Will the team that has Mike Babcock behind its bench next season be in the hands of hockey's best coach? That perception exists, and his reputation carries that kind of weight, and the last two Olympics help to support it, but who knows if Babcock's teams win because their coach is better than his opposite number?
Assuming that makes it true, I guess. So let's also assume that the four coaches who have a chance to do what Babcock won't do--i.e. win this year's Stanley Cup--are good coaches as well. Thumbs up to Joel Quenneville, Bruce Boudreau, Alain Vigneault and Jon Cooper for getting this far. Should an edge be given to Quenneville as a two-time Stanley Cup winner? It will be. Is Cooper at a disadvantage because he has
And then we'll try to decide if it had the best coach.
Thumbs up to the Washington Capitals, and I'll mostly agree with the popular sentiment that they deserved a better fate, although that's not the same as saying they deserved to beat the Rangers. As game seven proceeded to overtime, it was easy to conclude that the losing team would feel total dejection and yet would have every right to skate off the ice with heads held high.