Christmas Left Right Game

Game 7 of Final: The ultimate all-or-nothing contest

There is nothing in sports to rival a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. For a hockey fan, it's like waiting for Christmas -- the big day seems to take forever to come -- but when it does, it's well worth the wait.

Christmas comes once a year, but a seven-game Final series happen about as infrequently. Since the NHL's first expansion in 1967, the championship round has gone the distance just eight times, the last in 2009 when Pittsburgh beat Detroit 2-1 in Game 7. If the Stanley Cup Final really is the NHL's two best teams facing off for the championship, it seems logical that there would be more than eight seven-gamers in a span of 44 years -- after all, baseball's World Series has gone the distance 14 times in the same span (though not since 2002).

But baseball has just eight teams in the postseason and only two rounds of playoffs before the World Series, so there's a much smaller likelihood of upsets in the early going. In contrast, with three rounds and potentially 21 games to play just to get to the Final, at least one of the teams is often worn out from the journey.

"Just getting to the Final is a grueling trip," said Ken Daneyko, whose New Jersey Devils lost its bid to repeat as champions in 2001 in a seven-game final against Colorado, but who retired two years later with a third Cup ring when the Devils outlasted Anaheim in seven games in 2003. "You've got to win three seven-game series just to get there, and there are a lot of Game 7s within the conference. By the time you get to the Stanley Cup Final, one of the teams is often worn down. The other team often has a little more juice left in the tank than the other. That's why the Finals usually don't go to seven games."

Of the eight previous Final series that have gone the distance since expansion, only two (1987 and 2001) have matched the regular-season conference champs.

"There should be more," said Ron Hextall, whose goaltending carried the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers to the limit against Edmonton before the Oilers won the Cup, "In theory, you've got the best teams in the sport. It's the pinnacle of the game. I wish there were more."

1971: Montreal's Long-shot Victory

Jacques Lemaire is so well known for his defensive style of coaching that it's easy to forget he had one of the NHL's most feared shots during his playing days. But for all his brilliance, his best-remembered goal is a shot that never should have gone in. In Game 7 of the 1971 Final, the Chicago Blackhawks led 2-0 late in the second period and appeared to have the game (and the Cup) in hand until Lemaire teed up a shot from center ice late in the second period.

I am having a Christmas party with adults and children on Saturday ...

*Each person will keep the gift they are holding at the end of the story.

Christmas Eve to Remember

It was a beautiful Christmas Eve. The snow was falling. Everything seemed perfectly RIGHT for the evening. There was enough hot chocolate LEFT to share with Santa, RIGHT along with the plate of cookies LEFT for him by the fireplace.

Ed and Myrna WRIGHT thought it would be a great time to drive across town and deliver Grandmother WRIGHT’S Christmas gift. Grandmother WRIGHT had not LEFT her home for a week. She was RIGHT down in bed, as the flu had LEFT her feeling weak.

Mr. WRIGHT and Mrs. WRIGHT LEFT in their bright red car. They had just turned LEFT out of the driveway when Mrs. WRIGHT said to Mr. WRIGHT, “I LEFT Grandmother’s present RIGHT there on the kitchen counter.” Mr. WRIGHT quickly turned RIGHT back into the driveway and Mrs. WRIGHT leaned LEFT as he did so. She hopped RIGHT out of the car and LEFT her door open. Mrs. WRIGHT said, “I will be RIGHT back.” Snowball, their dog, saw the door open and jumped RIGHT into the car, RIGHT over the front seat and RIGHT into the back seat. About this time, Mrs. WRIGHT showed up with Grandmother’s present and said to Mr. WRIGHT, “It was RIGHT where I LEFT it, in the kitchen.”

Mrs. WRIGHT was surprised to see Snowball in the car. Mrs. WRIGHT thought they had LEFT him in the back yard. However, Mr. WRIGHT had forgotten and LEFT the gate unlocked. Mr. and Mrs. WRIGHT LEFT Snowball in the back seat of the car as they once again LEFT their driveway for Grandmother WRIGHT’S home. As Mr. and Mrs. WRIGHT drove along enjoying the beautiful scenery they felt as if they had LEFT all their worries somewhere else. It was Christmas Eve and they were surrounded, both on the RIGHT and on the LEFT with new falling snow. They were getting that wonderful feeling that often comes at Christmas time.

Mr. WRIGHT’S car turned RIGHT onto Holly Street where Grandmother WRIGHT lived. As they approached Grandmother WRIGHT’S they could see she had LEFT her porch light on. It felt RIGHT chilly when they stepped out of the car. However, they LEFT their jackets in the car. Mr. WRIGHT and Mrs.WRIGHT were glad they had not LEFT Grandmother WRIGHT’S gift home.

They could see Grandmother WRIGHT peeking through the curtains as they walked up her steps. Snowball began to bark as he did not want to be LEFT out. What a nice surprise for Grandmother WRIGHT, she had not been LEFT alone on Christmas Eve. Mr. WRIGHT and Mrs. WRIGHT walked RIGHT up to the door and knocked. Grandmother WRIGHT, stood RIGHT by the door and opened it RIGHT as soon as they knocked. It almost LEFT them speechless to see Grandmother WRIGHT up and about. Grandmother WRIGHT said, “What a wonderful surprise.” Mr. WRIGHT and Mrs. WRIGHT were also surprised to see that Grandmother WRIGHT had LEFT her bed. She was RIGHT spry and it was easy to see that her illness had not LEFT her weak.

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When Christmas left Rattler Canyon

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