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Cinderella clubs open Stanley Cup competition today

When Tampa Bay and Calgary open the Stanley Cup finals here today, the Cinderella clubs will showcase the major source of troubles for the National Hockey League as well as its most exciting teams.

The Calgary Flames, the first Canadian team in a decade to reach the NHL's best-of-seven championship series, are a small-market club struggling with economic issues but beloved by a hockey-mad city and nation.

Tampa Bay was founded 12 years ago, the vanguard of NHL expansion to warm weather markets with palm trees and no history of hockey. A young, fast squad has taken so-so support and created a groundswell of support in new territory.

The NHL faces a possible shutdown when a management-union contract ends in September, owners seeking a salary cap while players want their overspending bosses to solve their own problems without making on-ice talent pay for it.

And Canada, which has lost two clubs to US markets over money issues, would like nothing better than to see Finnish goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff and playoff goal leader Jarome Iginla lead Calgary past the Lightning to win the Cup.

No Canadian team has won the NHL title since Montreal claimed the Cup in 1993, the same season the Tampa Bay debuted.

The Lightning reached the playoffs only once in their first 10 seasons, but have thrived under fiery coach John Tortorella, hired midway into the 2000-2001 season.

"There's no chance we thought this would be happening so quick," Tortorella said.

But with Russian goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin living up to his nickname, the "Bulin Wall," and French-Canadians Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier sparking the attack, the Lightning have struck like their name this season.

"The first four, five years, we were in the bottom of the league in the standings," Lecavalier said. "Last year, I think we had a great season and everything kind of snowballed.

"Starting this year, everything kind of sunk in that we could win."

The Flames made the same realization after finishing sixth in the Western Conference, uncertain of even making the playoffs until the final days of the regular-season.

But since then, the Flames toppled three division champions -- Vancouver, Detroit and San Jose -- to reach the final for the first time since claiming their long Stanley Cup in 1989.

Calgary's Martin Gelinas reached his fourth Cup final with as many different teams.
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