Thursday 16 May 2013

NHL playoffs: The world when a team from Canada last won the Stanley Cup

SI.com’s Bryan Armen Graham presented 12 things that were true in May 2004, when the Toronto Maple Leafs made their last postseason appearance until May 1, 2013 in Boston. Let us now revisit the world as it was in May 1993, the year that the Montreal Canadiens became the last Canada-based NHL team to lift Lord Stanley’s chalice. Here are 12 truths from that storied time:

1. Gary Bettman was the NHL’s new commissioner

Garry Bettman in 1993
He’d been in office for two months and had yet to be booed while presenting the Cup. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Here’s more on the league’s landscape and the rest of the world for that entire year:

2. Bill Clinton was the new President of the United States

Bill Clinton in 1993
He’d been in office all of four months. (Robert Giroux/AFP/Getty Images)

3. Wayne Gretzky was a King

Wayne Gretzky in 1993
And he was on his way to his fifth Stanley Cup Final. (Mitchell Layton/AP)

4. The Canadiens were kings of the Wales Conference

Canadiens vs. Islanders in 1993 Wales Conference Final
After the Isles upset the two-time defending champ Penguins, the Habs beat the Isles to reach the Cup final. (Getty)

5. Brendan Gallagher was one year old

Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens’ 2013 Calder Trophy nominee was born on May 6, 1992. (Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

6. The Blue Jays were the defending World Series champs

Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays
And they were going to repeat. (Mark Duncan/AP)

7. Montreal had a Major League team

Montreal Expos
The future Washington Nationals. (Gene Puskar/AP)

8. It was last call for Cheers

The cast of Cheers
The show ended its 11-year run on NBC on May 20. (Getty Images)

9. It was last call for Spuds McKenzie

Spuds McKenzie
The “Original Party Animal” (a female) died of kidney failure at age 9 on May 31. (AP)

10. Snoop Lion was Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg
Snoop was a rising star, his first solo album six months away, after being featured on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. (Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images)

11. New York City was in the news

New York City Subway
The World Trade Center had been bombed in February, and on May 8, Keron Thomas, 16, disguised himself as a motorman and took a subway train with 2,000 passengers on a three-hour ride around the city. (Getty Images)

12. A debate raged about gays in the U.S. military

Colin Powell
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was adopted as official policy later that year. (Howard Sachs/Getty Images)

No comments:

Post a Comment