ex-Canuck to Win Stanley Cup

At this time of year it is a bit of fun to play the game of looking for ex-Canucks that have an opportunity to win the cup. Again this year, the crop of potentials is interesting.

The freshest ex-Canuck is Matt Cooke and he has his chance with the Washington Capitals. An outside chance. Still a better chance than Matt Pettinger’s.

The most notable ex-Canuck would be Todd Bertuzzi who now sulks the left wing in Anaheim. I have mixed feeling about Bert having a cup chance with the defending champs. Mostly I would rather not see Bertuzzi’s name etched on the cup. Yet it would most likely be a big relief for Betruzzi to have a shot at a legacy of Stanley Cup Champion and convicted felon rather than just convicted felon. Anaheim also has Brad May who did in fact win the mug with the Ducklings last season.

Two (maybe three) ex-Canucks have the best shot at touching the cup this spring. They include one time rental Bryan Somlinski with the Habs and lovable pest Jarkko Ruutu with the Penguins. Add to this a reasonable chance for D-Man Adrian Aucoin and the Flames IF Iggy and crew can get by the Sharks.

There are a handful of others such as, Alex Auld and Peter ‘Who’ Schaefer in Boston. RJ Umberger, Philly and Marek Malik for the Rangers. At this time I do not think any of them has a legitimate chance.

Finally in the “huh” category. The final two would make good trivia questions. Who is the backup goalie in New Jersey? It is ex-Canuck Kevin Weekes. Which journeyman defenseman is not a Canuck’s property but recently played for the Manitoba Moose? The answer is Dallas Stars’ Nolan Baumgartner. While Baumgartner was recently added to the Stars’ active roster, he has no games played in the NHL this season. Unknown what the rules are with respect to winning and minimum games played but Baumgartner does have the chance to be on the ice when the cup is presented.

Ciao,

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Tags: hockey; San+Jose+Sharks; Calgary+Flames; Vancouver+Canucks