Stanley Cup Final: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers
We hockey fans have been blessed with fantastic Stanley Cup Final matchups over the past few seasons, dating back to the post-lockout classic between Carolina and Edmonton. Well, the generosity of the hockey gods continues as they have seen fit to provide us another. Detroit and Pittsburgh decided against the Stanley Cup rubber match to make way for another awesome matchup between two hockey-crazy markets. A normal preview wouldn’t do this series justice, so we are gonna dig deep here. I’m talking hand down my pants on a hot July day-scratching deep. Don’t act like you don’t know. Without further ado: The Stanley Cup Final, 2010.
Center vs. Center, Captain vs.Captain
You’d be hard pressed to find two better centers than Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews in the National Hockey League. The Olympic teammates are inspirational leaders that do their talking on the ice and set an example for their teammates with every shift. Take into account that these men both wear the honored “C” on their sweater (yup, I said sweater) while barely being old enough to drink and it makes their accomplishments, leadership, ability and pure will all the more astonishing. As it stands right now, these two will be lining up against each other the majority of the series. Strength vs. strength. Top line vs. top line. Not to mention these are the two strongest Conn Smyth candidates for both teams heading into the series. This is an epic matchup. These two are so serious and hell-bent on winning, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a Vinny Lecavalier-Jarome Iginla flashback this series. One could only hope. Their intensity is palpable.
The Bluelines
We are going to see two fantastic defenses in this series. Human eraser Chris Pronger and his partner Kimmo Timonen have been as instrumental in the defensive lockdown taking place in Philly as goalies Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton. Pronger plays as nasty as anyone in the history of the league and skating into his slot and around his crease is the ultimate test of a player. He will literally murder you. He is that tough, that intimidating and that effective. Shame on everyone who considered him done at the Olympics (yeah I know I was one of them). He and Timonen keep everything to the outside so secondary scoring chances are few and far between. And Pronger has absolutely brought it on offense as well. He is as much of a Conn Smyth candidate at this point as the two captains. He goes to Edmonton, they reach the finals. He goes to Anaheim, they win The Cup. Now he’s in Philly and they reach the finals in the most improbable of playoff runs. Winner much? Yeah, nuff said.
On the Chicago side is the tandem of Duncan Keith and Brett Seabrook. Quite simply, there isn’t a better defensive pair out there right now. They are the equivalent of the two bitchy, snobby, usually fat chicks that protect the hot friend at the bar from being hit on by you and your skeevy friends. You can’t penetrate that wall. And Keith has the offense to go with it. He is a whiz. He’s like the one that insults your shoes while simultaneously suggesting that you are too fat to date her, let alone her friend. Ok, getting off-topic here. Keith is an incredibly effective defensive player, and the entire Chicago power-play and breakout runs through the magic on his stick blade. He got his teeth knocked out in the deciding game of the West Finals and came back a few minutes later to set up the go ahead goal. Yeah, so there’s that. Seabrook has some offensive chops too, but he is the straight man who can shut you down and shred you in the corners while Keith goes off gallivanting and using his offensive creativity to light up the opposing goaltender. To put it in layman’s terms, He’s the Murtagh to Keith’s Riggs.
The Unstoppable Force vs. The Immovable Object
Yeah I understand that every media outlet in North America is using that headline, but you know what? It’s 100% true. In the West Finals, Dustin Byfuglien parked his 6’5, 267 lb frame in front of San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov and that was it. Nobody had the size or ability to move him. He scored at will. Over and over and over again. Three game-winners. After every goal he had a shit-eating grin on his face because he KNEW they couldn’t stop him. You almost felt bad for the Sharks because it really wasn’t fair. This guy is a defensive lineman who plays exceptional ice hockey. He was so distracting in front of that net that Jonathan Toews and the electric Patrick Kane (who is quietly having a sensational post season in his own right) were free to roam the offensive zone and create offense that Byfuglien usually converted into goals. Well, Dustin, you had no trouble parking yourself in front of the Sharks’ net like you were on a recliner watching a Cubs game, but we have a troubling wake-up call for you. Yup, you guessed it: Chris Pronger. The two nastiest players in the series are going to match up and determine who owns that five feet patch of ice in front of the Flyer net. The battle is going to be intense, nasty, and dirty and there is a high probability of blood and/or physical injury happening right off the bat. And Pronger is the dirtiest marquee player of this generation so we have that to look forward to!
The Breakdown
The goaltending is even with two neophytes (Michael Leighton, Phi and Antti Niemi, Chi) between the pipes. The special teams are even with Chicago owning the superior PP and the Flyers owning the stronger PK. The coaching is even. The defense is even. Where the separation occurs is in the forwards. The Flyers have two fantastic lines with serviceable third and fourth lines made up of grinders and checkers who get the job done. On the flip side, Chicago has three amazing lines who score and play the two-way game and a fourth line that is more reminiscent of a third line. This is where the speed and skill of the Blackhawks is going to wear the Flyers down. They just keep skating, keep forechecking, keep creating. It doesn’t stop. I am not sure the Flyers can combat this for an entire series. And this is with the understanding that Marian Hossa isn’t doing a Goddamn thing offensively. God forbid he wakes up and chips in some offense this series if you’re a Flyer fan.
Also…
The Flyers are still playing with house money. As I explained in the Montreal series, how can you beat a team that stared death right in the face? Making the playoffs on the final day of the season in a shootout AND coming back from an 0-3 hole in a span of one month? Yeah, I would be walking like I had an 11-inch wang too if I broke through those obstacles.
For Chicago, this team simply does not lose on the road. The Flyers’ best chance to take this series is to beat Chicago at home where they have been nothing super spectacular. If the Hawks continue their road dominance, this series ends in Philly in game six. Although, when you think about it, it would be hilarious if Marian Hossa lost three straight Stanley Cup Finals. Nobody would touch him with a ten-foot pole (a.k.a. Zdeno Chara’s hockey stick). Talk about curses…
The Prediction
This one is incredibly tough to call because of how good both of these teams are and how locked-in they both seem at the moment. But if I have to pick, I have to go with the team with the most speed that absolutely owns the road. They seemed like a team on a mission from day one of the regular season and they are four wins away from eliminating the longest Stanley Cup drought in the league. The Flyers had a good run and will be back next year, but the Chicago Blackhawks are bringing home Lord Stanley for the first time since 1961. The transformation of this franchise is complete. Chicago Blackhawks in six.
Image Courtesy of The Hockey News Online
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