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Calgary FlamesIn the eyes of many people, the Calgary Flames were the closest Canadian team to winning the Cup since the Habs won it in 1993. Stitched USA Soccer Jerseys . What a great run they had in the 2004 Playoffs as the entire city of Calgary seemed to be behind them. The great play of Jarome Iginla, Craig Conroy and goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff carried the Flames throughout the playoffs. After knocking off the Canucks in the first round, the Flames pulled off a huge upset, beating the Presidents Trophy-winning Red Wings in the second round. The sky was the limit for the Flames after taking down the Wings, and they almost came through. After beating San Jose in the Conference Final, they would square off against the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Cup. The Flames jumped out to a 3-2 series lead, but would devastatingly lose the final two games of the series, making the Lightning the 2004 Stanley Cup champions. The Flames were ridiculously close to winning the cup considering the series went the distance, and both game 6 and game 7 losses were one-goal games. There was also a controversial call in Game 6 where Flames forward Martin Gelinas looked to score a late goal to break a 2-2 tie, but it did not count. Replays showed that the puck did cross the line:The Flames were awfully close, and if a couple calls went their way, they couldve been the latest Canadian team to win a cup.Vancouver CanucksIts hard to forget the spirited run the Vancouver Canucks put together during the 2011 playoffs. The Canucks were actually a cup favorite, as they would finish first in the league and win the Presidents Trophy. They carried over their great regular season play over to the playoffs, knocking off the Blackhawks, Predators, and the Sharks in the opening three rounds. Players like the Sedins, Kesler, Burrows, and Bieksa were the anchors of their success. Luongo definitely struggled at times during the playoffs but ended up having a solid performance overall, recording four shutouts. The Canucks would face off against the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup, but after jumping out to a 3-2 series lead, they would eventually lose the series in 7 games. With so much on the line, it was surprising to see the Canucks lose 4-0 in the seventh game in a pretty slow paced game. It was still a great run, and the furthest the Canucks would get in the Luongo era. You can check out a tribute to their run here:Edmonton OilersThe Oilers arguably had the most exciting playoff run out of any Canadian team since the Habs won it all in 1993. In 2006, the Oilers qualified for the playoffs as the eighth and final seed of the Western Conference. They were underdogs all the way through, but they just kept winning. First they took down the Presidents Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings. They would then beat the Sharks in the second round and easily knock off the Ducks in the Conference Final in just five games. All of a sudden, the eighth seeded Oilers were in the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Chris Pronger, Shawn Horcoff, Fernando Pasani, Ales Hemsky, and Ryan Smyth were some of the key pieces that carried the Oilers to the Cup Final. But nobody on the roster was more important than their goalie, Dwayne Roloson, who caught fire during the post-season. Roloson ended the playoffs with a .927 save percentage, but would unfortunately injure himself in the opening game of the Cup Final. Jussi Markkanen would start for the Oilers the rest of the way, and although he played fine, he did not bring the same quality of goaltending that Roloson brought. The Oilers would not be able to take down Cam Ward and the Hurricanes, as they would lose in seven games in a close series. It was fun to watch as they over-achieved with their underdog status and as many Oilers fans will tell you; you never know what could have happened if Roloson did not get hurt. You can see the Roloson injury here:So there you have it. Canadas Western Conference teams have gotten much closer to the Cup than the Eastern Conference teams since the Habs Cup win in 1993. The Winnipeg Jets just rejoined the league so they are yet to have a noteworthy run. Youve seen the East, and now youve seen the West. Who do you think was the closest Canadian team to winning a Stanley Cup since 1993? And which Canadian team do you think will break the slump and win it next? Tweet us @BarDown. Custom USA Soccer Jerseys . "Last year didnt go the way we wanted it to, but we need to look at what went well and what didnt go so well. Hopefully this year we will be better," Brendan Gallagher said after practice. This year, the Canadiens have a little more depth to work with by adding players like Daniel Briere, Dale Weise, Mike Weaver, Douglas Murray and arguably, the biggest addition to this playoff roster, Thomas Vanek, who the Canadiens were able to land at the trade deadline. Cheap USA Soccer Jerseys . The Raptors general manager has his list of possible draft selections whittled down to a handful ahead of Thursday nights NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York. The Raptors, who have auditioned dozens of players over the past couple of weeks, have the 20th overall pick in the first round, as well as the 37th and 58th picks in the second. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes.WOODBRIDGE, N.J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. The 38-year-old right-hander didnt pitch after June 1 in 2012 because of a strained right shoulder. His spleen was removed in January 2013 after he was injured when he fell in the snow at his home in Vermont. Pavano had been hoping to return to the major leagues this year. "Despite my strong desire to compete and hard work in preparing for the upcoming season, I feel that the amount of time lost from my spleen injury, coupled with the recovery from my complications from that injury, preclude me from continuing to compete at my highest level, which is necessary to perform in the major leagues," Pavano said in a statement released Wednesday by his agent, David Pepe. "I have achieved many things as a major league pitcher of which I am very proud. However, I feel at this time, I am simply not able to continue to pitch at the major leaggue level, and these last three months of rigorous training have failed to produce the results that I was looking for to allow me to continue my major league career. USA Soccer Shirts. quot; Pavano, an All-Star in 2004, was 108-107 with a 4.39 ERA for Montreal (1998-02), Florida 2002-04), the New York Yankees (2005, 2007-08), Cleveland (2009) and Minnesota (2009-12). He was an All-Star in 2004, going 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA and earning a $39.95 million, four-year contract with the Yankees. Injuries limited Pavano to 26 starts, 145 2-3 innings and a 9-8 record during his Yankees contract. He rebounded after leaving New York and went 17-11 for the Twins in 2010, when he tied for the AL lead in complete games with seven. "It has been an honour and a privilege to have been a major league baseball player, and the gratitude I have for being able to do that is profound and beyond any expression I can make in words," he said. ' ' '