There is a palpable letdown around here when the New York-area hockey teams are done for the summer. With no dog in the fight, it’s hard to garner interest in the national stage as the warmth of summer approaches.
But after all the Memorial Day barbecues and fireworks are done, Monday night brings with it Game 1 of what is an intriguing Stanley Cup final between the Penguins and the Sharks. There are stars and storylines that reach into the fandom of the Rangers, Islanders and Devils, and ones that should grab any sports fans attention.
Here are The Post’s top five reasons to watch:
1) Sidney Crosby
The Penguins captain has reasserted himself as the best player in the world — just in case he ever lost that title. In Game 6 of the East finals against the Lightning, facing elimination, Crosby scored arguably the best goal of the playoffs, just the kind of play that makes you love hockey. Weaving through traffic and finishing a swift snap shot, Crosby gave his team a 3-0 lead in a game they would win, 3-2, to force Game 7.
After that 2-1 victory in Pittsburgh, Crosby had six goals and 15 points in 17 postseason games — including three goals and eight points against the Rangers in the five-game first-round spanking. Now 28 years old, the 2009 Stanley Cup victory seems a long time ago for Crosby and the Penguins. If another Cup comes, it will likely come with the first Conn Smythe for Sid, as well.
2) Carl Hagelin
The Rangers’ speedy salary-cap casualty is now wreaking havoc for the Penguins, giving them the type of depth and versatility they lacked in the past. The Swede with the flowing blond locks was traded by the Rangers last offseason as a restricted free agent, and the failed return of Emerson Etem — which then turned into Nicklas Jensen, whose evaluation is still to be determined — is not a fair judge of the deal. It was a necessary salary dump, yet still a hard one to swallow for Blueshirts’ fans, especially if Hags lifts the Cup.
3) Jumbo Joe Thornton
One of the most prolific point producers of the past 15 years, the big-bodied center was traded from the Bruins to the Sharks in the first season after the lockout, 2005-06. Despite big regular-season numbers, Thornton struggled when the light was the brightest, and that’s the unfortunate reputation he has carried around as the Sharks franchise finally reaches its first Cup final.
Thornton was stripped of his captaincy before the 2014-15 season, but has begun to thrive as an alternate. Growing an obscenely long beard with teammate Brent Burns, Thornton is hard to miss — and is a pleasure to watch.
4) New York coaches
The Penguins season turned around when they fired coach Mike Johnston in December and replaced him with John Tortorella’s longtime assistant, Mike Sullivan. Since then, the Penguins have been the best team in the league, and a lot of credit deserves to go to Sullivan.
This is the first year behind the Sharks bench for former Devils coach Peter DeBoer, who has had success in the first year of each of his three stops. That included the run to the Cup final with the Devils in 2012 after beating the Rangers in the conference final. Now he has the Sharks on the brink of their first championship.
5) Terrific young goalies
It seems like Marc-Andre Fleury’s time in Pittsburgh is waning, as 21-year-old Matt Murray has come in and played exceptionally well while Fleury was recovering from his second concussion this season. Even though Fleury is able to back up, it’s still Murray’s net and he’s earning it.
San Jose counters with 26-year-old Martin Jones, who had shown some flashes of talent with the Kings over the past two seasons, but has really come into his own during his first full season as the Sharks starter. A franchise that has recently lacked elite goalies seems to finally have a good one.