I remember it like it was yesterday: Paul Kariya, in the prime of his high-flying career, is cruising through the neutral zone... and I wouldn't say his head was "down"... but it wasn't exactly "up" either. In any case, he gets LEVELED by Scott Stevens, New Jersey's captain and who has my vote for one of the dirtiest players to ever play. Whether the actual hit was dirty is still debatable. Some say it was, others say it was clean. It looked slightly dirty to me... but anyways, as you can see, Kariya was DESTROYED by the hit. Knocked out cold on the ice.
All of sudden, Anaheim's without it's best player. Later on, as the game is ending, a roar erupts from the crowd as out from the locker room and on to the bench comes Paul Kariya. He still doesn't look all "there", but he's back! And sure enough what does he do? He goes out and scores the freaking game winning goal. Woozy looking and all. Now that's cool stuff.
#2: 2007: The Niedermayer Brothers
I like this one mostly because I have a brother who I've always played hockey with. He's a lot better than I am, but I can still beat him up if I need to. Anyways, hockey's always been something that's brought he and I together, a common bond that we'll always be able to call our own. We're excited to play on a team together once he turns 18, so I can only imagine what kind of dream come true it would be to play on the same NHL team and win a Stanley Cup with the kid. And that's exactly what the Niedermayers did. Younger brother Rob has played with the team for some time, and when Scott came to the team in 2006, it was for the primary reason of playing with his little brother and hopefully winning a Stanley Cup together. And boy, I cried UNABASHEDLY when Scott, after accepting the Grail as team captain, immediately placed the cup into his little brother's hands. That's a memory they'll never forget, and one of my favorite moments.
#1 - 2000: RAY BOURQUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The guy waits 20+ years, and finally wins the Cup after coming over to the Avs. The thing I like about Ray winning is that he truly contributed like a championship player. Many players his age would only be playing a few minutes a night, riding the backs of the teams' stars to win the Cup. Not Ray. He was a top defenseman who logged a lot of minutes, scored a lot of points, and gave every ounce of energy he had to winning that Cup. It was truly an amazing Cup run for the whole team.
Equally impressive during the Cup win was the classiness of Joe Sakic. As captain, the Cup is presented to him first to celebrate with. After Joe got the Cup, he didn't even look at it or raise it, he just skated right to Ray and put it in his hands. Look at the relief on Ray's face, it's like triumph mixed with relief. Like the weight of 20 years was just lifted off his shoulders. He retired after that season a champion.
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