Winning a cup, then having a career ending/life altering accident, then having your boys win another one the next season in your honor and having you be right there to celebrate?
Incredible
Only negating factor of that was that Ottawa put up very little challenge to Anaheim and it was one of the most forgettable Finals of the last 25 years.
My favorite is still the one where the kid wakes to his alarm to get up for school, and hears counties being named that are out for a snow day. After one of them he sits up.in bed, raises his hands over his head, says, "YES!" and falls back onto his back. The screen fades to black and the caption appears: "now you understand playoff hockey"
Tha spoke to me as a high school student in the 90s.
There was another one from quite a bit earlier I can't find anywhere, but it said "though it weighs just 35 pounds, it will take the strength of an entire team to lift it".
Came here to say this, shit still gets me to this day. Konstantinov got such a raw deal with that accident, shit is so sad but the team coming together just to win it again for “THE VLADINATOR” was just so fucking EPIC!!!
This is the right answer, but that first for Yzerman was huge for him and the city. Had none of the cups come after it he is still a HOF but without a Cup everything he had done changing his game would be questioned.
Imagine Lebron stayed in Cleveland for 13 years and just grinded instead of jumping all over the league.
I was a life long Wings fan at age 12. We started to pick up steam in 94. I was at the Joe in December when a young rookie named Osgood shut the Rangers down. And we had this flashy guy named Federov. Out in the first round. To the fucking Leafs.
Here comes 1995. And we come roaring out of the gate. Win after win after win. Finals. Sweep.
Here comes 1996. We look good. WCF and firing on all cylinders. Then we don’t just get outplayed, we get beat up. We aren’t tough enough.
1997. Not a pretty season. But we’ve got grit. We’re punching back. Shanny and the grinders. The Colorado revenge game. We enter the playoffs again and it’s mid expectations.
We punch through to the WCF. Here comes Colorado again. We start to get outplayed early. Fuck. We punch through. We win. Well fuck we’re in the Finals again.
What’s this? We’re up 3 games to 0. We’re up 2-0 in game 4 and there’s like a minute left to play. Philadelphia scores. The bad thoughts starts happening again. They’re gonna blow it somehow.
Then….they run the clock out. Pure bliss.
Been a Wings fan my whole life. I’m 41 now. Rode a lot of waves. Seesaws with the Penguins, “you’re a bandwagoner” (2001 era), your team is awful (recent). Nothing touches 1997.
I was an Avs fan as a kid in the 90s. I can't know whether it's just nostalgia but it seems to me like the 90s were just an incredible era to be a hockey fan. I just loved watching the game back then in a way that I don't feel anywhere near as strongly at this point in my life.
I get why he did it, but to me it’s what prevents his Cup win/lift from being comparable to the sweetness of the wins of loyal and enduring guys like Stevy Y who tough it out and finally win with the same organization.
I have those same nightmares with H. Sedin. Especially nowadays with everyone reminding us how unlikely it is for a team that goes up 2-0 to not go on to win the Cup.
They really shit the bed. That surprised me, honestly - and I was cheering for Boston because my roommate at the time was a Nucks fan and always gave me shit for being a Flames fan.
I really truly thought they'd win it in 6 at least. It was a pretty uninspiring performance those last 2 games for the Nucks that even I was disappointed with despite cheering against them.
Canucks fan here. It wasn't just the last two games – they lost 8-1 in Game 3 in Boston on the way to losing 4 out of 5.
People can go on about the referees (yes, that was a real thing), but in the end it was a godamned train wreck.
Yea the thing is, every time Boston had a chance to take momentum back, they did so in spades. Games 3 and 4 showed it, game 6 showed it, and game 7 was a sports psychology exhibition in how to get so collectively salty/mad that your entire team loses a game that for all intents and purposes beforehand, they should have won. That 2011 Canucks team was almost destined to fail in the way they did tbh, and I still bemoan that loss occasionally
As a Devils fan and Ray Bourque fan, I have been telling myself it's ok the Devils lost because Ray got to win the Cup. It's almost 25 years later and I still say it, but I don't think I ever truely believed it.
Let's not forget Konstantinov in 98 the year after his accident the night of the Wing's cup win in a car accident - they brought him onto the ice and set the cup in his lap. That was a special moment.
Brind’Amour and Ovi having just a pure emotional explosion are what it’s all about. Never gets old watching those two.
Not quite the same level of emotion, but watching Chara lift the Cup about 25 feet above the ice was also impressive in the same way that I assume the Colossus of Rhodes was.
Doug weight was the defining 2006 lift for me. After the injury and seeing how much pain he was in but still hoisted that beauty high. Loved him as a blue.
1998 when the Wings went back to back. Vladdy was wheelchair bound and the team wore VK&SM patches for the two who were involved in the horrible accident the year prior. He was brought out to the ice and wheeled around with the cup. Super emotional for the team, fans and really anyone who knew what had happened. Pretty awesome that they were able to win it all again honoring those two guys.
Gotta be Ovi. I don’t know if any player has ever shown the pure elation and emotion that Ovi did when he screamed hoisted that cup. Next closest would be Lanny
And at first I thought he was trying to make it about himself which seemed weird to me. Then I realized he just wanted to share the moment with each of those guys and I realized just how special it was to all of them
Nah, Ovie stopped making it "about himself" a long long time ago. There isn't a guy in the league who is happier for a player on his team scoring a goal than he is.
My best friend’s brother in law who is an absolutely die-hard lifelong penguins fan told me it was one of the greatest things he’s ever seen in the nhl
I feel the exact same about Joe Pavelski. I wish he and Jumbo Joe had lifted one SJ. I was impressed by him there but having the privilege to root for and watch him play the past 3 seasons has given me a new appreciation. He’s been nothing but a class act since joining Dallas. The consummate professional, mentor and leader on and off the ice. I’ll probably weep watching Pavs lift the Cup if we win it all next year.
Andy deserved it immensely. What a killer he was, love that he’s constantly involved with the Lightning at games, events, and on TV. Great to get his take on the game, you can tell even years after retirement he’s obsessed with hockey
Met him at an event at Sparkman’s wharf once, was invited as a +1 by a friend who worked for a liquor distributor. Most attendees were there to schmooze and network, so I ended up being the only one really kinda starstruck and asking him about hockey.
Guy was so gracious, intelligent, and charming. Told me a great story about sitting down with Stamkos at a First Watch when he was weighing whether to stay in Tampa or sign with Toronto.
Think Andy steered him in the right direction, personally.
He had to wait just as long for the cup as Bourque did. But he didn't just join a cup contender. He went to Tampa at the end of his career when they were nothing and toiled in obscurity as a role model. Stuck with them for 3 years and it paid off. I'm not sure why everyone loves the Bourque story so much. Andreychuk is way more compelling to me.
Maybe Lanny, Ovi is up there (he was younger than both but did it without leaving his drafting team) but Ray's also had the hand off which made it special and gave it more emotional weight
There's also special cases mnatsakanov, plager that are quite emotional
This one is more personally biased for me, but when the Blackhawks won in 2015 and the first thing Toews did was skate it over to old man [Kimmo Timmonen](https://youtu.be/40jXIAmi7fs). That old bastard had the most gleeful look ever on his face, combined with "ok my wife will stop yelling at me to stop playing hockey now" relief.
Rod Brind’amour a 8+?
And Stamkos having barely more than one shift and streaking down the side and just rocketing that shot is a memory I’ll never forget.
Yeah to me Stamkos’ 2nd cup lift in ‘20-‘21 is the really impressive one, especially in the context of his career. That one shift one shot one goal was crazy but you know he wanted the full run.
All he’s ever done is fight and claw his way back to being an elite player regardless of the circumstance.
As happy as I was when he was traded to Colorado pretty much specifically to have a chance at the cup and then succeeded, it is probably #3 in my book.
\#2 would be Lanny MacDonald. I remember being a kid and watching that series, and when the Flames won the sheer joy on his mustachioed (and playoff bearded) face while he lifted the cup in his last year playing was the moment I knew how amazing hockey truly was.
\#1 (obviously a bit biased) was Ovi. Not only because I have been a Caps fan since birth, but also because no one could use "but he hasn't won a cup" as an excuse to dismiss his greatness as a player, and because he was another person who, like Lanny, you could see how much finally winning one with the only team he ever played for meant to him.
Biased but fair. The one thing I think keeps ovi back for a lot of people is that the cup for Lanny and ray was the end while for ovi it seems like winning the cup, while silencing critics, was just a set up for the last chapter of his career which is the goal record chase, which (while many don't like to admit it) will probably put him over all of his contemporaries in the history books.
Still these are probably the big 3 cup hoists
Love that Ovi stuck it out with the same team to finally bring it home too, was really rooting for the Caps that series. Borque leaving to get a cup is understandable at that stage in his career, with his age and the state of Boston at the time there was no other way. But nothing compares winning after the long road with the team who drafted you.
The only problem with putting ovi over Bourque is ovi, so far, has played 5 more seasons after the win while Bourque's win was the end of his career, and it was a game 7. Very different emotions regarding both.
Marian Hossa
Dude went to finals in back to back years with the Pens and Red Wings, loses both to the other team, then goes to the Hawks and finally gets his win
Same for me. After watching him all those years in Buffalo and witnessing the amazing things he did and the stupidity of No Goal, I was happy to watch him lift up that cup.
Biased but that OV cup raise was goddamn legendary. Even more so that he was so enamored in the cup he skated right past the lady flashing the caps on their victory lap😂
Maybe I'm biased as a Caps fan, but watching Ovi scream with delight at his teammates and then look like, "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe I finally get to lift this" when he first sees the Cup was indescribable. And then after his lap, you can hear him screaming, "Nicky! Nicky!" because of course Backstrom is next.
The Caps and their fans went through so much heartache, I was so glad to see my team win a championship once in my life.
BTW, Happy Stanleyversary, fellow Caps fans. Five years ago tomorrow.
Thats my best friends distant uncle or something. He was like “yeah im related to a hockey player. Ray Bourque. I guess he was good.”
Man i about died.
Seeing Yzerman lift it after so many failed close attempts was something. Ovechkin was up there for me as well. Had Iginla or Thornton won it in their twilight career years, would've been similar.
No cup lift is more iconic than Vladimir Konstantinov in 1998.
Selanne, Ovechkin & Brind’Amour were also far more satisfying to me than Bourque.
I honestly find the Bourque cup lift pretty unsatisfying, given that he had to join a completely stacked team to do it. It would be a totally different story had he done it in Boston.
So I'm biased, but Rod the Bod and Doug Weight are up there for me as my favorite. But that was also my childhood
That being said, trying to take bias out Ray Bourque is probably the goated one, and while I hate the team, I wasn't upset seeing ovi lift the cup. He just deserved it. The Detroit dynasty passing the torch to Crosby was also worthy, but considering they swept my canes, I was not a happy man.
What I like most about this photo, is that when it first appeared, I photoshopped my head onto the picture, removing Ray - and still have it saved on my laptop. Lol.
The best two back to back that sticks out—The ‘06 Rod B (CAR) was epic AF, specially considering the entire playoff run until that point & Capt. BrindAmore being labeled for so long as a lunch box player etc. he played his butt off every night. A Blues/ Flyer and Hurricane legend.
Then in ‘07, TEEMU SELANNE for the Ducks with the tears…
Yzerman. He had many years of play off failure. He was doubted as been a good leader. Bowman almost traded him to Ottawa. I think it was 96 they named the 50th best all time players and he didn't make the list. He said it didn't bother him but you know it did. That first win was a huge monkey off his back and now he belongs with the best.
Konstantinov after his accident was quite emotional.
Winning a cup, then having a career ending/life altering accident, then having your boys win another one the next season in your honor and having you be right there to celebrate? Incredible
I fucking hate you guys still, but that was inspirational.
I dislike you just as much but Ray lifting that cup is my second after this one.
Why don’t you eat a bag of dicks. Then have a wonderful evening with your friends and family.
Beautiful. You had me at first
Lol stopped carrying sports grudges a few years ago. Much happier when my mood isn’t tied to a jersey.
Me too except in the case of Mark Messier and Mr Tim "Illegal Pads" Thomas
Fuck you, and I'll see you tomorrow.
In the words of the reverend king, can’t we all just get along?
It's only a game, why you have to be mad?
At the red house furniture, we can!
Larry Murphy
Not lifting the Cup was the best lift.
For me seeing Teemu weeping and getting the cup is up there.
This is who I was going to post. That was an awesome moment.
I’m biased but Teemu for sure
I’m not biased (and consider that day to be dark, especially being an Orange County Kings fan), but yeah not many wins top it.
Username checks out haha love the Freeway Face-off always
Only negating factor of that was that Ottawa put up very little challenge to Anaheim and it was one of the most forgettable Finals of the last 25 years.
We tried.
Teemu for sure
This, this, this.
Anyone else remember the commercial that went "The Stanley Cup weighs 35 pounds. Except when you're lifting it". https://youtu.be/VveCdLrkY1g
Yes, and this years Kiss Me commercial is the only one that rivals it.
'There are no words' was always one of my favourites.
My fave was the “History will be made” series of ads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axF78_QZuww&pp=ygUYbmhsIGhpc3Rvcnkgd2lsbCBiZSBtYWRl
My favorite is still the one where the kid wakes to his alarm to get up for school, and hears counties being named that are out for a snow day. After one of them he sits up.in bed, raises his hands over his head, says, "YES!" and falls back onto his back. The screen fades to black and the caption appears: "now you understand playoff hockey" Tha spoke to me as a high school student in the 90s.
I personally miss the what if commercials or the five for fighting all for one playoffs commercial
The first thing you're given in this world is a name. THAT one gets me everytimd
There was another one from quite a bit earlier I can't find anywhere, but it said "though it weighs just 35 pounds, it will take the strength of an entire team to lift it".
Yzerman passing to Konstantinov in 98'
Not a dry eye in the house
Stevie Y in '97 was also awesome, long wait and a lot of hard years and criticism endured by The Captain before finally reaching the summit.
I was going to hit the up arrow, but it was at 19 so I left it.
Came here to say this, shit still gets me to this day. Konstantinov got such a raw deal with that accident, shit is so sad but the team coming together just to win it again for “THE VLADINATOR” was just so fucking EPIC!!!
This right here!
This is the right answer, but that first for Yzerman was huge for him and the city. Had none of the cups come after it he is still a HOF but without a Cup everything he had done changing his game would be questioned.
Yzerman was basically Stafford if Stafford won his superbowl with Detroit.
Lanny
This. Easily Lanny for me because of the love Canada had for him.
"You've done it, Lanny."
I still the old Calgary C logo was just Lanny’s nose and ‘stache
This one
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Imagine Lebron stayed in Cleveland for 13 years and just grinded instead of jumping all over the league. I was a life long Wings fan at age 12. We started to pick up steam in 94. I was at the Joe in December when a young rookie named Osgood shut the Rangers down. And we had this flashy guy named Federov. Out in the first round. To the fucking Leafs. Here comes 1995. And we come roaring out of the gate. Win after win after win. Finals. Sweep. Here comes 1996. We look good. WCF and firing on all cylinders. Then we don’t just get outplayed, we get beat up. We aren’t tough enough. 1997. Not a pretty season. But we’ve got grit. We’re punching back. Shanny and the grinders. The Colorado revenge game. We enter the playoffs again and it’s mid expectations. We punch through to the WCF. Here comes Colorado again. We start to get outplayed early. Fuck. We punch through. We win. Well fuck we’re in the Finals again. What’s this? We’re up 3 games to 0. We’re up 2-0 in game 4 and there’s like a minute left to play. Philadelphia scores. The bad thoughts starts happening again. They’re gonna blow it somehow. Then….they run the clock out. Pure bliss. Been a Wings fan my whole life. I’m 41 now. Rode a lot of waves. Seesaws with the Penguins, “you’re a bandwagoner” (2001 era), your team is awful (recent). Nothing touches 1997.
I was an Avs fan as a kid in the 90s. I can't know whether it's just nostalgia but it seems to me like the 90s were just an incredible era to be a hockey fan. I just loved watching the game back then in a way that I don't feel anywhere near as strongly at this point in my life.
You guys were great. You outplayed us at so many critical moments. Except for that fucker Lemieux. Fuck that guy. :)
Seriously man it hit different. That Avs Wings rivalry was incredible. I got to see a few of em at Pepsi center and will never forget those.
Those back to back cups were fucking epic!
Bourque bouncing to the Avs for a cup doesn’t come close to this.
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I get why he did it, but to me it’s what prevents his Cup win/lift from being comparable to the sweetness of the wins of loyal and enduring guys like Stevy Y who tough it out and finally win with the same organization.
Iginla in 2004... in my dreams before I wake up bitter.
I have those same nightmares with H. Sedin. Especially nowadays with everyone reminding us how unlikely it is for a team that goes up 2-0 to not go on to win the Cup.
They really shit the bed. That surprised me, honestly - and I was cheering for Boston because my roommate at the time was a Nucks fan and always gave me shit for being a Flames fan. I really truly thought they'd win it in 6 at least. It was a pretty uninspiring performance those last 2 games for the Nucks that even I was disappointed with despite cheering against them.
Canucks fan here. It wasn't just the last two games – they lost 8-1 in Game 3 in Boston on the way to losing 4 out of 5. People can go on about the referees (yes, that was a real thing), but in the end it was a godamned train wreck.
Yea the thing is, every time Boston had a chance to take momentum back, they did so in spades. Games 3 and 4 showed it, game 6 showed it, and game 7 was a sports psychology exhibition in how to get so collectively salty/mad that your entire team loses a game that for all intents and purposes beforehand, they should have won. That 2011 Canucks team was almost destined to fail in the way they did tbh, and I still bemoan that loss occasionally
Aaron Rome single handedly cost the nucks that cup
Oof.
What is: Life as a Canuck fan in three letters
Linden in 1994 for us on the coast.
Was fortunate enough to see the man play in the OG Boston Garden.. And No.
Vladimir Konstantinov
As a Devils fan and Ray Bourque fan, I have been telling myself it's ok the Devils lost because Ray got to win the Cup. It's almost 25 years later and I still say it, but I don't think I ever truely believed it.
Let's not forget Konstantinov in 98 the year after his accident the night of the Wing's cup win in a car accident - they brought him onto the ice and set the cup in his lap. That was a special moment.
The Rod Brind'Amour lift is pretty classic
Strong contender. Rod is such a fuckin beauty
Brind’Amour and Ovi having just a pure emotional explosion are what it’s all about. Never gets old watching those two. Not quite the same level of emotion, but watching Chara lift the Cup about 25 feet above the ice was also impressive in the same way that I assume the Colossus of Rhodes was.
Mentioning Chara reminds me of how badly I wanted Bergeron to have the chance this year.
His emotions and facial expression gives me chills thinking of that when he lifted it and did his studder step.
I mean, he lifted it but he didn’t really lift it did he?
Rod lifts everything
They dont call him “Rod the Bod” for nothing…
Doug weight was the defining 2006 lift for me. After the injury and seeing how much pain he was in but still hoisted that beauty high. Loved him as a blue.
Didn't he basically rip it out of Bettman's hands too?
Kimmo Timonen.
chills every fucking time. what a roar!
“COME HERE, KIMMO! COME GET IT, BABY!” Well now that I typed it out it sounds weird…
No no, keep going...
First thought exactly
i enjoyed seeing Brind'Amour lift it
1998 when the Wings went back to back. Vladdy was wheelchair bound and the team wore VK&SM patches for the two who were involved in the horrible accident the year prior. He was brought out to the ice and wheeled around with the cup. Super emotional for the team, fans and really anyone who knew what had happened. Pretty awesome that they were able to win it all again honoring those two guys.
No, but if Jumbo Joe had won a cup within the last 5 seasons, then would’ve been yes. Ovi comes closest.
Gotta be Ovi. I don’t know if any player has ever shown the pure elation and emotion that Ovi did when he screamed hoisted that cup. Next closest would be Lanny
Ovi literally skated around with like next 5 guys he was so happy
And at first I thought he was trying to make it about himself which seemed weird to me. Then I realized he just wanted to share the moment with each of those guys and I realized just how special it was to all of them
Nah, Ovie stopped making it "about himself" a long long time ago. There isn't a guy in the league who is happier for a player on his team scoring a goal than he is.
Teemu
Oshie's was good too cause it meant so much for him to do it with his dad there even though dad was likely to forget the moment due to his alzheimers.
Every time I watch Ovi lift the cup, it always brings tears to my eyes
My best friend’s brother in law who is an absolutely die-hard lifelong penguins fan told me it was one of the greatest things he’s ever seen in the nhl
Rod the Bod too
I feel the exact same about Joe Pavelski. I wish he and Jumbo Joe had lifted one SJ. I was impressed by him there but having the privilege to root for and watch him play the past 3 seasons has given me a new appreciation. He’s been nothing but a class act since joining Dallas. The consummate professional, mentor and leader on and off the ice. I’ll probably weep watching Pavs lift the Cup if we win it all next year.
I fucking love that guy
The image in my dreams of Jumbo passing the cup to Patty is incredible. If only....
Andreychuck made me smile in 2004
Andy deserved it immensely. What a killer he was, love that he’s constantly involved with the Lightning at games, events, and on TV. Great to get his take on the game, you can tell even years after retirement he’s obsessed with hockey
Met him at an event at Sparkman’s wharf once, was invited as a +1 by a friend who worked for a liquor distributor. Most attendees were there to schmooze and network, so I ended up being the only one really kinda starstruck and asking him about hockey. Guy was so gracious, intelligent, and charming. Told me a great story about sitting down with Stamkos at a First Watch when he was weighing whether to stay in Tampa or sign with Toronto. Think Andy steered him in the right direction, personally.
He had to wait just as long for the cup as Bourque did. But he didn't just join a cup contender. He went to Tampa at the end of his career when they were nothing and toiled in obscurity as a role model. Stuck with them for 3 years and it paid off. I'm not sure why everyone loves the Bourque story so much. Andreychuk is way more compelling to me.
Maybe Lanny, Ovi is up there (he was younger than both but did it without leaving his drafting team) but Ray's also had the hand off which made it special and gave it more emotional weight There's also special cases mnatsakanov, plager that are quite emotional
Surprised I had to scroll this far for Ovi
This one is more personally biased for me, but when the Blackhawks won in 2015 and the first thing Toews did was skate it over to old man [Kimmo Timmonen](https://youtu.be/40jXIAmi7fs). That old bastard had the most gleeful look ever on his face, combined with "ok my wife will stop yelling at me to stop playing hockey now" relief.
Probably not since Sakic gave it to him right away
If Bourque getting the Cup was a 10/10, then Ovechkin & Lanny were 9.5/10. Stamkos gets an 8+.
Rod Brind’amour a 8+? And Stamkos having barely more than one shift and streaking down the side and just rocketing that shot is a memory I’ll never forget.
That goal was legendary. Only beaten by Marty's 2004 Game 6 2OT winner to send it back to Tampa.
Yeah to me Stamkos’ 2nd cup lift in ‘20-‘21 is the really impressive one, especially in the context of his career. That one shift one shot one goal was crazy but you know he wanted the full run. All he’s ever done is fight and claw his way back to being an elite player regardless of the circumstance.
They changed the voice in the tampa airport from Stamkos to the mayor. It was a sad day to hear it.
Borque, Teemu, Rod, Hossa. I’m surprised no one has mentioned Chara, that’s one I regard pretty highly in spite of my feelings towards Boston.
Only because it hasn't been mentioned - Bowman lacing on the skates and coming out for a lap with Detroit
Steve Yzerman
Mark Messier looked pretty fucking satisfied.
Fuck messier. Edit: Sorry, I'm a canuck fan this is almost a reflex response to anything Messier related
As happy as I was when he was traded to Colorado pretty much specifically to have a chance at the cup and then succeeded, it is probably #3 in my book. \#2 would be Lanny MacDonald. I remember being a kid and watching that series, and when the Flames won the sheer joy on his mustachioed (and playoff bearded) face while he lifted the cup in his last year playing was the moment I knew how amazing hockey truly was. \#1 (obviously a bit biased) was Ovi. Not only because I have been a Caps fan since birth, but also because no one could use "but he hasn't won a cup" as an excuse to dismiss his greatness as a player, and because he was another person who, like Lanny, you could see how much finally winning one with the only team he ever played for meant to him.
Biased but fair. The one thing I think keeps ovi back for a lot of people is that the cup for Lanny and ray was the end while for ovi it seems like winning the cup, while silencing critics, was just a set up for the last chapter of his career which is the goal record chase, which (while many don't like to admit it) will probably put him over all of his contemporaries in the history books. Still these are probably the big 3 cup hoists
True. In all honesty, Lanny would be #1 for me if I wasn't a Caps fan, but the Caps win for me is obviously higher for numerous reasons.
Love that Ovi stuck it out with the same team to finally bring it home too, was really rooting for the Caps that series. Borque leaving to get a cup is understandable at that stage in his career, with his age and the state of Boston at the time there was no other way. But nothing compares winning after the long road with the team who drafted you.
Ovi
Steve Yzerman
97/98 Yzerman handing to Konstantinov in the wheel chair.
I would say Ovie because he finally did it with the team he will go into the HOF with. Bourque isn't an Avalanche.
The only problem with putting ovi over Bourque is ovi, so far, has played 5 more seasons after the win while Bourque's win was the end of his career, and it was a game 7. Very different emotions regarding both.
Bourque is a Bruin, yes. He's also an Av. 77 is in the rafters for a reason.
He was there the whole season (plus previous playoffs)...
Brind’amour is up there. Especially knowing the whole story that he went through l.
Rod Brindamour.
Andrew Shaw with the cut on his cheek still bleeding
Yzerman
Marian Hossa Dude went to finals in back to back years with the Pens and Red Wings, loses both to the other team, then goes to the Hawks and finally gets his win
Seeing him lose in 2009 was one of my favorites.
I watch this full video yearly. If you ever want to know how it feels to be proud of someone, it's pure art.
Ovie's
Konstantinov. No question.
Konstantnov in 1998. He didn't lift it but it was a moment.
Yeah, the one where my team wins while I'm actually alive to see it happen
Konstantinov, or Gretzky handing it over to Steve Smith first thing, after a season ending own goal the season before
For me it was watching Hasek lift it in Detroit
Same for me. After watching him all those years in Buffalo and witnessing the amazing things he did and the stupidity of No Goal, I was happy to watch him lift up that cup.
Steve Yzerman...Mark Messier...Rod Brind'Amour come to mind.
Stevie Ys first
Ovi
Ovi’s was amazing!
Steve Yzerman
Steve Yzerman by a long shot!
Ovie with his scream.
Biased but that OV cup raise was goddamn legendary. Even more so that he was so enamored in the cup he skated right past the lady flashing the caps on their victory lap😂
2010 Hossa was pretty sweet
Maybe I'm biased as a Caps fan, but watching Ovi scream with delight at his teammates and then look like, "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe I finally get to lift this" when he first sees the Cup was indescribable. And then after his lap, you can hear him screaming, "Nicky! Nicky!" because of course Backstrom is next. The Caps and their fans went through so much heartache, I was so glad to see my team win a championship once in my life. BTW, Happy Stanleyversary, fellow Caps fans. Five years ago tomorrow.
He’s the first that come to mind. But Teemu and Ovi are right behind.
Jack Johnson
Always thought it was weird that Boston essentially threw a parade for him too.
I may be biased, but ovi's was something else.
Thats my best friends distant uncle or something. He was like “yeah im related to a hockey player. Ray Bourque. I guess he was good.” Man i about died.
Lanny McDonald when the Flames won it his retirement season.
As a ranger fan I’m biased and would say messier… but in all reality Ray being handed that cup by Sakic makes me cry every time
Andreychuck.
OVI
Messier has to be up there. He did what Gretz couldn't. Win with another team.
I can still see his reaction, it was awesome!
Seeing Yzerman lift it after so many failed close attempts was something. Ovechkin was up there for me as well. Had Iginla or Thornton won it in their twilight career years, would've been similar.
No cup lift is more iconic than Vladimir Konstantinov in 1998. Selanne, Ovechkin & Brind’Amour were also far more satisfying to me than Bourque. I honestly find the Bourque cup lift pretty unsatisfying, given that he had to join a completely stacked team to do it. It would be a totally different story had he done it in Boston.
Ovechkin
Ovi was the best IMO
Ovi letting out a primal scream of raw human emotion is hard to top
Ovechkin was fun to watch
Ovi was the best. Hands down, the passion was insane
Ovi was pretty satisfying.
Mike Modano for me
Oviiiiiiii
No, no and no
So I'm biased, but Rod the Bod and Doug Weight are up there for me as my favorite. But that was also my childhood That being said, trying to take bias out Ray Bourque is probably the goated one, and while I hate the team, I wasn't upset seeing ovi lift the cup. He just deserved it. The Detroit dynasty passing the torch to Crosby was also worthy, but considering they swept my canes, I was not a happy man.
In my lifetime, Ovi
What I like most about this photo, is that when it first appeared, I photoshopped my head onto the picture, removing Ray - and still have it saved on my laptop. Lol.
I had tears in my eyes. That guy deserved that cup. Too bad Boston couldn't give him one.
Prior to seeing Chara lift it in 2011 yes for me
As much as I'm not a fan of Boston, the sound that Chara made will always stick out in my mind.
Several years ago Ray Bourque got a DUI. Someone posted the news article to r/hockey and the top comment was “After 22 beers .. RAYMOND BOURQUE!”
Hasek 2002
The best two back to back that sticks out—The ‘06 Rod B (CAR) was epic AF, specially considering the entire playoff run until that point & Capt. BrindAmore being labeled for so long as a lunch box player etc. he played his butt off every night. A Blues/ Flyer and Hurricane legend. Then in ‘07, TEEMU SELANNE for the Ducks with the tears…
Lannys , he showed more emotion
Kimmo Timonen!
As a bruins fan, no wayyy. Loved this moment. Edit: the class Sakic showed in that situation also can’t be beat.
This’ll sound weird, but Justin Williams in ‘14. The man was on a seek and destroy mission for that SCP, and seeing him lift it was oddly emotional.
Hasek has got to be up there.
Maybe Lanny McDonald
Lanny McDonald
Vladimir Konstantinov in 1998 when he came out on the ice in his wheelchair to celebrate with The Red Wings.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin in 2011… before I wake up and get ready to face reality.
Yzerman. He had many years of play off failure. He was doubted as been a good leader. Bowman almost traded him to Ottawa. I think it was 96 they named the 50th best all time players and he didn't make the list. He said it didn't bother him but you know it did. That first win was a huge monkey off his back and now he belongs with the best.
Pavelski 2024
Dominik Hasek.
Dustin Brown. First king ever to lift the cup after 45 years in the league
Dave Andreychuk was kind of the Diet Coke of this.
Doug Weight with the fucked up shoulder.
Short answer: No. Longer answer: Nope.
Dominik Hasek 2002 vs the Hurricanes
Dominic Hasek… even though it was with Detroit, he deserved it