NHL legend Mark Messier predicts Oilers Canucks series and Cup winners
In Canadian NHL rivalries, there may not be another player that so polarizing on both sides than Mark Messier. Adored for his success in Edmonton and hated for his antics in Vancouver, Messier has a unique perspective on the series, and has now picked his winner.
Now a broadcast analyst for ESPN, Messier was asked to predict the winner of the rivalry series he's been on both sides of. To add salt in the wound for Canucks fans, Messier picked the Oilers to eliminate them in six games.
Messier has one of the most legendary careers in hockey history. He played a whopping 1756 games totalling 1887 points, two hart trophies, and six Stanley Cups. Five times Messier won with the Oilers and once with the Rangers, and he promised that same success in Vancouver - only to demolish the team from the inside and leave without winning anything.
Mark Messier predicts the Stanley Cup winner this season
However, Messier also seems to have a Stanley Cup pick that may slight both remaining Canadian teams. On the Pat McAfee show today, Messier spoke at length about his other former team in the Rangers, stressing that they may be the most complete and balanced team in the playoffs, and will give themselves a great shot at the Stanley Cup this year.
»You can just see that the way they play the game, they way they interact with each other on and off the ice, there's a chemistry that happens with a team that is staged to win the Stanley Cup, and the Rangers have that right now.. They have all the ingredients it takes to win a Stanley Cup. They got the great goaltending, the defence, the high powered offence, their specialty teams are probably as good there is in the league, so they got all systems go.»
-Mark Messier
-Mark Messier
Messier stopped short of actually saying the Rangers are his pick for the Stanley Cup this season, but truly believes they are capable of winning. Still, much of the same could be said for the Edmonton Oilers this year on every facet, with an advantage of goaltending to New York. Now with a 2 game series lead on Carolina, the Rangers are looking primed to go at least to the conference finals.
If Edmonton can pounce on the Vancouver Canucks early on in the series, especially while missing their elite starter in Thatcher Demko, the Oilers will set themselves up in a similar position as the Rangers, and could prove they're a real threat for the Cup this year as well.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Mark Messier's predictions for the Oilers and Canucks series will be right? | ||
| Yes, Oilers win | 76 | 60.3 % |
| No, Canucks win | 19 | 15.1 % |
| Bang on, Oilers in 6 | 30 | 23.8 % |
| Other | 1 | 0.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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