By Mike Corasaniti

Hockey has a new King.

And not just a new King, but a new dominant figure. Who knows if this team, fresh off one of the most miraculous runs in NHL history, will return for the 2012-2013 season in the same fashion. But either way, they were damn fun to watch dominate.

Not even their first road loss of the playoffs, which came after beating the Coyotes, Blues, and first place Canucks, could stifle Los Angeles from overpowering the Jersey Boys in dominant fashion, taking the sixth game of a series that should have gone four 6-1.

They were dominant. They were Kings. But the most impressive fact about this team, that seemed to be lost somewhere in the midst of the St. Louis sweep, is the fact that at one point they were eighth. Think about that, not even technically eighth in the league, but eighth in just the Western Conference. No seven or even six seed has gone that far, with the former lowest seed to win the Cup being the '95 Devils (who were a five seed). This amazing feat begs the question: are the '12 Kings the most unlikely hockey champions of all time? Let's take a look:

Honorable mention: No. 8 Edmonton Oilers ('05-'06)

Indeed, the Oilers were not champions. They fell to the artists-formally-known-as-Whalers Carolina Hurricanes in seven games, but did so as the No. 8 seed after making the playoffs just 3 points ahead of the ninth place team (just as the '12 Kings). They edged the Hart Trophy winning Detroit Red Wings in the first round 4-2 before taking out San Jose and Anaheim en route to the team's first Stanley Cup appearance since 1990. They went down 3-1 to the Hurricanes upon reaching the Finals, but won an overtime thriller in Game 5 and a blowout in Game 6 before eventually falling 3-1 in Carolina for Game 7. If they had pulled off the upset, this team would definitely be on the list and probably very high up.

Fifth place: No. 1 Philadelphia Flyers ('73-'74)

Don't get me wrong, the Flyers were good. They let in the least amount of goals in the league en route to a 50-win season and West division crown. But what makes the 1974 championship run so special is the fact that the '74 Flyers are the first "un-Original" team to win the Stanley Cup. Eight years removed from the Great Expansion, the Flyers dominated Atlanta, won a seven-game thriller over New York in the conference finals, and wrapped up the franchise's first victory in Game 6 over the Bruins.

Fourth place: No. 4 Montreal Canadiens ('92-'93)

Remember the last time a Canadian team took home the Stanley Cup? Look no further than the '93 Habs. Behind legendary keeper Patrick Roy, Montreal fell quickly 2-0 to the Nordiques, but rebounded for four straight wins and a shot at the Sabres (who they would sweep). The team would go on to win both the Conference Finals over the Islanders and the Finals over the Kings 4-1 en route to their last Stanley Cup win.

Third place: No. 2 Toronto Maple Leafs ('41-42)

If you didn't see or hear the comparisons to this team during the Devils attempted combeack, you were living under a rock. The '42 Leafs are famously the only team in league history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the Finals to win the Stanley Cup, as they did against the Red Wings. Fun fact: the Leafs blew a 3-0 Finals lead to the Red Wings in the 1945 Stanley Cup Finals after Mud Bruneteau of Detroit's infamous claim: "The Leafs can't be that good, we'll have to win four straight." The Leafs rebounded in Game 7 however to win the Cup. 

Second place: No. 8 Los Angeles Kings ('11-'12)

People have been searching far and wide for someone outside of Southern California that picked the Kings to win the Stanley Cup, but it is now just accepted that they don't exist. The Kings weren't bad coming into the playoffs, they just weren't widely, or narrowly, picked to defeat the the Canucks who were absolutely killing it during the regular season. But four games later, Vancouver was an afterthought, and LA was making reservations for it's date with destiny.

First place: No. 3 Chicago Blackhawks ('37-'38)

Statistically, the 1937-38 Chicago Blackhawks are the worst team ever to win the Stanley Cup Finals. They finished with the worst winning percentage, winning just 14 of the team's 48 games. However, they are the classic example of a team getting hot at the right time, beating out both the Montreal Canadiens and New York Americans 2-1 en route to a clash with the much stronger Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blackhawks would go on to win the series 3-1 behind the goalkeeping of Mike Karakas, who battled injuries throughout the series.

By Mike Corasaniti

If you haven't heard the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs come up in conversation yet, be sure that you will if the Devils win tonight in Newark.

The Devils are aiming to becoming the second team in history and the first team since the Leafs to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals. But of course, there a few things in their way of doing that.

For starters, there's Game 5.

With a 3-1 win at the Staples Center a few nights ago, the normal feeling for Devils fans would be a small sense of relief now that the series is returning home. The normal opponent also wouldn't be undefeated on the road this postseason however. So if Parise and the boys can break the King's ridiculous road streak, we'll see a Game 6 later this week. But if Jonathan Quick can lead his team to the first championship in franchise history, it would mean much more than just the end to this 2011-2012 season. Let's take a look:

The Kings would have accomplished something that the team couldn't do without the best player in hockey history. But more importantly, they would have accomplished something that the team did do with Gretzky and has been doing these past weeks: make hockey matter in LA.

Not that the Kings don't draw good support, but it's been awhile since Los Angeles has had anything non-Laker related (or non-Galaxy related) to celebrate in a while. And seriously, who would have thought that with the Lakers, Clippers, and Kings all in the playoffs, that the team on ice would be champion?

But more importantly, it could be a sign that hockey could matter a lot more in the city for a while to come. Who would have thought a team that finished five point ahead of Calgary for eighth place in the West could accomplish that?

The Devils will have reached the end of an era. Not to say that this team is necessarily going away, especially by the up-and-coming play of Adam Henrique, but it will be a much different team with Zach Parise most likely signing a lush contract with another club after the season (probably) and Martin Brodeur retiring any year now (maybe).

As ESPN.com's Scott Burnside said, "Henrique is a typical devil." He wasn't some flashy high draft pick that grabbed the attention of everyone during the season with thrilling play. Rather, he earned his spot on the team after years of trials (he didn't even make the team out of training camp this year) and is in serious consideration for Rookie of the Year with his spectacular recent play.

If the Cup ends tonight, I imagine this Game 5 will haunt Henrique for a while...and maybe just motivate him enough to bring these Devils back to the Finals very soon.