The NHL 1st round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs had some great upsets. The 1st round is always the most fun because there is usually one underdog that wins. Let's check out some of the all-time biggest 1st round upsets!
Detroit sneaks past Anaheim
This year, the 2nd seed Anaheim Ducks were heavy favorites over the 7th ranked Detroit Red Wings but they lost in game 7. To the Ducks' defense, Detroit has all-stars like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg so it's not that big of an upset because these types of players can change anything if they drink their orange juice in the morning... but it is the biggest upset so far this year.
Montreal shocks Ovi
Ovi congratulates HalakCourtesy of the NHL
Sometimes all you need is one player to completely dominate the game of hockey and that is exactly what happened when Jaroslav Halak and the 8th seed Montreal Canadians knocked out the President Trophy winners', Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in 2010. Jaroslav stopped 94 of the last 96 shots on net to bring the Canadians back from a 3-1 series deficit.
Vancouver stuns Calgary Triple OT
Canucks Win WarCourtesy of the NHL
If you love overtime, the all-time most exciting 1st round playoffs series upset full of overtime... has to be when the 7th seen Vancouver Canucks beat the 2nd seed Calgary Flames in 1994. It was so exciting because the Canucks were down 3-1 in the series and then won the last three games in overtime!
Miracle in Manchester
NHL Playoffs :: Biggest 1st Round UpsetsCourtesy of www.paulb.com
The all-time greatest 1st round upset was when the 1982 Kings came back to beat the best team in the League, Edmonton Oilers. During the years of Wayne Gretzky, the Oilers were the scariest team to face in the NHL. In 1982, Wayne had just finished scoring 212 points in the regular season, and the Oilers were heavy favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Buuuuut the Kings defeated the Oilers 3-2 in the best-of-five series. So what happened? Something miraculous seemed to happen in game 3 that boosted the Kings' confidence. It was so exciting, nobody could sit in their seats.
Cinderella Cup Contender
The 2013 Playoffs had some serious twists and turns with every team dangerous, there are multiple Cinderella teams that seemed to be a contender. Anything can happen nowadays as the level of skill has improved so much over the years it looks like anyone has the potential of being a hero. So with the fans pumped and the players feeding off the energy, it's very possible to see more big upsets in the near future. Hockey is alive!
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