Here we go – the 2026 Stanley Cup Final comes to Vegas – 2026 edition. For fans in the Raleigh and Vegas markets, the spectacle is captivating, with the teams splitting two exceedingly entertaining games in North Carolina. Fans everywhere else have their own reasons to root or simply take the Final for what it is and has been thus far – the best test in sports. Whichever, we all have our memories from the first time the Stanley Cup Final pulled us in, as this one is shaping up to have a strong magnetic force for the masses.
For me, the 1971 Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks grabbed me. I wasn’t a fan of either team, just an interested nine-year old. My loyalty was with the first-year expansion team, the Buffalo Sabres, or more accurately with my favorite goalie, Roger Crozier. When I started playing goal in neighborhood game around the age of six or seven, Crozier became a fascination for me since he caught with his right hand – just like me! I checked out the book, “Roger Crozier Daredevil Goalie” from the library as a second grader at least six times.
So, Roger Crozier fascinated me, leading me to watch hockey from the perspective of the goaltender position. And that is where my first “gotcha” Stanley Cup memory came from. The 1971 Montreal Canadiens won with an unknown netminder named Ken Dryden. When I say, “unknown”, remember I was only nine-years old so most everything was a new discovery. Still, the story unfolded as Ken Dryden backstopped the Canadiens’ unlikely playoff run after having played only six regular season games. Most memorably, the gangly, awkward looking at times Dryden stood out in defeating the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Big Bad Boston Bruins in the first round.
In the Final versus the Chicago Blackhawks – the first Original Six Final since the six-team expansion of 1967, Dryden performed spectacularly at times. The teams each won their first three home games before the Canadiens erased a Game 7 2-0 deficit to prevail 3-2 and hoist the Stanley Cup on the Chicago Stadium ice. Dryden garnered the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP. The next season would see him win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year – still the only player to achieve the feat of Conn Smythe accolades preceding Calder honors.
Over the many years, other Stanley Cups have provided me with both personal and professional special moments. Still, nothing replaces the first time the Stanley Cup became important to you. Given the compelling competition on display in the first two games of this Stanley Cup Final, the Vegas Golden Knights vs. the Carolina Hurricanes might just be such a moment for so many fans. Enjoy the riveting Stanley Cup Final action as the scene shifts to the Las Vegas strip.
What was your first “gotcha” Cup memory? - DE
