2. The Ottawa Senators forget about Friesen
2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The New Jersey Devils had one of the best series ever against the Ottawa Senators in the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals. It was almost great for all the wrong reasons for the Devils. The Sens went down 3-1 in the series, but they clawed their way back to make it to Game 7, which was in the Canadian capital city.
The Devils lost all of the momentum, and the Senators were ready to take their first berth to the Stanley Cup Final. Both teams were fighting for every inch, and it was 2-2 late in the third period. The puck was in the Devils zone, and the Senators just won the faceoff. Future Devil Martin Havlat lost the puck behind the net, and the Devils quickly got it out of the zone.
Grant Marshall had the puck with just over two minutes left in regulation. As he was already the owner of a series-winning goal, the Senators did not want to give him a chance to do it again. Well, that just gave another unlikely legend a chance to etch their name in steel.
Jeff Friesen was left all alone. Two players converged on Marshall, with Wade Redden completely losing track of his assignment. Friesen scored, the Devils won, and they eventually beat the Mighty Ducks to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup (which Friesen had some amazing goals in that series, too).