The Ottawa Senators are trying to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993. Will Anaheim stand in their way? (Source: Getty Images)

I’m really hoping these finals deliver us a knockout series because thus far the playoffs have been devoid of that one must-see series. That’s not to say the post-season hasn’t been entertaining; it’s just that there hasn’t been a series where you’ve called your buddies even though none of you are real fans of the clubs and said “Are you watching this? Can you believe this series? We’ve got to get together for the next game.” The NBA had the Golden State – Dallas match-up but best as I can tell the standout series from an entertainment standpoint might have been the Rangers-Sabres second round series.

The new nadir from a TV ratings perspective will likely be established with this finals match-up. It’s a little odd that a match-up between two great organizations and terrific teams like Ottawa and Anaheim will set a new all-time low for TV ratings because on paper this looks like a great match-up with plenty of interesting storylines.  So what makes me think that this Finals match-up will be an apocalyptic ratings disaster in the US? The fact is Ottawa and Anaheim are not among the league’s elite for generating interest. Consider Ottawa for a minute; they’ve been a league powerhouse for over five years and a playoff squad for 10 years yet they don’t draw well when they’re on the road. The two seasons prior to the lockout the Sens were the second worst draw on the road. Post-lockout the Sens sat 20^th last year and 14^th this year. That’s a significant turnaround but it’s not for the reasons you may be thinking. One needs to look no further than the league’s rivalry based schedule to find an answer. Including Ottawa, four out of the top eight home attendance leaders play in the Northeast Division: Ottawa, Buffalo, Toronto and Montreal. Playing nearly 30% of your games in these barns is bound to increase one’s attendance.  So if you ignore the impact the Sens’ “healthy” division has on their road attendance than you would find them towards the back of the pack once again.

Aren’t completely sold on the impact the NHL’s divisional schedule has had on road attendance? Then consider the plight of the Detroit Red Wings, who play in one of the worst divisions for attendance. Columbus, St. Louis, Chicago and Nashville all fall in the bottom third of the league’s attendance home leaders, and since Detroit has to play 16 games a year in these arenas they have seen a significant drop in their road attendance standing. Prior to the lockout the Wings were the best draw in the league for three consecutive years, this year they ranked an astonishing 16^th on the road. Steve Yzerman’s departure is obviously one reason for the drop but it’s clear the divisional games are the main cause.

Some other thoughts:

I have to ask: how hard is it for a NHL team to hand out color coordinated t-shirts to their crowds? Virtually every NBA team does it. Are uninspired hockey promotional teams the issue? Is money the issue? If it’s money then that’s an easy thing to get around - just get a sponsor to split the costs by placing their logos on each shirt.

Are the Calgary Flames being paid royalties from the Sens’ playoff run? There’s the whole Sea of Red retread campaign that’s been encouraging fans to wear red for all games as well as the Sens Red Mile which is trying to duplicate Calgary’s infamous 18^th street organic celebration from 2004.

Just a hunch but when these playoffs are over I think it will be revealed that Chris Pronger has some sort of shoulder or ribcage injury. As good as he’s been in these playoffs he doesn’t seem to be the same intimidating physical force and he’s passed up on taking the big slapper from the point far too many times.

How many times do we have to see Rob and Scott’s surname misspelled as ‘Neidermayer”? Don’t these media publications have editors and proofreaders to catch this kind of thing? It’s not like these guys are new to the league.

Prediction

How Anaheim wins the Cup:

Anaheim is not about to get into a barn burner with Ottawa because they’ll get beat each and every time. Anaheim’s best chance is to play a stodgy defensive game and hope for a 2-1 type game. J.S. Giguere will need to be a big star. He has already proven that he’s an elite playoff goalie with one Conn Smythe trophy under his belt and an unreal 12-1 overtime record on his resume. Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald are going to have to deliver big time offensively because after them Ryan Getzlaf is the only other dependable contributor. Selke Trophy nominee Samuel Pahlsson is going to have to prove his full worth because his checking line will draw responsibility to keep Ottawa’s big line in tow. Speaking of checking, Anaheim is also going to have to lay the body on Ottawa with some ferocity and regularity as the Sens have yet to be really challenged in this post season.

How Ottawa wins the Cup:

Ottawa has been far and away the most impressive team in these playoffs; all they have to do is continue do more of the same. The big line of Spezza, Heatley and Alfredsson has single handedly led the team offensively, accounting for 48% of the team’s goals thus far.  As long as this line continues to be a force the Sens should be flying. The lack of secondary scoring is a bit of a concern so if the likes of Mike Fisher, Antoine Vermette and Mike Comrie can pitch in a few it will improve the Sens’ chances.  The Sens need to keep up their excellent forecheck game which will make life tougher on the Ducks’ excellent defence trio of Niedermayer, Pronger and Beauchemin. Perhaps the biggest strength of the Sens’ first modern day Stanley Cup run has been their ability to shrug off the smallest sign of adversity – this is the mental makeup of a true champion.

So who wins?

Ottawa in 6.