| Wild vs. Anaheim Mighty Ducks 2003 Stanley Cup Western Conf. Finals May 10, 2003 - Game #1 Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul 2-0 Double Overtime Loss |
| The Wild's miracle on ice continues...now they're in the Western Conference Finals against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim - this year's other Cinderella story. Both teams are pretty even when you look at season numbers and playoff performance. Both play a very defensive, patient style where they wait to capitalize on the other teams' errors - and rely heavily on strong goaltending. The Ducks have the strongest goalie in the playoffs in JS Giguerre. So a low-scoring game was predicted - both teams had plenty of scoring opportunities - but it wasn't until the second OT period that the Ducks finally got the puck behind Manny. A tough loss, but a hard-fought battle. |
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| The folks at the X had to lift out part of the ice to paint the Stanley Cup logo under the ice - Stanley Cup playoffs in Minnesota - how cool is that! |
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| National TV coverage on ABC - Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson cover the game. Brian Engblom also reported from the X. |
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| I love the traditions at the X - the little hockey player who comes out to plant the "State of Hockey" flag at center ice - and the traditional start of the game with the "Let's Play Hockey" call. Today's special guest, in honor of Mother's Day, was Darby Hendrickson's mom, Jane. |
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| The fans were ready, waving their "Rink Rags." The players were ready on the bench. So, drop the puck! |