why? Because I want to see the Stanley Cup awarded on home ice. And the only chance we have left to see that happen is if the Colorado Avalanche win Game 7 in Denver.

I’m sure my last statement will ruffle the feathers of some Lightning fans, and that’s fine. I think Tampa Bay is an extraordinary franchise, and what they’ve accomplished in the past three seasons is nothing short of a modern dynasty. Two Stanley Cup championships and a third appearance in the Final is an amazing accomplishment.

I’m not counting the Lightning out by any stretch. Tampa Bay could easily win two straight games and pull off the seemingly impossible. If any team is capable of earning a third Stanley Cup in a row – after trailing 3-1 in a series – it’s the Lightning. And I’d be so happy for my friends and former teammates within the organization.

Tampa Bay might be beat up physically, but they still possess the mental swagger necessary to win. The Lightning have been there, done that. And goaltender Andrei Vaseilevskiy is capable of putting Tampa Bay on his shoulders and stealing games in succession.

But I think Colorado has not only been the best team in the Stanley Cup Final, they’ve been the best in the NHL all year. While the Florida Panthers may have won the Presidents’ Trophy as the regular season champions, I thought Colorado were much better overall. The Avalanche can defend as well as they can score. And a new maturity has galvanized within the Colorado locker room.

I think the Avalanche are ready for the moment. And even though I’m sure they would like to knock off the Lightning tonight and win the series in six games, wouldn’t it be just that much better if Colorado went back to the Mile High City and won Game 7 on home ice? I think so.

Twice in my career – in consecutive seasons – I was on teams that lost in the AHL Calder Cup Final. Both times we were the visiting team. And while losing was incredibly painful, I couldn’t help but notice how special the atmosphere was inside the buildings. In 2017 it was Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And in 2018 it was then-Ricoh Coliseum (now Coca-Cola Coliseum) in Toronto, Ontario.

Even at the AHL level, players care. Winning a championship is something you share with teammates for the rest of your lives. The grind is real. The injuries hurt just as bad. And there’s a lot on the line. Countless players have ridden a wave of momentum from the Calder Cup playoffs to lengthy NHL careers.

When you lose, it stings. Some players go running off the ice to the locker room, anxious to get away. Or they sit in their gear for an hour, too dejected to get undressed and leave the building. For me, I made a point of staying out long enough to see the Calder Cup presented to the winning team. I knew it was going to suck. I wanted to carry that trophy. But I also thought it was important to pay respect to our opponent while embracing how special it was to be playing in that environment in the first place.

Seeing a championship frenzy first hand can be extremely motivating. After losing to the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2017, I was so anxious for the next season. Even at 34 years old playing mostly in the minors, I so badly wanted another chance to win a championship. And we almost pulled it off in 2018, when our Texas Stars team lost to the Toronto Marlies in Game 7 of the AHL Calder Cup Final.

Even in defeat, a part of me was really happy for the players and fans of the team that beat us. I can’t tell you how loud it was in Grand Rapids and Toronto for those games. Both were sellouts. I still get chills thinking about those moments from my playing career. And even though I’m happily retired, I miss them.

As a kid, I always envisioned winning the Stanley Cup on home ice and celebrating with the fans afterwards. Carrying the Stanley Cup around while the crowd goes bananas. Passing it off to a teammate and hearing the cheers. The stuff most of us can only dream of. And something the Avalanche have a chance of doing should the series go to Game 7.

After winning the 2020 Stanley Cup in front of a near-empty building, the Lightning had a chance to celebrate the right way in 2021 when they won at home in Amalie Arena. Talk to any of the players and they’ll tell you how special it was to have their fans in the building, especially after the anticlimactic COVID-bubble experience of 2020.

I normally don’t root for teams. But in Game 6, I want a Lightning win. Because I want to see the Colorado Avalanche have the chance to skate with Lord Stanley’s Cup on home ice after Game 7.

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