The 2016 Stanley Cup finals could be billed as the what-took-you-so-long championship series.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks, which begin their best-of-seven series in Pittsburgh on Monday, were expected to meet in the final. Not necessarily this year, but six years ago to be precise.
Back then, the Penguins were a year removed from the franchise’s first championship in 17 years and the Sharks enjoyed the best regular season in the West.
But instead, Pittsburgh began a string of play-off failures in 2010, while San Jose continued to suffer shortcomings in the post-season, being swept in the Western Conference finals by the Chicago Blackhawks a portend of things to come.
See also:
• Rob McKenzie: Defencemen prove key in Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks route to the Stanley Cup finals
• Preview: Sidney Crosby wants Penguins to 'finish it off the right way' against Sharks in Stanley Cup final
But the Sharks have finally solved their post-season woes, advancing to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in their 24-year history.
The Penguins, with all their talent, including captain Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz and Kris Letang, feel like they have been missing from the National Hockey League's biggest stage for almost as long.
“Every year, you look at the opportunities you have, and we were in pretty good spots for a number of those years going into the play-offs,” Crosby said.
“I think we’ve always believed in one another. Just trying to get back is not easy.”
Tell that to the Sharks. They have had plenty of talent and made trips to three conference finals between 2004 and 2011, but taking that next step eluded them.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty cool feeling,” said Joe Thornton, 36, who took 19 seasons to advance to his first finals.
“Obviously it’s our first time. The fans here have waited so long.”
Coaching changes were difference-makers for the Penguins and Sharks. The Sharks began the season with a new bench boss in Peter DeBoer and just as he did with the New Jersey Devils four years ago, he has guided San Jose to the final series in his first year with a new team.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was promoted from Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliate in December. After a sluggish start with Sullivan at the helm, the Penguins caught fire when the calendar flipped to 2016 and then dispatched the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lighting in the first three rounds.
“You see the talent that’s in the room, and it’s hard not to believe in them, and that’s how I felt when I first took the team over,” said Sullivan, who played forward for the Sharks in their inaugural season in 1991/92.
“To their credit, they have become a team in the true sense of the word. It starts with our leadership. It starts with our captain, with Sid, but it doesn’t stop there. It goes to Malkin and Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz and Matt Cullen and Eric Fehr and some of the veteran guys that have been around, and I think it funnels down the bench.”
The Penguins also have travelled this far with a rookie 22-year-old goalie in Matt Murray, summoned from the minors late in the regular season because of a head injury to starter Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is healthy again, but Murray has played well enough to keep playing.
The Sharks, meanwhile, added goalie Martin Jones via a trade last summer and a clutch goal scorer in Joel Ward through free agency.
Jones and Ward as well as the continued development of captain Joe Pavelski and defencemen Brent Burns have been a big boost to Thornton and his long-time teammate Patrick Marleau in their series wins over the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators and St Louis Blues.
“It’s going to be fast hockey,” Crosby said after being asked what to expect in the final. “From what I’ve watched, it’s two teams that want to play the exact same way, that want to get their defencemen involved.
“It’s going to be quite the series.”
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
