Los Angeles Kings Eliminate Vancouver Canucks, Join Exclusive Club Of No. 8 Seeds To Beat No. 1 Seeds (VIDEO)

The formats of professional sports playoffs in North America are informed as much by the wisdom of Glinda the Good Witch as they are by any original thoughts by Bud Selig, Roger Goodell, David Stern or Gary Bettman. In other words, there isn't supposed to be any place like home. Unless, of course, you're the Vancouver Canucks. In that case, familiar surroundings don't seem to be doing much good.

Entering the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Canucks had accrued more regular-season points than every other team. Even without concussed goalscorer Daniel Sedin, they managed to finish out the season by winning of eight of nine to secure the Presidents' Trophy. For the second straight year, Vancouver began the playoffs at home. More importantly, they finished the playoffs at home for the second straight season. What more could a team want? Apparently, a lot.

After losing Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals at home to the Boston Bruins, 4-0, the area around Rogers Arena erupted in riots. On the ice, the first home games of the Canucks' 2012 bid for the Cup didn't go much differently. Just as they had in Game 7 last year, Vancouver surrendered four goals to the Los Angeles Kings in games 1 and 2 (scoring only a combined three) of the opening round in 2012, falling into an 0-2 hole in the best-of-seven affair. Another loss to the Kings in Game 3 would relegate the Canucks' eventual Game 4 win to cosmetic status in a dispiriting five-game dismantling by the last team to squeak into the postseason from the Western Conference.

On the bright side, there was no riot.

Of the nine previous times that a No. 8 seed has dispatched a No. 1 in the NHL playoffs (since a format change away from Division-based playoffs), no such series lasted fewer than six games. Similarly in the NBA, such upsets were hotly contested, even if some of the series were best-of-five sets. It took the No. 8 New York Knicks a memorable buzzer beater by Allan Houston in the winner-take-all Game 5 of their opening round encounter during the 1999 NBA playoffs to knock off the No. 1 Miami Heat. Likewise, an overtime session was needed in yet another decisive Game 5 before Denver Nuggets center Dikembe Mutumbo could clutch that basketball in celebration on the floor at Key Arena.

Not only did the Kings dump the Canucks unceremoniously from the postseason, but they did so with historic ease. Does this say more about the hot team from L.A. or the club from Vancouver that has twice failed to convert regular-season dominance into playoff glory?

From the shock provided when the San Jose Sharks stunned the Detroit Red Wings to that iconic image of Mutumbo in 1994, right through Jarret Stoll's OT winner to keep the Kings skating while the Canucks went home, here are all the NBA and NHL playoff series when a No. 8 seed knocked off a top-seeded squad. Which remains the most improbable? The most exciting?

• 2007: No. 8 Warriors Beat No. 1 Mavericks

• 2010: No. 8 Canadiens Beat No. 1 Capitals

• 1994: No. 8 Nuggets Beat No. 1 Sonics

• 2012: No. 8 Kings Beat No. 1 Canucks

• 1999: No. 8 Knicks Beat No. 1 Heat

• 2009: No. 8 Ducks Beat No. 1 Sharks

• 2006: No. 8 Oilers Beat No. 1 Red Wings

• 2000: No. 8 Sharks Beat No. 1 Blues

• 1999: No. 8 Penguins Beat No. 1 Devils

• 1998: No. 8 Senators Beat No. 1 Devils

• 1994: No. 8 Sharks Beat No. 1 Red Wings

• 2011: No. 8 Grizzlies Beat No. 1 Spurs

• 1995: No. 8 Rangers Beat No. 1 Nordiques

• 2002: No. 8 Canadiens Beat No. 1 Bruins

Comments

[eshot]

04:38 PM on 04/25/2012

... they were destined for failure. by the time they had realized the dire situation they had gotten themselves into, it was too late, and they'd left themselves ZERO room for error. the game winning and series clinching goal by Stoll in OT of game 5 would have been transpired no matter the situation, but a team poised to make a big run into the playoffs by being prepared and confident wouldn't have let that scenario be the nail in the coffin of an otherwise very successful season (on paper). great teams can quickly adjust their play to counter the strengths of their opponent, and the canucks simply didnt do it.

[eshot]

04:33 PM on 04/25/2012

the kings beat the canucks because the latter team's management came into the playoffs disorganized and ill prepared. the players were wildly arrogant and little focus. they played new pairings on D, they overlooked the success of certain players in certain positions filling in for an injury to their leading scorer and went with new untested lines in the playoffs, taking away proven chemistry from the top line in an effort to put a spark into the 2nd line, which also failed. the special teams that made the canucks so dominant throughout the last two seasons completely failed them and because of this, they paid the price. the canucks are built on power play conversions and 4 line contributions on even strength -- with zero power play points in the first 3 games and no secondary scoring.

[paulmazz]

08:06 AM on 04/25/2012

Congrats to the Kings on binging down the mighty Cannucks!! Looking for Ottawa to do the same to the Rangers in th east.. If only the Whiskey Brothers from Philly can get some rest, keep their off ice antics to a minimum & produce, you might make it to the cup....God knows we saw that side of them in Philly way too often...hope you guys feel "Carterific" soon!

[brianmouland]

07:16 PM on 04/24/2012

Whatever happened to Jamie Baker

[mshawn]

10:29 PM on 04/23/2012

This was hardly a stunner, unless you looked at rankings and ignored everything else. In the last 20 games of the regular season, the Kings had a better record than the Nucks. The Kings were the hotter team and had the better goaltender. That counts for alot.

[Deep77]

10:06 PM on 04/23/2012

I wish the Nordiques were able to beat the Rangers, because that series against NY was the last playoff series the Quebec Nordiques will ever play.

[jubo]

05:34 PM on 04/23/2012

Dikembe! Amazing person...