“If you can’t beat ’em in the alley, you can’t beat ’em on the ice.”
Conn Smythe, the original majority owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and a builder of the NHL, made that statement — and it’s the basis of the title of his autobiography, published posthumously.
Smythe’s mantra may appear politically incorrect in this age, but he knew a thing or two about winning, including a stretch of six Stanley Cup victories in a 10-year span from 1942 through 1951.
He may consider today’s NHL soft in comparison to the league’s infancy, but Smythe — who earned the Military Cross during the Battle of the Somme in World War I — likely would appreciate the Florida Panthers, the defending Stanley Cup champs who reached the final for the third consecutive year and await their opposition.
The Panthers are definitely not the reincarnation of the 1970s Philadelphia Flyers, who used their Broad Street Bullies tactics to claim a couple of titles, but they’re no shrinking violets, either.
Just ask the Carolina Hurricanes, who were swatted away in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.
The series that was supposed to be a clash between Florida’s aggressiveness and Carolina’s skill became no contest.
By the time the final buzzer sounded on Florida’s 5-3 clinching victory Wednesday, the Hurricanes had been beaten into submission and went gently into that good night.
As talented as the Hurricanes’ roster is, it was no match for Florida’s relentless, hard-charging style. Add to the mix how the Panthers physically targeted the likes of Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho — going over the line here and there with the odd cross-check and roughing infraction — and the Hurricanes never stood a chance.
When the dust settled, the Hurricanes were beaten in the alley before hitting the ice.
And now the Panthers get their opportunity to repeat as champions and likely will face the Edmonton Oilers for a second consecutive year.
But make no bones about it — the Panthers are more than just a squad that plays the bullies. Their talent was on full display in between the steady stream of checks, hacks, whacks and face washes delivered to the Hurricanes.
In the five-game beatdown, with the lone setback a 3-0 Carolina win that offered little more than a glimmer of hope to the vanquished squad and allowed the Hurricanes one last home game, the Panthers racked up 21 goals.
Florida pumped in five power-play markers with a lineup that saw production from all four lines, plus added offense from the defense corps.
Want to know how balanced the Panthers are? Through three playoff rounds, they have 10 players with 10 or more points. By comparison, the Hurricanes finished with three. The Oilers have six, and the Dallas Stars — who will try to keep their hopes alive Thursday night — boast four.
All of the clubs in the final four of this year’s Stanley Cup tournament have incredible talent. What sets the Panthers apart is their willingness to muck it up and intimidate.
Whether it means another title for the Sunshine State remains to be seen, but anybody who knocks out the Panthers must be willing to get down and dirty.
Take the game to the alley, if you may.
