In three hours or so the Stanley Cup will be presented to the winner of tonight's game. Those are the rules. The winner of G7 gets the Cup. Like elections and jury verdicts the process legitimizes the result and cannot be questioned. By lengthier process each of these is worthy of the Cup. Florida finished the regular season third in its conference; Edmonton fifth in theirs. Then they ran the playoff gantlet to get to the Final and now, after seven games, it’s time.
These are the two best teams! You can look it up. They are, I did, and I don't question it. The winner is by definition of process the best. So conceding that my question is, "Are these great teams?" You can make the case (although few do) that every Stanley Cup winner is great, and that the runner-up is among the all-time second-greats. Doesn't that follow since the process is infallible? It does.
So what is the point, Benjamin? The point is this: Every U.S. president except one has been legitimate. That does not make every American president great. Since I don't have to follow the irrefutable logic of process and pronounce winner and loser tonight as great and near-great teams, I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to because of the process. Its logic has produced an illogical conclusion, viz, that a great team is one which loses its first three games and wins its next four, and becomes the legitimate Cup holder; OR A great team is one that wins its first three games then loses its next three, then wins its fourth, and the Cup. That does not compute with me. I can’t dispute that one of these is the best team but I’ll be goddamned if anybody’s going to drag the word “great” out of me and stick it on one of these two.
I predict that in three hours or so Edmonton will win tonight and will be awarded the Stanley Cup. They will be worthy winners. OR Against my prediction, Florida will win the game tonight and be awarded the Stanley Cup. They too will be worthy winners. Congratulations, may the best team win. Neither is a great team. I further predict, and with greater confidence, that the winner of the Stanley Cup tonight will never be considered company with these best of the best:
