Played at a Billion Calories Per Hour
The last two Stanley Cup finals were thrillers and now the NHL has a matchup that could put those Detroit-Pittsburgh classics to shame.
That?s because the two most psycho-for-sports cities in the U.S. are involved.
Chicago vs. Philly. It?s Clubber Lang vs. Rockie Balboa, Uno Pizza vs. The Cheese Steak Sandwich.
Gentlemen? start your deep-fryers!
The series that launched a thousand heart attacks begins this Saturday pitting two old-school franchises against one another in the post-season for the first time since 1971.
It?s been a long rough road for Chicago hockey fans. In 2004, ESPN named the Blackhawks ?the worst franchise in all of professional sports.? Team owner ?Dollar Bill? Wirtz was so old-school he didn?t believe in the newfangled invention called television, blacking out the games in the Chicago area. He died in 2007, and the franchise was taken over by his son Rocky and the turnaround has been swift.
A huge favorite after they finished third overall in the regular season. It turns out they hadn?t lost a generation of fans, instead they were staying away just to punish the previous regime. Now they are back and as famously rabid as they used to be. When their team clinched the slot in the finals on Sunday afternoon, none of the players on the ice knew the game was over because they couldn?t hear the refs whistles.
As for Philly, nobody saw this coming. Nobody. After a strong start, the team went into the tank in December, and they fired their coach John Stevens replacing him with Peter Lavoilette. But what killed them all season long was a string of goaltending injuries ? they went through seven of them, including one guy who had never played a professional hockey game in his life. They only managed to get into the playoffs on the last day of the season through a shootout.
In the second round they were down 0-3 against Boston, but came back to win becoming only the third team ever to do so. As soon as they did that, the ?team of destiny? talk started. They have just been too improbable to make it this far but they have.
The series storylines are improbable as well. The Stanley Cup finals are usually defined by the goaltenders because for teams to make it that far, they usually are riding a hot guy in net. Not this year. The matchup of Antti Niemi vs. Michael Leighton would have received million-to-one odds at season?s start had anyone would have been crazy enough to float the concept in the first place. Both of them aren?t very good.
Then there are the two captains, the Hawk?s Jonathan Toews and Philly?s Mike Richards were linemates for Team Canada in February and where given the task of taking on the opposing teams top scoring lines, something they did almost to perfection and were a big part of the home country winning gold.
But perhaps what defines both of these teams best is the annoyance factor ? both excel at getting under their opponents skins. Chippy, chatty and tough, both teams won the mental battles in the first three rounds. The pest level will be set at 11.
All that said, what?s going to make this one hell of a ride will be the home buildings. The Flyers have enjoyed one of the strongest fan bases in the game since they joined the league in 1967. Since the re-emergence of the Blackhawks as a league contender, the enormous United Center is once again filled to the rafters.
It?s going to be long and loud with the arenas packed with fat and happy drunk guys, and in the end Chicago?s long hockey nightmare will finally come to an end, and for the first time since 1961, they will win the Stanley Cup in seven games.
And Chicago and Philly cardiologists will make a killing.
Cheers ? Gavin McDougald ? AKA Couch
The last two Stanley Cup finals were thrillers and now the NHL has a matchup that could put those Detroit-Pittsburgh classics to shame.
That?s because the two most psycho-for-sports cities in the U.S. are involved.
Chicago vs. Philly. It?s Clubber Lang vs. Rockie Balboa, Uno Pizza vs. The Cheese Steak Sandwich.
Gentlemen? start your deep-fryers!
The series that launched a thousand heart attacks begins this Saturday pitting two old-school franchises against one another in the post-season for the first time since 1971.
It?s been a long rough road for Chicago hockey fans. In 2004, ESPN named the Blackhawks ?the worst franchise in all of professional sports.? Team owner ?Dollar Bill? Wirtz was so old-school he didn?t believe in the newfangled invention called television, blacking out the games in the Chicago area. He died in 2007, and the franchise was taken over by his son Rocky and the turnaround has been swift.
A huge favorite after they finished third overall in the regular season. It turns out they hadn?t lost a generation of fans, instead they were staying away just to punish the previous regime. Now they are back and as famously rabid as they used to be. When their team clinched the slot in the finals on Sunday afternoon, none of the players on the ice knew the game was over because they couldn?t hear the refs whistles.
As for Philly, nobody saw this coming. Nobody. After a strong start, the team went into the tank in December, and they fired their coach John Stevens replacing him with Peter Lavoilette. But what killed them all season long was a string of goaltending injuries ? they went through seven of them, including one guy who had never played a professional hockey game in his life. They only managed to get into the playoffs on the last day of the season through a shootout.
In the second round they were down 0-3 against Boston, but came back to win becoming only the third team ever to do so. As soon as they did that, the ?team of destiny? talk started. They have just been too improbable to make it this far but they have.
The series storylines are improbable as well. The Stanley Cup finals are usually defined by the goaltenders because for teams to make it that far, they usually are riding a hot guy in net. Not this year. The matchup of Antti Niemi vs. Michael Leighton would have received million-to-one odds at season?s start had anyone would have been crazy enough to float the concept in the first place. Both of them aren?t very good.
Then there are the two captains, the Hawk?s Jonathan Toews and Philly?s Mike Richards were linemates for Team Canada in February and where given the task of taking on the opposing teams top scoring lines, something they did almost to perfection and were a big part of the home country winning gold.
But perhaps what defines both of these teams best is the annoyance factor ? both excel at getting under their opponents skins. Chippy, chatty and tough, both teams won the mental battles in the first three rounds. The pest level will be set at 11.
All that said, what?s going to make this one hell of a ride will be the home buildings. The Flyers have enjoyed one of the strongest fan bases in the game since they joined the league in 1967. Since the re-emergence of the Blackhawks as a league contender, the enormous United Center is once again filled to the rafters.
It?s going to be long and loud with the arenas packed with fat and happy drunk guys, and in the end Chicago?s long hockey nightmare will finally come to an end, and for the first time since 1961, they will win the Stanley Cup in seven games.
And Chicago and Philly cardiologists will make a killing.
Cheers ? Gavin McDougald ? AKA Couch
