My Little Corner of Canada, June 19

The Stanley Cup playoffs were close and exciting. It was too bad that all the Canadian teams were eliminated early.

Sorry, Montreal fans. The Price was not right.

As This Corner predicted back in December, Chicago came out on top. They survived the semi-finals by beating the favored Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks were their biggest hurdle in the playoffs.

Congratulations to Steve Yzerman, the general manager of the Lightning, who has put together a young team which will probably be even stronger next year.

In the end, experience and balance won over a young determined team.

Jonathan Toews will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as soon as he becomes eligible. Stars like Sydney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin get all the attention but Toews just keeps on winning.

He reminds me of Steve Yzerman when he was captain of the Detroit Red Wings.

The Ex-Senators

Remember Zdeno Chara? He became captain of the Boston Bruins and won a Stanley Cup. He used to play for The Senators.

Marian Hossa has now won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Black Hawks. He used to play for the Senators.

Antoine Vermette had two game-winning goals for the Hawks in the finals. He used to play for the Senators.
Ben Bishop, the goalie for Tampa, came close to winning the Stanley Cup. He used to play for the Senators.

I wonder who will be traded by the Senators next.

Don Cherry’s Corner

It’s time for Don Cherry to retire from The Coach’s Corner. His act is getting so yesterday. Even Ron McLean is looking bored.

Looking to 2015-16

• Will a new coach and the arrival of Conner McDavid make The Edmonton Oilers a winning team?

• Will Mike Babcock, the new coach, make a difference for the Toronto Maple Leafs?