No, I didn't literally eat crow (Who has? Has anyone ever tried it? Maybe it is delicious!).
HOWEVER
- I wrote that you could "bet" on the Lightning to win the Cup all the way back at the beginning of the Second Round. Lew's Clues predictions for both conferences was nearly 100 percent...nearly. The only round that I whiffed was Anaheim versus Chicago. I put too much faith in Frederik Andersen and too little faith in Corey Crawford: more on that later. I will just refer to Mr. Crawford as "CC" from here on out as well.
- Again, if you followed Lew's Clues for this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs; you would know that I was wrong about who would win the Cup. There - I said it. Chicago and CC have this NHL blogger eating crow. Actually it will have me paying for a dinner bill from a friendly bet that I lost on the series. I hope crow is cheap!
HERE IS WHY I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE LIGHTNING WINNING THE CUP...
Exhibit A - The "CC" factor. CC'S legacy is cemented. The 30 year old goaltender never flinched in the midst of many Tampa Bay onslaughts. It is no small feat to shut down and shut out the likes of Stamkos, Johnson, Kucherov, Killorn, and Palat. CC gave up 18 goals
Exhibit B - The Bishop factor. Lew's Clues predicted this year's playoffs would be Ben Bishop's time to become recognized as a premier goalie in the league. Bishop did out duel Mrazek, Price, and Lundqvist on his way to glory. Get your tissues ready - here it comes...
IF BISHOP DID NOT GET INJURED - TAMPA WOULD HAVE WON THE CUP!
Just kidding...I had you there for a second. I would have stood by the above statement if CC had not put on a goaltending clinic. CC maintained a 1.67 goals against average in the Final Series. A healthy Bishop isn't going to change the outcome when CC only allows one goal in three wins and then shuts the door completely on Tampa - tallying a shut out in Game 6 to hoist the Cup!
Lew's Clues would like to officially apologize to CC: I mean Mister Corey Crawford - your team struggled to put up numbers against a worthy opponent but you made the "Big Saves" every time the Chicago Blackhawks were on their heels gasping from a Lightning surge.
You caused a power outage CC - Lew's Clues misjudged you and only you and your team...I nailed all the other predictions! Here's to the 2015-2016 season. May it be as (un)predictable as this year's ...