It's the WCHL's goal to mirror the NHL in many ways, so it seems only fitting that the to teams in the finals are the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, a duo which met in back to back years in the Stanley Cup finals.
Anyone looking to those series' to gain some insight into who will win the WCHL Cup this year might want to look somewhere else; both teams each won one cup.
In this match up, it features a Red Wings squad with a little less swagger than the NHL version. One year after finishing dead last in the Western Conference, the Wings have won the conference title are are poised to pull off one more upset in their quest to gain the clubs first WCHL crown.
Facing them is the Pittsburgh Penguins, perhaps the most unlucky playoff team in the WCHL. One year after winning the league's regular season point title, only to be defeated in the first round by the eighth seeded New Jersey Devils, the Penguins have roared back these playoffs, bouncing the Bruins and Thrashers with conviction before bouncing back from a 20 series deficit against the Philadelphia Flyers to earn the club's first WCHL cup finals berth.
Anyone looking to those series' to gain some insight into who will win the WCHL Cup this year might want to look somewhere else; both teams each won one cup.
In this match up, it features a Red Wings squad with a little less swagger than the NHL version. One year after finishing dead last in the Western Conference, the Wings have won the conference title are are poised to pull off one more upset in their quest to gain the clubs first WCHL crown.
Facing them is the Pittsburgh Penguins, perhaps the most unlucky playoff team in the WCHL. One year after winning the league's regular season point title, only to be defeated in the first round by the eighth seeded New Jersey Devils, the Penguins have roared back these playoffs, bouncing the Bruins and Thrashers with conviction before bouncing back from a 20 series deficit against the Philadelphia Flyers to earn the club's first WCHL cup finals berth.
Who will prevail? Read on to find out:
(4) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins
In a match up of fourth seeds, the Wings and Penguins have had to prove a lot along the way. Of note, both teams have started the last two series without home ice advantage and yet still came out on top, with the Wings doing so on the backs of two straight game seven road wins over the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars.
In this series it will be the Penguins who hold home ice advantage, and given the steely nerves of the Wings, the boys from the Steel city better thing long and hard about getting this series over early. A game seven on the road is right up the Wings alley.
As for Detroit, they busted out of a cold funk at the right time. After roaring to a 3-1 lead over the Avalanche in round two, the Wings would lose five of their next seven, narrowly getting past Colorado in seven games, in overtime no less, before falling behind 3-1 to Dallas. What a difference a few days can make and now the Wings enter the finals as what has to be the favored team mentally. Unlike Pittsburgh, who have the weight of past post-season failure hanging over them, Detroit has already far eclipsed what was expected of them. They are in a win-win situation.
One trend could hold true these playoffs, however. Despite some incredible series in the early rounds, most WCHL Cup finals have become blow outs, with a number of sweeps having been registered over the years. Even last year, when elite teams in the Calgary Flames and New York Rangers matched up, the Flames still blew past the Rangers in four straight.
Prediction: It won't be a sweep but the Penguins have been nearly unstoppable, minus a minor bump against the Flyers. This should finally be the Penguins year. Pittsburgh in five.
