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New York Islanders: 2005 Stanley Cup Champions (2nd title)
1999 2005
DOG: “CHRIS! CHRIIIS! THE ISLANDERS HAVE DONE IT! TITLE NUMBER TWO, BABY! Can you believe it?! ELEVEN innings, Calgary wouldn’t go away, but it’s JON VALENZUELA, of all people, with the clutch two-run shot! Not Bossy, not Bauer, not Sijtsma—VALENZUELA! The hero!”
MIKE: “Dog, listen. That’s what makes championship teams. It’s not always the stars. Sometimes it’s the role player, the guy hittin’ eighth in the order. Valenzuela steps up, boom, ballgame. Then Brenton with the insurance double, you could feel the air come outta the Saddledome.”
DOG: “OH, OH, and what about the crowd in Calgary, Mike? DEAD SILENT after that! You coulda heard a pin drop in that place! Meanwhile, back on the Island—they’re goin’ NUTS! Uniondale is a MADHOUSE tonight!”
MIKE: “Dog, let’s keep it real. This team went 131–31 in the regular season. They were a MACHINE. Sijtsma wins MVP, deservedly so. But it was everybody—Bauer, Bossy, Hixson, Clark—they all contributed. Even the bench guys like Brenton—two big doubles. That’s depth, Dog. That’s why they swept.”
DOG: “NO DOUBT, MIKE, NO DOUBT! And ya gotta give credit to Rocky Dunn, the skipper. Kept ‘em focused all year. And the pitching—Casarez, Reyes, even with Arnaud blowin’ it in the eighth, they hung in there. THIS was a team effort!”
MIKE: “And Dog, here’s the key. Calgary? No bullpen. None. That’s why they got swept. You cannot win in October without arms late. And the Islanders took full advantage. Simple as that.”
DOG: “HAAA! THE ISLANDERS, MIKE! THE ISLANDERS! THEY BRING HOME CUP NUMBER TWO, BABY! TITLE TOWN ON LONG ISLAND AGAIN!”
MIKE: “Dog, enjoy it. Parade down Hempstead Turnpike. Islanders are champions again. End of story.”
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