Game Seven: The two most revered words in sports.

	You'll never look at your local movie theatre the same way.

The ratings in both Canada and the US were very poor for the all-American Stanley Cup final. Like a film that doesn't do much advertising and fails to attract big attention during press junkets or garner any type of hype, the Ducks-Devils matchup failed to appeal to mainstream hockey fans. Perhaps is was due to the lack of superstar players. I mean all the hype was centered around the two goaltenders; Martin Brodeur and the darling of the playoffs, Jean-Sebastien Giguere or 'Jiggy" as he will forever be known. I mean, centreing the series spotlight on two goaltenders is the equivalent of advertising a movie purely around the director without any regard for the actors or the plot. Another reason the hype for these finals was so subdued was the lack of history that exist between the two clubs. Anaheim is a 10-year old organization experiencing their first ever successful playoff run and the Devils are the established, efficient, playoff savvy team. When you pair two clubs with little in common you run across the same tired plots: "It's experience vs. inexperience", "It will come down to who has the better goalie", "Whichever team plays closest to the edge will win", "Whoever does the best job of limiting their mistakes will win". I mean these plots are used year after year much like the same ideas for movies: Buddy cop flicks, romantic comedies and caper films with one last heist for the aging veteran.

Quick Synopsis of each game:

Game 1: Predictable result. New Jersey played a flawless game of hockey and schooled the young student 3-0. Watching the Ducks in this game was like watching someone trying to find their seats in a dark theatre, walking around cautiously, the look of someone that's lost their bearings and that hopelessly awkward look of actually finding where you're supposed to be. Although to give Anaheim the benefit of the doubt this was their first game in 11 days. Regardless the Devils looked great in this opening game.

Game 2: Cue the sequel. This was an exact repeat of Game 1 as New Jersey beat Anaheim by the same score 3-0. Although it's unusual to see the exact same performance in a sequel as usually the audience expects more excitement, more drama and more fireworks. Unfortunately this game did little to revamp mainstream interest in the Finals as the storyline failed to elicit much emotion.

Game 3: Leading into this game many were thinking that the Devils were on their way to a sweep. Although like many movie plots the hero (Ducks) must be put into an undesirable position where the protagonist (Devils) looks unbeatable. A few lucky breaks in this game and Anaheim pulls out a 3-2 OT win that breathes new life into the series. Of note Ozolinsh's now infamous goal on Brodeur was one that surely would belong in the outtakes reel that plays after the movie ends.

Game 4: A true defensive battle as the offensive chances were limited as both teams played a fairly cautious game. The Ducks end up edging the Devils 1-0 thanks to Steve Thomas' quick overtime goal coming just 39 seconds into the 1st overtime. It's games like this that drives away hockey purists who enjoy games with a little more offensive output. The neutral zone trap is an effective system for a team that wants to employ a conservative style of play without really pressing the issue for a goal. It's a system that relies on waiting for a mistake and quickly counter-attacking. The neutral zone trap is kind of like those annoying skater teens that live at the movie theaters. The theatre puts up with them but yet no one can stand them.

Game 5: This was one of those games that was completely unexpected, where the normally offensively abstinent teams combined to score an astonishing 9 goals en route to a 6-3 Devils win. This game was like seeing a comedy that you think might have a few laughs and will be overall enjoyable and all of a sudden in turns into one of those comedies where you're in tears from laughing so hard. Kind of like the experience of seeing 'Something about Mary'. The series is really starting to get interesting and this offensive outburst is creating a new buzz about the series.

	The result of a Scott Stevens hit.

Game 6: We've officially reached the climax portion of the finals as the game was simply outstanding. The intensity was there, the puck movement was incredible and the biggest paid star of the series Paul Kariya finally was the focal point. Prior to this game Kariya had the deer caught in the headlights look that people have when they walk into a theatre and see how full it is with little possibility of finding a seat. Kariya was under huge pressure to deliver as his Ducks were on the verge of defeat. He rose to the occasion and responded with a goal and two assists leading his Ducks to a 5-2 win. Highlight of the game was Scott Stevens' crushing hit on Kariya as Kariya got caught admiring his pass and looking the wrong way when Stevens smoked him in a Montreal meat type of way. To his credit Kariya returned to the ice when many thought he was done for the night and responded heroically with a goal that officially put the game out of reach for the Devils. The series has now reached a 'Swingers' type feel where the word of mouth is starting to get around about how good this series is actually getting.

Game 7: The final act. It's like one of those movies that has a huge lineup in anticipation. And like a well anticipated movie you know a Game 7 is gonna be good, although every once in while a Star Wars: Phantom Menace comes along and dispels that theory. While the game wasn't a classic it was also far from being a Phantom Menace type disaster. The series ended fittingly with the Devils winning the final game of the series much like they won the first game of the series. Even the scoreline remained true with the Devils winning 3-0. The cup victory adds to an impressive run that has seen the Devils win 3 cups in the past 9 years. The Ducks had an impressive playoff run although their Disney-like story failed to end with a happy ending.

Some final observations:

Where was Paul Kariya's playoff beard? I mean he looked like he was using the Mach 3 twice a day just to prevent any hint of stubble. What's he hiding? Does the guy grow some sort of Keanu Reeves beard complete with unevenness and tons of empty patches? I mean not sporting any stubble during the playoffs is like trying to order just a simple water at the theatre and getting asked if you'd like Nachos with that? It simply doesn't make any sense.

In the end the Ducks Game 6 win was just prolonging the inevitable. They extended their playoff run much like I plan to extend my student card discount at the movies for another 3-4 years.

J.S Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trohpy as Playoff MVP and although he was great throughout the first three rounds, 'Jiggy' hardly played his best hockey in the biggest series of them all. Meanwhile all his counterpart did was post three shutouts in the seven game series to add to the 4 shutouts he picked up earlier. Oh well, I'm sure Marty is just as satisfied in winning his third Stanley Cup.