Did the Boston Bruins Finally Take the Spotlight off the 2001 Seattle Mariners?
This is not a hockey site, nor will it become one, so don't worry.
I admit. This piece is a little bit of a passion project for me. It's the spot in my life where my worlds intersect.
See, I grew up in Seattle but I've lived in the Northeast for the last 25 years. I maintain my diehard Seattle sports roots and am a long-suffering Mariners fan, but over the years of living and working in the Northeast, I've adopted some of the teams in the region, namely the Boston Celtics, since Seattle no longer has an NBA team. I've also caught myself watching and rooting for the Boston Bruins in the NHL over the last several years.
While it's difficult to process the Bruins losing on Sunday night in the first round of the NHL Playoffs to the Florida Panthers, I also want to say thank you.
Thank you for getting my Mariners off the hook. The 2001 Mariners that didn't win the World Series? You are now in the clear.
See, the Boston Bruins had the best regular season in NHL history. They won the President's Trophy for the most regular season points with 135. The most points in a single-season in NHL history. They also had 65 wins on the year, the most in NHL history. It was truly the greatest regular season ever.
Losing in the first-round of the NHL playoffs in seven games to the Florida Panthers, who had 92 points and were the last team in the Eastern Conference playoffs, is an epic collapse. Is it a failure? That's up for you to decide, but it is undoubtedly a missed opportunity. The Bruins were up 3-1 in the series and lost Game 7 on home ice, making it sting even more.
The 2001 Mariners that won the most games in baseball history (116) and then were beaten in the American League Championship Series by the New York Yankees, had been seen as the poster child for choking away a great regular season.
Not anymore. That top spot is now surely owned by the Bruins. And Maybe the 2007 Patriots, who were unbeaten in the NFLs regular season before losing in the Super Bowl to the Giants.
At least the Mariners team that lost to the Yankees fell to a Yankees team in the midst of the Yankees dynasty. At least the Mariners lost to a Yankees team with Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez and other longstanding members of the Yankees mid 1990s-early 2000s run.
At least the Mariners didn't lose to the Florida Panthers, a team that has never won a title, in a city that we're not even sure likes hockey. And certainly doesn't like it as much as their rivals in Tampa Bay.
Yes, the 2001 Mariners not getting to the World Series is a major disappointment in my fandom. I've heard about their failures for the last 20 years.
Thanks to the Boston Bruins and last night, I probably won't have to anymore.
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