The Danes with their eyes on the Stanley Cup

The LA Kings and the NY Rangers stand in their way

May 20, 2014

The National Hockey League is entering the latter stages of the Stanley Cup playoffs with only four teams left.

Though there are only eight Danish players in the entire league, two remain among the last four teams standing and have a chance to do something that no Dane has every done before: lift the holy grail of ice hockey, the Stanley Cup.

Rødovre native Lars Eller plays centre for the Montreal Canadiens who are currently facing off against the New York Rangers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals. Despite Eller’s best efforts, which have included netting a goal in Game 1, the Canadiens have fallen behind in the series 2-0.

The Western Conference final is between the Chicago Blackhawks, featuring Herning native Peter Regin, and the Los Angles Kings. The Blackhawks beat the Kings 3-1 in Game 1 and lead the series 1-0.

Danes trending in the NHL
Denmark has only produced 10 NHL players – far fewer than their Scandinavian neighbours Sweden and Finland, but things are moving forward.

Many people believe that Frans Nielsen became the first Dane to play in the NHL back in 2007, but actually Poul Popiel blazed the icy trail for the Danes way back in 1966, bouncing around the league over the course of his 14-year career as a professional.

In the past decade, however, Danes have started to earn some credibility, and there are currently eight Danes in the league.

And now, with only four teams left, Eller and Regin have the chance to make their country proud and be the first Dane to hoist the Stanley Cup.