It may no longer be the phrase the NHL uses to promote the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but "History Will Be Made" on Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Kings take on the New Jersey Devils in the first game of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals.
When the Devils and Kings take the ice at the Prudential Center in Newark on Wednesday night, it will begin the first-ever Stanley Cup Final where both participating teams were captained by American players.
"It's great for the game," Parise said on Tuesday at the NHL's media day for the finals. "It's great for the game in the U.S. That says a lot for American hockey."
Of course, while Parise and Brown are both Americans captaining their respective teams in pursuit of hockey's ultimate prize, their routes to this moment were very different. Parise, the Minneapolis-born son of longtime NHL veteran Jean-Paul Parise (890 games with the Bruins, North Stars, Islanders and Cleveland Barons), is a poster child for the American system. Parise starred in the noted prep school hockey program at Shattuck-St. Mary's before going on to the University of North Dakota, where he starred for two years and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey. From there, he moved on to begin his pro career with the Devils, who drafted him with the 17th pick in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, and has gone on to become a consistent 30-goal scorer.
Brown, meanwhile, grew up in Ithaca, N.Y., home to one of college hockey's premier programs (Cornell University), but eschewed the college route altogether, instead playing junior hockey with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. After three years in Guelph, Brown was selected four slots ahead of Parise in the 2003 Draft, and while he hasn't been quite the scorer that Parise has at the NHL level, he's certainly been exactly what the Kings want in their captain.
"Even if he's not scoring, getting assists or anything," Parise said, "you know when he's out there. He does a lot of things out there that might not wind up on the scoresheet, but he's a very effective player, even if he's not scoring."
Parise knows Brown quite well, having played alongside him at tournaments like the IIHF World Junior Championship and the Olympics. Having seen Brown as both a teammate and an opponent, he sees a lot of himself in his opposing captain.
"I do think we play pretty similar styles of hockey," Parise said. "He's a great player. He's physical. He does everything out on the ice."
Come Wednesday night, both American captains will be doing "everything" they can "out on the ice" in an effort to bring home the Stanley Cup.
