The Best Playoff Series You've Never Seen - Stars vs. Mighty Ducks, 2003 WCSF

[@direwolf7080]

As someone who grew up on 90s hockey, Gary Thorne, and Doc Emerick, this was a fantastic video and a series you should continue. Absolutely great stuff.

[@rs180216]

@@PinholesGraham devils redwings 95 is a good option. Definite David versus Goliath vibes

[@skinnie2838]

Refs stole game 6. Unreal.

[@john-ic9vj]

And don't forget the "heroism" of Steve Levy. He was the commentator for the 5th, 4th, and 3rd longest games in NHL history.

[@JohnBoosh]

Doc is so annoying. Thank god he retired

[@raymondprentis2359]

Watched this a few times! I’m a die-hard Ducks fan. This run was special. Heart beats skill every time. Or to quote Kevin Durant “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”

[@CasuallyCommentingBaseThings]

It’s been a rough few years but the boys will be back in the Ploofs soon. So much talent

[@DanBris]

this playoffs made JS giguere go from somebody me and my friends had never heard of, to somebody we all emulated on the elementary school floor hockey team.

[@FatLikeKessel]

That 2015 Blackhawks Ducks series was also right on par with this

[@michaelchernjawski4908]

I am such a big fan of your narrating style. The way you don’t reveal the outcome before setting it up and having every moment seem like a cliffhanger is so cool. I knew the end result of this series going in, but it really was more compelling than I would’ve ever imagined. I’m excited to see more stuff from you in the future!

[@PinholesGraham]

Thanks for the compliment, Michael! I'll be sure to keep that style going :)

[@mastadlo]

These goal reversals we're horrible. People think some are bad today, but these were absolutely awful. Horrible rules.

[@loganr7788]

If you look at it, the stars player knocked the stick out of Giguere’s hand in that game 6 goal that was reversed. It should’ve been reversed for that.

[@therealjaystone2344]

Some say it was scripted because all sports does it

[@phillarkin880]

@@angryjaybyrd6507explain the connection between the race, religion, of a hockey commissioner and calls during a hockey game??

[@douglaslueckemeyer9723]

I was at game 1 of this series. Thought it would never end ….

[@achildr1]

Call it the Dead Puck era if you will…but, especially as a Red Wings fan, the playoffs from 96-04 was some of the best playoff hockey that will ever happen. It was WAR.

[@1bert719]

Man I forgot how loaded that Stars team was. Makes the Ducks win even more impressive all these years later. Although I remember the tedium of the Minnesota series with painful clarity.

[@mst3k54]

Oof, that WCF vs Minn was sad. I think they only scored 1 goal the entire series and that was in game 4 of the sweep

[@1bert719]

@@mst3k54 Correct, Andrew Brunette in the 1st period of game 4. Both an incredible achievement by the Ducks and a horrible experience to anyone who watched these excruciating trapping games!

[@chrisuncleahmad789]

I think that DAL/MIN or ANA/VAN would have made for a better series if you had one upset in the West semis

[@SPAR888]

The reason why it was so easy was because the Wild had to play two full 7 game series against the Avs and canucks while the ducks only played 10 games

[@newfoundlandmapping4493]

Only pinholes graham can make a video that I watch all the way through about a second round series played before I was even born. I hope one day you’ll make a vid about the 2019 Columbus Vs. Tampa series, in my lifetime that’s been the most surprising series I’ve ever watched.

[@josephnajarian2038]

As a Devils fan, that Cinderella run by the Ducks was unforgettable. Those upsets in the first two rounds and Giguere’s performance against Minnesota were absolutely crazy. I really wish Marty would have gotten the Conn Smythe with his incredible performance in the Finals, but there’s no denying that Giguere’s postseason performance was one of the best ever despite his team losing. You should make a video like this for the 2003 Conference Finals between the Devils and Senators. That Game 7 was one of the best games I’ve ever watched.

[@stevenbauer4799]

brodeur deserved no conn smythe. three cups. no mvp's because he played behind a team that trapped and got away with clutching and grabbing and had that head hunter scott stevens roaming around taking guys like paul kariya's head off in finals. roy proved in '01 he was the best goalie and won three conn smythe's to prove it.

[@framneck28]

Couldn’t have said it any better myself. Those Devils teams were trash and that system ruined hockey. Marty was crybaby turd too. Good career, but overrated.

[@stevenbauer4799]

@@framneck28 yep. ugly era of garbage nhl hockey that began after schmuck bettman took over and lasted a dozen years as clueless did nothing about it like a real commish should have. and broudeur held on way too long until no one wanted him to pad his win totals. total fraud.

[@SuperTugz]

@@stevenbauer4799Everyone clutched and grabbed back then though. As much as people try to discredit Marty he was actually a centerpiece to their whole neutral zone trap via his puck handling ability. Of course you know today's trapezoid rule is the "Brodeur rule." The best way to beat a neutral zone trap is to dump and chase, and because Brodeur would quickly play the puck in the corner and dish it out a lot of great forechecks were outright left completely helpless as a result. Other teams tried to copy this (Marty Turco was pretty good at puck handling too) but no team could quite do this so effectively. And I'm a Pens fan who HATED the Devils and Brodeur for every reason described but he was legendary. I agree Roy was a better goalie but in when it comes to his play in net Marty was positionally sound with excellent rebound control, so he didn't have to rely on athletic ability to make saves, the puck was just immediately caught and covered. He's top 3 all-time with Roy and Hasek no matter which way ya try to spin it

[@stevenbauer4799]

@@SuperTugz who cares what fkn pen fans thinks. pampered ass delusional fans who think nhl revolves around them that used tanking to their advantage. so you know nothing. brodeur in a more wide open era would not have had success like he did without the clutching and grabbing nj did. and no all teams did not clutch and grab. wings won three cups on puck control using a left wing lock not a trap. tb bolts in '04 won a cup by being a fast high tempo team no clutch grab needed. and '03 playoffs was the pinnacle of clutch grab hockey and an embarrassment to the game led by nj clutch grab trap. and roy and hasek both played in the high scoring and trap eras and were great in both eras and have the vezinas and conn smythes to prove it. And roy proved he was the best when he stoned nj who had a high scoring team in gms. 6-7 of '01 finals. no matter how ya spin it doesn't change that fact. and i know all about the fkn trapezoid rule. bettman's fault he should have put a leash on the 'trap' long before it got to that point. could have just banned it like the zone d in nba. thats what happens when you put an nba a hole/lawyer in charge of the nhl.

[@ekaj13_]

Grew up a Stars fan, this was one of the first playoff years I watched as a kid. JS Giguere was insane!

[@goodsolonius7305]

They should have kept the North Stars name and logo. Who cares if Dallas is in the southern USA, it's still the northern hemisphere

[@rangerschamps94]

JS was nothing but a fluke

[@JoshJaster]

I remember watching this series live on TV, my college roommates who were not hockey fans were glued to the rest of the SC Playoffs that year!

[@CasuallyCommentingBaseThings]

You’re a good man for showing them “the way” 😅

[@JoshJaster]

@@CasuallyCommentingBaseThings I remember yelling at them to come in the room and watch after the 3rd OT. Everyone on the ice at that point was skating like they had weights on their legs. I don't think I've ever seen an NHL game slow down as much as it did at that point.

[@icedo1013]

10:04 I always feel compelled to say this as a Red Wings fan, but during the Wings' first cup run in 1936 they played a game against the Canadiens that ran 16m30s into the *6th*(!!!) overtime and ended 1-0. It's a recognized record for the longest playoff game ever played, but unfortunately it's an unofficial record for Normie Smith, the goaltender who made 92 saves in the most dominating shutout performance never to be given the time of day.

[@Boxinghockey23]

Dude holy shit please make more of these videos. Absolutely phenomenal. Need this type of stuff because it’s so hard to find quality content from the era us 90’s 2000’s kids grew up in

[@The6stringpenguin]

My Rangers were complete trash in this era, but watching playoff hockey on ESPN and then switching over to “the Deuce” for the later west coast games narrated by Clement, Thorne, Doc, and Darren Pang was such an amazing era in hockey. So many stellar goaltenders at the time, and Giguere was an unexpected BEAST then. I skipped a lot of my early morning college classes due to lack of sleep with all these overtime games! Such great memories!

[@arturshigapov4075]

I's always thrilled by Ducks improbable 2003 run and your comprehensive analysis clarifies important part of that run for me. Well done!

[@jasongodek9828]

I was fully on the Ducks bandwagon during those playoffs. Fun underdog team with beautiful uniforms. Was so disappointed when they came up one game short

[@mst3k54]

That Ducks team was special. I watched game 1 at a friends place. At the start of the game their was a fair amount of people there. Watched the whole damn thing. Just before the 5th OT my friend walks out of his bedroom in his PJ’s “Dude! This game is STILL on?!” He sits down to watch the 5th OT, rest is history

[@iggystompbarnyard]

This cup run was the highlight of my childhood being a Mighty Ducks fan.

[@BoyNamedSue4]

As a ducks fan I have a lot of great memories from this run. Hard to believe it was almost 20 years ago.

[@ProudFilthyCasual]

Paul Kariya is the reason I ever played hockey. Watching him play with Teemu, and even on his own, was a mind blowing time as a kid. It's clear looking back, how ahead of his time Kariya was, and a damn shame he was taken out by some of the dirtiest players around in the history of the sport.

[@enchanted2k797]

amazing video like always

[@evan_off_track]

Thank you for making this video. I grew up a Dallas Stars fan during this period but was too young to understand. It’s nice to revisit and relearn about these series.

[@rossbeamer3928]

KZbin randomly recommended this to me and I am grateful! Beautifully done, friend.

[@bostonhockeyco]

This was a really cool deep dive! Seeing the clips of each game in the series makes me want to see Gary Thorne back on commentary so bad.

[@ddss97]

Keep making these; unique, engaging and just plain amazing. There’s no other hockey content like this anywhere.

[@hyperchaotix32x]

This video is incredible. As a life long ducks fan, I was 19 years old, intently watching every game of this 2003 playoff run. even recording them on my VCR. LOL. This season defined the ducks to what they became in 2007 and what they are now (even though they are in a rebuilding phase). I remember being awake watching all the crazy OT periods. Up until God knows when. Thanks for piecing this together and sharing with Hockey fans. great work!

[@AvsJoe]

Liked, commented, and even shared the video to a couple subreddits, the algorithm better take note of it. Your vids are excellent PG, I hope this video finds a large and appreciative audience

[@wynonasbigbrownbeaver6757]

What I would do for a video like this about the 2014 WCF... Great video!

[@Sharks4Cup408]

There's a surprising lack of NHL Playoffs footage from 2002 and 2003 on KZbin.

[@huntersanders1464]

So glad this came up on my recommended, awesome storytelling and a series that absolutely deserved a video like this.

[@PinholesGraham]

Thanks for watching, Hunter!

[@ThrashHky]

Great work man, look forward to seeing what else you have up your sleeve

[@ericksheldon3870]

Immediately subscribed. This is amazing content.

[@PinholesGraham]

Thank you, Erick! Glad you enjoyed :)

[@HereComesTheStormTrooper]

Living in France, all I had for hockey twenty years ago was video games. And only that made me fall in love with the game back then. The way you bring back those moments, just make it even more magnificent. Amazing content.

[@Noah1997callahan]

The stars have always had such a good and loud fan base. Super underrated fanbase

[@PinholesGraham]

You wouldn't happen to be one of them, would you? XD

[@Noah1997callahan]

@@PinholesGraham nah bro I am unfortunately a fan of the most successful franchise in NHL history, however I have never been alive for any of their championships..

[@N7Sovik]

This is a phenomenal video! Great work!

[@PinholesGraham]

Thanks, Nathan!

[@datadyneproductions9101]

I was at Game 6. The atmosphere was freaking insane.

[@pavel012]

what a great retroperspective video. What a bright series of a Ducks's path to the Stanley Cup final'03 (and is in shaddow of Final Series, imo).

[@ajbolt7]

Man I’ve been itching for videos like these with hockey. This is absolutely fantastic stuff dude can’t wait for more.

[@PotatoGobbler_]

Very great video!

[@theofarano3001]

Your videos are actually awesome. Your channel is going to blow up soon!

[@thejerseyj5479]

Well done.

[@nikevisor54]

you appeared in my recommended and I had to click. I'm only 2min in and I'm already hooked. stoked to watch more of your stuff and excited to watch you grow

[@itzjoboy5782]

Came back to watch this video again after all of the comparisons made between Bobrovsky and Giguere. Amazing video for the second time!

[@turtleguydx]

What an amazing video! The editing, storytelling and the structure of the video was fantastic! I had no idea this was such a good series and was very fun to watch, definitely earned a like and a sub!

[@PinholesGraham]

Thank you for the kind words, Evan! So glad you enjoyed it :)

[@MSL28]

Awesome freaking video man! Loved every second!

[@johnmeyer19]

Great video

[@idontgivetkachuk]

Just stumbled upon this channel and it’s a Diamond in the rough! Great stuff man!! Look forward to seeing what other unique stories you have to uncover!

[@MSGVault15]

You need way more subscribers and viewers, I went down a rabbit hole on your videos and they've all been great. Great work, man!

[@krishammond272]

Great video man, remember watching this series as a kid as was great to relive it

[@mst3k54]

You HAVE TO do the Islander vs Penguins 1993 2nd Round Playoff Series! The massive punches and counter-punches those David & Goliath teams threw at each other was legendary. The death of Pitt’s Super Mario Dynasty-that-almost-was!

[@noisepoIIution]

How do you have less than 500 subs?! Such a great job, it's unfathomable

[@brettrossi034]

Oh my goodness that game 4 showdown with JSG and Turco was electric with the wild crowd and 2nd and 3rd period offensive flurries. The closing 2 minutes was crazy. Wild that it was only 1-0 and the two goalies were red hot

[@BretKenworthy]

This is an incredible breakdown. Brings back some fond memories, keep it up!

[@SolidSnake684]

Great video! These were two of my favorite teams as a kid (even if they were both rivals to my hometown Wings). I loved their jerseys, but what I really loved was watching their goalies. Turco and Giguere were two of my heroes growing up, even tho I was a defenseman myself. What a series! Such a shame the Ducks didn't win it all this year.

[@matejtrnovec9144]

Great work with this video, very interesting series. I like your almost methodological approach and that whole "making this story a myth" narative. Keep it up, I´m giving subscribe and can´t wait for another part of this series.

[@dymd3z]

I’m so glad your videos randomly showed up on my feed, they’re amazing and fun to watch! They must take hours upon hours to make, but please do more, these are probably the best hockey videos out there.

[@PinholesGraham]

Thank you so much for watching and for the kind words! :)

[@Nickify-]

This was a fantastic video. When looking back on great series, it's easy to overlook one like this where it isn't a conference or cup finals. You've definitely earned a sub, keep up the fine work!

[@loC2ol]

This is awesome! You need WAY more Subs! Your work is fantastic!

[@Regel2008]

Man I remember this vividly. 12 years old I was cheering on the Ducks. How could you not know about Steve Rucchin, he’s part of the most underrated trio in NHL history along with Kariya/Selanne haha he was there when they both got inducted to the HOFs. Beside the fact, glad I stumbled on this video. But that quote by Steve Levy will always be iconic to me (Next to Gary Thorne’s “On the floor. On the board. Paul Kariya”) This Ducks team was just legendary same with the Wild too as they were in a Cinderella run

[@Meerkatx5]

This was beautifully done. Thanks for taking me back to this series, I think I had erased it from the memory banks. Rewatching this series unfold, I remember the frustration I felt at times. Some of the worst playoff calls and officiating I've seen. This was a stacked Stars team that was fun to watch when they were on.

[@liamriley54]

Great stuff man, best of luck on your future!

[@alexmurphy5289]

What an incredible video. I’m a huge Stars fan and watching this brought me back to our peak. Subscribed!

[@MichaelFairbank]

I remember this series when I was 13. Loved staying up super late and watching the overtime games and loved the ducks!

[@SofaStripes]

only found your video a few days ago with the avs vs Det, being a AVS fan myself I loved the way you went in depth with it all. Keep it up man these videos may not have many views yet but oh boy can you feel the soul being put into each one of them

[@TedLillyfan15]

Great deep dive into a series I wasn’t familiar with, looking forward to more. Subbed!

[@frankiedefi]

Watched this and every other marty turco playoff series on my square TV. He has some greats.

[@superpokeproduction]

Great video! Can't wait to see more

[@PinholesGraham]

You won't have to wait long! ;)

[@mrtank7401]

Man I didn’t expect to watch this whole vid, I just threw it on too chill for a sec and what a vid. The music, your voice, the love for the game and knowledge yu brought. Really enjoyed it would love too see more. (I’m a flyers fan so maybe the 2010 comeback on the bruins??) 😂😂. Keep going bro 🤟

[@filrut]

Love your stuff. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

[@UriahCreep]

What a series! Thanks for the great breakdown.

[@PinholesGraham]

Thank you for watching!

[@Outta-hz1ej]

Stumpy Thomas was such a big loss for the Leafs and such an underrated gain for the Ducks. So clutch. Especially in overtime. If the Leafs kept him in '02 they might have won that conference finals series against Carolina with 3/6 games going to OT.

[@TheSunTheSea]

Steve Thomas was such an incredible player in the playoffs. So clutch for a small guy. His playoff performances as a Leaf were equally exciting to watch.

[@TheSamzidat]

These videos are incredible 👏👏 perfectly capturing the magic of playoff hockey.

[@gabrielarrigo1525]

27:45 Giguere's clearly interfered with! Whoever Oates was tying up was hooking Giguere's stick. It's not too much of a stretch to say that's a problem when the shot ends up going fivehole (good head's up play by Barnes)

[@B.Launders]

Really good documentary; excellent production quality. Earned yourself a new subscriber.

[@becurley123]

Excellent video man! You got me in! More like this please

[@tomkmb4120]

How the hell have I only just stumbled upon this channel and how the HELL do you have less than 1k subs!? Love the content style, have subbed and can't wait to check out more!

[@fitatfi]

That season was special. Shame they lost it but it looked like such a fun underdog team to watch. Great video

[@UnleashthePhury]

I watched this series - it was friggen awesome.

[@jarrettfinney4882]

As a childhood stars/ducks fan, and as a lifelong stars fan, I still remember this series. I liked the ducks because of the movies but I was a stars fan already, so we would make a point to catch the game every time the ducks were in town. We didn't see any of this series live, but we did see the game before this that they played. If I remember correctly, the stars won in a shootout. Jussi jokinen won it with the juicy juke. One of my favorite movies ever!

[@АлексейЯмпольский-в1м]

Very interesting video!!! Nostalgy))

[@Kayanoo88]

Bless the algorithm this channel rocks

[@aidan8473]

I was actually cheering what a crazy series

[@brevinmonroe7977]

Good work on this video man. Very well done and entertaining.

[@frenchcustard1014]

What is this! Game one and two were practically the carolina florida series 😂 great vid btw!!

[@Sagarsrage]

As a Canucks fan you might remember that season that the Vancouver Canucks were dynamo. They choked away 3-1 lead against the Wild (maybe you could break that series down and how they choked). To this day people think the Canucks would have beaten the Ducks in the conference finals. I don't think they would have. Great video. I forgot how good Dallas was that season.

[@lalk3434]

As a die hard leafs fan ..about 13 years old when this run happend ...i was heartbroken when cujo left to sign with the wings...we went to 2 conference finals in 4 years ...felt like we were a small piece away ...cujo was huge for us ..still wanted him to do well ..remember him losing in the first round ..bitter sweet

[@DavidDunn81]

Great Story ! Awesome video, keep at it.

[@gabrielarrigo1525]

26:30 Holy, hell what an angle! That diving block attempt made Turco cheat hard to the glove side. Not sure if it changed the trajectory, but it certainly masked the release

[@thomasgrams9715]

Excellent video. Liked and subbed.

[@joshuaburke5674]

Awesome video! Being a ducks fan it’s good to see lol

[@gregs4986]

My Dad took me to game 3... rip dad love you

[@drumsallday19]

this was masterfully done! awesome job!! wish the ducks won it all that year. that run was truly magical, especially for a 10 year old team! even with vegas going to the cup final in year one, this run is certainly up there as one of the greatest of all time.

[@greg969]

Amazing commentary miss old brutal hockey

[@joelsimeone5112]

My family didn't have cable at this point, so I remember spending the better part of four hours listening to the radio broadcast of Game 1's multiple overtimes in the living room with my Dad. It just would not end! Game 2 was on ABC, so while the footage was hard for you to find, I do remember seeing that one live

[@MrNoNaMe1080]

this video is really well done. shouldn’t be free. you have to keep making videos. caught the american psycho reference too haha

[@jefferyalberter9922]

J.S. Giguere in his oversized pads = the perfect avatar of the dead puck era.

[@LF-ci7sp]

wrong

[@NolanEgbert]

Great video! Pumped to find a new hockey KZbinr

[@NolanEgbert]

@@PinholesGraham If you wanted any recommendations on forgotten playoff series, Islanders-Leafs in 2002 practically wrote the modern rules book in the NHL with how over the top the physicality became (the Clipping penalty was a direct result of that series)