JONES: Stanley Cup playoffs never about the money for contenders

The Conn Smythe Trophy is given every year to the MVP of the playoffs. But it says here that this year they should present a COVID Cup to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

His fingerprints are all over this largely flawless presentation as it headed to the elimination game with daily testing and not a single positive test.

I had a discussion with Daly after the game Friday and there was a mixture of triumph and relief there.

“Well, absent something unforeseen, it looks like we are going to be able to finish what we set out to do,” he said. “That was to finish the 2019 season and to award a Stanley Cup and do it in a credible way.

“We couldn’t have done any of this without the hard work and sacrifice of a lot of dedicated people all pulling in the same direction. I couldn’t be more proud of our clubs, our players and our staff. It’s a tremendous accomplishment.”

If there were other COVID Cups to be passed out, NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer would certainly be a deserving recipient.

Throughout proceedings, whether it was Daly, Bettman, Oilers CEO and vice-chairman Bob Nicholson, they all went out of their way to inform me, without supplying details, that Edmonton’s Hub City triumph never would have happened without the part provincial Premier Jason Kenney played.

“Alberta was so thrilled to play host to the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs right here in Edmonton and I’m delighted to express how happy we were to showcase Alberta to the world,” said Kenney when I communicated with him Saturday morning. “Our COVID response is what enabled this and we thank all of our public health officials who made it possible.”

There’s a long list of people, including those with the Oilers Entertainment Group here and Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment in Toronto, who deserved COVID Cups here. But in the end, it’s about the Stanley Cup and the players who are presented it on the ice with the focus on nobody else.

And that’s the way it should be, even on a year in its history like none other.

E-mail: tjones@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @byterryjones