Ottawa's Only Hope: The Spirit of '71

What promised to be a first-rate Stanley Cup Final is suddenly in danger of fizzling. Even the scribes of Orange County acknowledge that the Anaheim Ducks' brand of gridlock hockey isn't very pretty. But after two games, it has the 2007 Senators looking more like the 1993 Senators.

So while Snoop Dogg celebrates and Ottawa's media cheerleaders try to rally the troops, the Senators head home for Game Three facing a near impossible task. The last team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final was the 1971 Montreal Canadiens against the Chicago Blackhawks.

1971 is not a pleasant memory for Chicago fans. Not only did the Blackhawks blow a two-game advantage in the Final, they also coughed up a 2-0 lead in Game Seven. Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and company took that lead well into the second period, and appeared to have the Stanley Cup in their grasp. Then, a Montreal player gathered the puck at center ice and threw an innocent-looking shot at the Chicago net....

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