IMHO...

In my 'hockey' opinion...

It should be Jaromir Jagr who could get the honors of being the first European born captain to raise the Stanley Cup.

Instead, one of the headlines for this years' final is that Nicklas Lidstrom can make hockey history if he were to win the cup. Lidstrom is a Swede and clearly an All -Star, but lets all be honest and agree that Jagr is the greatest European born player in the NHL. Numbers don't lie my friend. Jagr has the most points of any European player. Regardless of the fact that Lidstrom is a defenseman and Jagr is a forward, I don't think you can compare the two when you consider the teams the two have played for.

Jagr carries the team that he is on (although one might argue against that in DC), and has been the leading point getter on his team for the last few years. The supporting cast that he has had hasn't wavered his point production either (see 05-06 roster). Jagr will never get the credit of being a "Messier -like" captain (although who could ever be Mess?), so some of you might feel as though Jagr shouldn't get this honor- but why Lidstrom?

Lidstrom has been part of the Red Wings team since the 91-92 season. To name all the All -Stars that have littered their rosters since that season could be endless, from Yzerman to Shanahan and Datsyuk to Zetterberg. I won't ignore the fact that Lidstrom is a hell of a defenseman on his own, but with a supporting cast like he has had over the years in Detroit, wouldn't you expect his numbers too?

To make my point a little more clear: Who thinks Pascal Dupuis would have the same amount of points this post season playing on a line WITHOUT Crosby? No way in hell...


Just putting some things in perspective for you- feel free to discuss your thoughts on the topic & who you will pulling for in the Cup Finals...