So begins the strangest Stanley Cup

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This article was published 18/09/2020 (2131 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — Welcome to the most surreal Stanley Cup of our lifetime. 

It has nothing to do with the participants, as both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars are deserving finalists. Both were popular pre-season picks by pundits.

No, it has everything to do with the fact we’re now a full year into the 2019-20 season, one which began with training camps last September and is going to end with a trophy being presented towards the end of September inside an otherwise empty Rogers Place that is serving as a hockey hub during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When it comes right down to it, we’ve got to focus on the game. We’re here in the Stanley Cup. All of these things outside of it have changed. It’s all different. We’re used to that now, we’ve been here almost eight weeks. The most important thing is to stay focused on the goal,” Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness said during Friday’s virtual “media day,” which was held over Zoom.

“It’s going to be great hockey, this series. You’ve got two very good hockey clubs going at it.”

The unique circumstances will be among the major storylines as the puck drops on the best-of-seven series to night. But it’s far from the only one. Here is a look at some of the other juicy plots to follow.

NO ASTERISK REQUIRED: Any suggestion this Cup will be tainted is absurd. If anything, this will be the toughest one to win in history. 

“Obviously, being away from family and friends and your home city and the sacrifices everybody’s had to make, it would mean the world. This is why you play the game,” said Stars captain Jamie Benn.

“This is what we all dream about. This is the best time of year and the best position to be in. The great thing about this is the opportunity you have. It’s one series. Anything can happen in these moments,” added linemate Tyler Seguin.

MENTOR VS. PROTEGE: This is the first time in NHL history a coach and his former assistant have been on opposing benches for the Stanley Cup final. Bowness, a former Winnipeg Jets 1.0 player turned coach, served under Tampa’s Jon Cooper for five seasons.

“Back in 2013 when I was brought in to coach the Lightning… it was about bringing someone in that knew the league and could honestly work as a bit of a mentor to myself, and that’s what I honestly wanted,” Cooper said Friday.

“I learned so much from Rick, just about how the league works, how to have success in this league. We spent half a decade together, we had some pretty good runs (including the Stanley Cup final in 2015, which they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks). I’m probably not sitting here today without a lot of the help from Rick Bowness.”

Bowness left the organization after the 2017-18 season, taking his talents to Texas, but the bond remains strong.

“They were five great years, but as a coach there comes a time when it’s time to move on. There was a split that was good for both of us,” said Bowness. 

OFFENCE VS. DEFENCE: Tampa was the highest-scoring team in the regular season. Dallas was second-stingiest in terms of giving up goals. That makes for a classic matchup. 

“If you look at the teams we’ve played in Columbus, Boston and the Islanders, what do they all have in common? Top five defensive teams in the league. And Dallas is right in the mix with them. We’re playing the defensive juggernauts of this league, so it’s just going to be another challenge, goals will be at a premium,” said Cooper. 

OFFENCE FROM DEFENCE: Both teams have bona fide studs on the blue line. Tampa’s Victor Hedman has scored nine times in these playoffs, third-most by a defenceman in NHL history behind Paul Coffey (12) and Brian Leetch (11). He could make history. At the other end of the ice is 21-year-old Dallas phenom Miro Heiskanen, who already has 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) to lead the Stars in scoring.

“I think in today’s NHL you need that for your team. You need that second wave of players joining the rush,” said Tampa defenceman Ryan McDonagh. “The way teams play so well in the D-zone, getting your shots through from the blue line or being creative in moving and finding options there is crucial for you.”

WILL KEY PIECES RETURN? The injury bug has bitten both teams. Tampa’s top sniper and captain, Steven Stamkos, has yet to play. He resumed skating recently, but GM Julien BriseBois didn’t sound optimistic about his status on Friday. The Lightning haven’t missed a beat without him, however, showing how deep they are.

The same could be said for Dallas’ No. 1 goalie, Ben Bishop, who missed the Western Conference final and remains “unfit to play,” according to GM Jim Nill. No matter, as backup Anton Khudobin has been a revelation and has stood on his head many nights. 

Both teams also have a number of players who are struggling through various ailments as the compacted schedule takes a heavy toll. 

“I think everybody on both sides has something they’re dealing with. I don’t think you get here without getting dinged up a little bit. It’s just about competing,” said Lightning forward Brayden Point, who missed two games during the Eastern Conference final and is still clearly hobbled.

A SHOT AT REDEMPTION: Tampa won the Presidents’ Trophy during the 2018-19 season as the best regular-season team — only to get swept in the first round by Columbus. That has certainly left a mark.

“Obviously we’re not happy with the way things ended, but at the same time, we’re a different team,” said Hedman. “We’re a better team, I think. I think we learned from it, we took that experience and you don’t want to feel that feeling again.”

As for Dallas, who can forget Dallas CEO Jim Lites absolutely shredding stars Seguin and Benn two years ago, calling their play bleeping horse-bleep, among other things. 

“We’ve been through a lot of stuff. A lot of things have been said about us, and said about him. Now we’re in this moment, and we have a great opportunity in front of us to prove a lot of people wrong,” said Seguin.

JETS CONNECTION: Bowness and Nill have a shared history together from the Jets 1.0 era. Bowness was an assistant coach for three seasons in Winnipeg while Nill was still playing. The pair joked about the relationship on Friday, with Bowness suggesting he once benched his future boss.

“Jim was one of those low-maintenance guys who showed up every day and went to work. A real character guy, great teammate, always stuck up for his teammates. When you see those things, you see a passion for the game,” said Bowness. 

PREDICTION: I see the Tampa raising its second Stanley Cup in franchise history — the other came back in 2004 — after a hard-fought seven-game series. 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg