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Either Brown or Parise will have something in common with Derian Hatcher

Derian Hatcher

19 Jun 1999: Captain Derian Hatcher of the Dallas Stars carries the Stanley Cup after the Stanley Cup Final game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York. The Stars defeated the Sabres 2-1 in the third overtime. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport

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While we don’t know who will win the Stanley Cup, we do know one thing: The first guy to lift the Cup is going to be an American.

What you may not also know is that it’ll mark only the second time an American captained a team to the title. New Jersey is led by Zach Parise (Minneapolis, MN) while L.A. has Dustin Brown (Ithaca, NY) wearing the “C” for them.

Derian Hatcher (Sterling Heights, MI) was the first and last American to pull off the feat in 1999 with the Dallas Stars when they beat Buffalo. While fans in Buffalo are busy still cursing out Brett Hull for that, perhaps they’ll be rooting on New York’s own Brown to lift the Cup. “I know Ithaca isn’t near Buffalo,” says the guy writing this from near Albany.

Wild fans might be eager to see one of Minnesota’s own win it all, but they’re conflicted knowing a Cup win for New Jersey might all but lock up Parise staying with the Devils rather than becoming a free agent. Wild fans sure are interested in Parise if he becomes available.