Some More ‘Offs Notes

The tally is now 15 times a team won the final round entity in a bid for a third straight crown.

Eleven times, including the 2022 NHL final, a team failed in such a bid.

Those numbers again as 9 of the 11 times a team was denied in a final round entity when bidding for a third straight title, the winning coach or manager had/has last name that starts earlier in the alphabet.

Two exceptions: Harold “Punch” Imlach and Toronto denying Montreal and Hector “Toe” Blake a third straight title that in 1967 which was the Toronto team’s last title.

The other also was a Toronto crown, one of the 7 straight final round wins for Toronto teams dating back to 1960.

In it, the Nick Nurse coached Toronto Raptors denied the current champion Golden State Warriors, then and now coached by Steve Kerr, a third straight crown, winning the 2019 final in 6 games.

The great Hector “Toe” Blake, pictured above, guided the Canadiens to 8 titles and played on 3 Cup winners.