NHL signage is viewed along with a high-angle television camera as New York Islanders and Washington Capitals players warm up prior to NHL Eastern Conference Stanley Cup playoff hockey action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. Credit: AP/Nathan Denette
The Islanders are 14 victories away from their first Stanley Cup since 1983, which is exactly what Barry Trotz does not want his players talking or thinking about at this stage
All that matters is Game 3 against the Capitals in a first-round playoff series that resumes on Sunday.
Fair enough. But those of us who follow the Islanders and the wider NHL and have watched this strangest of all Cup tournaments cannot help peeking into the future and considering this:
Should there or should there not be an unofficial, unwritten, understood asterisk beside the name of this year’s winner?