Dallas/Tampa Final Round Notes

Tonight in neutral Edmonton, Alberta Canada–the heavily favored (a bit too heavy, in my opinion) Tampa Bay Lightning meet the Dallas Stars to commence Emrick’s 15th NBC/its subsidiary channels’ Stanley Cup Final.

Each franchise has one title, but neither has ever won both a Stanley Cup final opening game and the title in that season. In fact, the teams are a combined (1-5), to be (2-6), after tonight, in final round opening games.

The one win was by the amazing, under .500, 1991 Minnesota North Stars, who won game 1 and lost game 2 in all four of their playoff series and were 6’d by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won the first of their 5 titles that season, in doing so.

Dallas nee the Minnesota North Stars are (1-3) in final round play, losing to the Islanders in ’81 and as cited Pittsburgh 10 years later. As the Dallas Stars, they are (1-1), winning an overtime, Saturday night 6th game clincher at Buffalo in ’99 and losing such a tilt, at home, vs the New Jersey Devils in 2000.

Tampa Bay split their 2 previous NHL final round series, beating Calgary (Flames) in 7 games in ’04 and losing in 6 games, to a Chicago Blackhawks team, that was the last team to clinch the NHL title at home, (that of course will be the case in 2020) in 2015.

The Dallas area teams are (4-0) vs Tampa teams in post-season series, all earlier, if not early ones. The Rangers won division series vs the Rays in both 2010 and 2011, en route to eventual final round/World Series losses.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys won a strike induced wild card round game vs the Buccaneers in ’82, after a slot 1/division round win in 1981. The Cowboys lost NFC Title games/”semis” both seasons.

Both teams and the cities of Dallas and Tampa have .500 records in final round play. The Cowboys are (5-3), the Stars and Mavericks each (1-1) and the Rangers are (0-2), hence Dallas is (7-7).

Meanwhile the Buccaneers won in their lone Supe/final round while the Rays lost. Add the Lightning at (1-1) and Tampa has a (2-2) final round record.

In recalling Bill Masterton, who scored the first goal in Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars’ history and tragically died in January 1968, one can gain perspective.

Click below for John Rosengren’s excellent piece about Masterton’s death and the gaining of knowledge about concussions and their adverse effect on sports.

NHL — Real reasons for the death of Bill Masterton highlight …

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