My Favorite Series, One Per Year From 2001 Through 2019

My Favorite Series, One Per Year From 2001 Through 2019

morning all I’m starting off with something a little different today so I did a video about a month ago where I looked at my favorite series from 1981 through until the year 2000 what we’ve got on the board for today is from the years 2001 until 2019 I went with 18 series rather than the 20 I did the last time out so it’ll be a little bit shorter I would think than the last time I did this video uh but we’ll see so 2001 right through to 2019 because uh 2005 there was no Stanley C a worded so I thought I’ll do N9 and N rather than doing 9 and 10 and getting to 2020 but 2020 is really recent anyways so I figured H 2001 to 2019 works just as well starting off with in 2001 and it kind of changed together well with the 2000 series that I picked so Dallas wins the Stanley Cup Final in 1999 uh they get back to the Stanley Cup Final in uh 2000 only to lose against the New Jersey Devils in what was a very good series then in 2001 New Jersey gets back to the final they play Colorado Colorado wins their second Stanley Cup uh their first one being in 96 and they did that in seven games so very entertaining final uh when it’s a final between two teams I don’t have an emotional investment in it’s fun it’s fun to watch and uh so this was this was definitely a good final and again seeing that this was at a time where there were certain teams that felt like were above the others so you had Colorado Detroit and Dallas and New Jersey in the East New Jersey just seemed to be the class of the East and then the team that came out of the West had a pretty good chance of winning the Stanley Cup which Speaking of which we’re going to go to a Western Conference Final for The Following Season 2002 the Detroit Red Wings would go all the way to win a Stanley Cup but before they get there in the conference final so Conference Final uh Detroit beats Colorado that’s a seven game series as well because seven game series are usually the most entertaining usually if it’s a sweep or a five game series there has to be some circumstance to it and there is at least one sweep I know of on this list but yeah Detroit and Colorado great series anytime these teams met each other 2002 being no exception to that rule uh 2003 we’re back in a Stanley Cup Final with this one uh and again seven game series at absolutely so in the Stanley Cup Final I I was really rooting for the Mighty Ducks in this one I’ll be honest I was really rooting for them the home team won all seven games New Jersey wins at in seven uh it wasn’t the most entertaining playoffs to get there but I thought the final was pretty good uh the Ducks had played the trap to get there and for New Jersey they’re like oh trap that’s cute we could do that and so yeah New Jersey wins their third Stanley Cup to date their last Stanley Cup I think there’s a good chance they win win one in the next few few years but we shall see uh New Jersey wins that one in 2003 though over Anaheim uh a series where both goalies were very good but Jager was absolutely fantastic 2004 and this series features the Detroit Red Wings as well so now we’re not in a Stanley Cup Final situation but it does feature a team that would go all the way to the final so I’m going to I’m going to label this as round two it’s technically the conference semi-final but I’ll just call it round two uh easier way of in that down uh and Calgary knocked out Detroit four games to two I thought that was an absolute shocker personally uh as great as kof was and of course this is the height of the again layer and everything I was very surprised they took out Detroit in that second round uh and I enjoyed it which is weird because Calgary had just knocked out Vancouver in the first round uh showing that just because the team knocks out a team that I root for it doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t be rooting for them in the next series I definitely rooted for Calgary and then of course to get to the Stanley Cup Final um they do not win against Tampa Bay that Stanley Cup Final was very entertaining but the Calgary Detroit one is the one that stands out for me of those series 2006 I went back and forth on this I knew it had to be one of the Carolina series I went the one against Buffalo so this is in the conference final a four games to three victory for Carolina in that one and that’s kind of where Buffalo’s playoffs like Stanley Cup aspirations come to an end is with that 2006 run of the Conference Final um and since then it’s been kind of a a downward struggle for them in the playoffs and of course they haven’t reached the playoffs since 2011 but at either rate or at any rate the Carolina Hurricanes win that Series in seven they would then win the final in seven that final was pretty good too but for me I preferred the Carolina Buffalo series just that little bit just that little bit 2007 is highly predictable I could have started with this series uh it was round one it is the Vancouver Canucks it is the Dall of stars and it it ended up going perfect really it went the full seven games uh I think the first game was what three four overtimes it was a lot uh and I stayed up and watched that whole game even though I had to get up early and work the next day I don’t think I got more than like three hours sleep worth it uh but Vancouver wins the series over Dallas and seven I enjoyed that series immensely um it would have been obnoxious for people on the internet to deal with reviews from that ‘ 07 season because um in that round I I I cheered for both teams I was quite happy with any result that we got from that series and of course Vancouver ends up winning it in that seventh game and as a side note of course uh I think that’s the last time Vancouver and Dallas played in the playoffs in fact I’m pretty sure of it could have had it in 2024 just so close yet so far away all right uh um 2008 we’re going back to another final here and it’s interesting because you would think that Detroit and Pittsburgh who were two of my least favorite teams at this point in time that a final between the two would be like well you know whatever I I don’t care who wins yada yada yada but Detroit the older team Pittsburgh the young upstart team led by Crosby of course uh Detroit holds him off that first year and wins it in six fascinating really really good final uh that’s the most recent Stanley Cup victory for the Detroit Red Wings so what would I do for 2009 it it kind of has to be that final again doesn’t it I I think of it in terms of when we’ve seen a rematch in the Stanley Cup final which is not very often I’m just thinking back like yeah 83 and 84 we had the Islanders and the Oilers it’s very rare that we see a rematch in the Stanley Cup Final but that 2009 Stanley Cup Final between Pittsburgh it feels like because Pittsburgh wins that one and seven it also amplifies the 2008 final because the team that’s the young upstarts ends up winning the second year Detroit doesn’t quite have enough to win the series that year um it it’s just those two those two finals together really fascinating a lot of fun and it’s part of the reason why when people roll their eyes and say ah these teams have played before why do we want to see it again cuz because people do people generally do uh and and the idea of dynasties and seeing teams against one another year after year after year to see who’s who’s better I I I honestly think for most fans that makes things more interesting but that’s just me but yeah both of those finals for me my favorite series from those Seasons um people will not be surprised that Chicago Vancouver was not my favorite series for either of those years uh 2010 this one might surprise people it might not but you’re going to start to see why I’m wearing a Pittsburgh jersey because Pittsburgh features more than anybody else on this so in 2010 in round two uh it was it was the hak show it yo hak had like such an amazing run uh it started with the first round upset against the capitals but the capitals losing a series they should win it’s kind of a standard thing at at times during their existence um but beating Pittsburgh it felt like was huge remember Pittsburgh’s the defending Stanley Cup champion here Here Comes Montreal a team that’s a lower seed should be easy for Pittsburgh seven game series Yos slav H stole that one as well um the magic would run out in the conference final for Montreal but that round two series was absolutely fantastic it was a lot of fun to watch and so yeah for 2010 it gets my vote um again showing that teams that I root for not necessarily involved in series that I feel like are my favorites Boston hasn’t even shown up yet uh 2011 Boston doesn’t show up here either so for 2011 it’s going to be a Vancouver series of because of course it is but it’s not going to be the final cuz of course it isn’t um anybody who’s followed this channel knows that uh for long enough knows that that would not be my favorite series uh Vancouver knocking out San Jose in the conference final four games to one that was my favorite series of of that run um I know that for a lot of people it would be the Chicago series that one gave me conniptions because the Canucks were up three games to nothing and it took until overtime a game seven to put Chicago out because Dave Boland was Unstoppable in that series uh so weird he came back halfway through the series and Vancouver just couldn’t stop him uh but then Vancouver knocks out Nashville that was a fun series too but the one against San Jose just absolutely Vancouver the better team bexo with the huge overtime go overtime gamewinner that was just that was such a fun series because that meant I was going to get a team I rooted for to win a Stanley Cup uh of course Vancouver gets their Conference Final win before Boston does I didn’t put the Boston Tampa series up there either cuz that was not my favorite ahead of the Vancouver San Jose series uh 2012 so this one was a huge surprise which made it one that that I was a fan of uh and it is in round one round one the coyotes who at the time were still Phoenix uh they knock out Chicago it’s four games to two wasn’t it yep when the coyotes knocked out the Hawks I I me in that moment I felt like I was a coyotes fan um Chicago’s reign of terror I felt like was coming to an end little did I know 2015 they would storm right back and and uh yeah and and of course Chicago state is one of the best teams in the National Hockey League and win three Stanley Cups but they didn’t win it in 2012 because the coyotes knocked him out the coyotes went all the way to the conference final it was fun that’s still the the the basically the Highlight for the coyotes during their time in the desert I think would be that run and it starts with that huge up set victory that no one expected over Chicago keep in mind that meant Chicago lost in the first round of back-to-back years there was no Panic they didn’t tear anything apart and then they’d win a couple more Stanley Cups in 2013 and 2015 uh in 2013 this is where Boston shows up this is a Conference Final matchup and this series blew me away and and the reason being that I thought Pittsburg was going to give Boston everything they could handle I felt like that series was going to be close I felt like you know Boston’s Boston could win this but this isn’t going to be easy and then they swept Pittsburgh and it was one of those times where you could tell that some people in the broadcasting industry really wanted Pittsburgh to win um right up until the end of game four just maybe maybe maybe if Pittsburgh could win this because remember Boston had a four nothing Ser or three nothing they had a 4 nothing series lead lost the next five they had a 3- nothing series lead against Philadelphia in 2010 so in 2013 it’s only 3 years later you could still start that Narrative of hey one Pennsylvania team came back and beat him in four straight gr Pittsburgh do it and the answer was no um I was quite happy when Boston was able to win series via sweeps um takes all the tension out of it for me personally and just the fact that Pittsburgh was a team that they’d had a rivalry with for a long time I I just I really enjoyed that series uh 2014 for that series uh we’re going to a Conference Final matchup as well uh this was really the the the power of the West at this point in time and the LA Chicago matchup it it did not disappoint it goes the whole seven games and again while I didn’t particularly care for Chicago or La at the time doesn’t matter I really enjoyed the series the series was a lot of fun to watch um and so the Kings end up coming out on on the right side of it Chicago on the wrong and then La would win their second Stanley Cup in three years Chicago would of course bounce back and win a Stanley Cup in 2015 but that Conference Final that’s one of those times where it feels like the Conference Final is the real Stanley Cup and that does happen where we look back and go the Stanley Cup was actually the Conference Final I do a video on that too but I definitely when Detroit played Colorado it felt like that was the Stanley Cup Final even though they’d have to go on and play a Stanley Cup Final Series against someone else but uh certain certain rivalries tend to be pretty darn good come playoff time uh 2015 another Conference Final which bodess well I guess that the Conference finals are on when I’m I’m recording this but Tampa Bay in that Conference Final it’s another seven game series over the New York Rangers that was a fun one too because uh at the time uh the warehouse I was working in everybody took a name out of a hat and they put in 20 bucks on a team uh my team was Tampa and so Tampa went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final I did get a Chicago Jersey after that 2015 win by Chicago that was my first Chicago Jersey in my collection ction uh because I felt like you know Chicago earned it I I can’t get too mad at them about it and uh yeah and and that was kind of my way of of I don’t know rationalizing losing that 20 bucks by spending another $129.99 on a Chicago Jersey I really came out down that year didn’t I anyways yeah so Tampa Bay uh that that series with the New York Rangers was fantastic the Stanley Cup Final was very entertaining as well um and and I always appreciate really really entertaining hockey so that gets my my vote as the best my favorite series from that year uh 2016 another Conference Final see and I don’t even I don’t even plan it out that way I’m just like you know this is my favorite and this is my favorite I don’t really look it over as I’m writing it all down I just look through each playoff bracket and go that was my favorite series 2016 so the first year of the Channel’s existence uh Pittsburgh knocks off Tampa Bay and the conf Conference Final in seven so Tampa Bay capable going pretty far in the playoffs uh conference finalists in both 2015 and 2016 2015 of course beating the Rangers 2016 they do not beat the Pittsburgh Penguins remember the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and I did a video congratulating them on it and um and then there was there was a copyright issue with one of the videos in and around that time as well that was where I first discovered the oh yeah you got to watch for copyright with the National Hockey League this is why people like you could show highlights nah really I can’t um that was 8 years ago but pretty quickly the NHL was like Hey so uh that’s that’s our footage what do you think you’re doing and um yeah so uh in its infancy I learned pretty quickly and then of course 2019 I got another reminder and so I haven’t done it since uh but yeah Pittsburgh and and Tampa Bay was a very entertaining series absolutely um and then 2017 so there’s a pattern here isn’t there uh it’s another Conference Final and this is one that’s going to be tough for S fans because that series goes seven and unfortunately coming out of that series I think it gave Ottawa the perception they were really close to being a Stanley Cup champion and they made moves with that thought in mind they make the Matt duchaine trade which ultimately is not a trade that worked out very well for Ottawa and Things Fall Apart for Pittsburgh in the meantime they haven’t won the Stanley Cup again since 2017 but that conference final that was about as hotly contested as you get it’s a full seven game series as most of these are those are usually your most entertaining uh 2018 is not is not a best or is not a seven game series and it’s not a Conference Final either so we broke that it’s a second round Series where the capitals beat Pittsburgh four games to two and at the end of that game when the capitals knocked out Pittsburgh I I fell to my knee hands raised I couldn’t believe the capitals finally overcame Pittsburgh this rivalry has been very lopsided in favor of the Pittsburgh Penguins for as long as I can remember and so when Washington wins it feels like it’s kind of a big deal and it was the capitals went on and won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and it started I felt like you know getting out round one’s important but that win over Pittsburgh in round two really I think gave the capitals the confidence and they went on and won their to date only Stanley Cup uh with that victory over Pittsburgh these teams whenever they play against each other people do get tired of the OV Crosby discussions every time they meet gets a little repetitive and and tiring but there’s a reason that that narrative is there and there’s a reason so many people tune in to watch these teams against one another especially in the playoffs in 2019 rounding this out it has to be the first round doesn’t it that first round matchup famously of course I said Columbus is dead at the start of the preview video for that series and then I went on to talk about oh I guess Columbus has a chance if but did I think Columbus had a chance against Tampa not really Tampa Bay had had this ridiculous regular season and then Columbus swept them and it didn’t feel like it clicked for Tampa Bay that they were in trouble until that fourth game and by the time they started playing well and started playing their game the series was over Columbus had it in the bag so uh that was one of those moments that it felt like hey Columbus is you know finally done something fantastic in the playoffs there’s a really good memory for Columbus fans um and then 2020 they would get that win over Toronto in the qualifying round but since then uh it’s been kind of downhill for the Columbus Blue Jackets but 2019 that that 4 nothing Series win over Tampa Bay was an absolute shocker and it it it kind of made those playoffs and it broke so many brackets that the NHL was like so you guys want to have a second chance we saw that this year too but I don’t feel like all the brackets were broken like they were in 2019 where favorites were knocked out and the biggest favorite of course was Tampa Bay but let me know your thoughts in the comment section below which of the series on the board would you say was your favorite from that year or what series from these Seasons would you say was your favorite let me know your thoughts in the comments section below as always don’t for don’t forget to hit like And subscribe if you’ve not done so already thank you guys so much for all your support I will talk to you again soon

Hey all and here’s a second part to my look at my favorite playoff series.

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