Stanley Cup Final: The Blackhawks and Flyers are Cup Bound

A dance-a-thon had 16 competitors in April and now, the dance floor is cleared and the last two standing are left to decide who will hoist Lord Stanley's Cup—the Western Conference's Chicago Blackhawks or the Eastern Conference's Philadelphia Flyers.

Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago was the second seed in the Western Conference and the third-best team in the league so most thought that this young squad will be a hard team to beat.  So far, they are on the money.

First round came the Nashville Predators and it took six games to get through to the next round.

Second round comes the Vancouver Canucks which should've proved to be a more difficult team for the Blackhawks.  After Game One's sound defeat, it was thought that this would be the beginning of end for Chicago's season. 

Five games later, the boys in black and red were headed for the Western Conference Finals against the second-best team in the league and the conference's first-seed team, the San Jose Sharks.

NOW they are done, right?  Hold on.  Did anybody see a Dustin Byfuglien?

His best season was 36 points, never bettered more than 19 goals per season in his career 206 NHL games, who scored 55 goals, got 54 assists...you get the idea...

Not only did this 25-year-old score in every game in the series, but he pulled off three game-winning goals to help send the Sharks' season to an end in a four-game sweep.

Chicago's Antti Niemi is an unproven goalie and he stepped it up when needed to help propel his team to a chance to end a near five-decade cup drought.  So far, he has helped to keep this goal a possibility.

Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia took the seventh seed of the Eastern Conference by the proverbial skin of their teeth.  They won their final regular season game against the New York Rangers in a win-or-go-home game and they leap frogged the Montreal Canadiens to secure a date with the second-seeded New Jersey Devils.

This was a relatively short dance.  The Flyers used their aggressive fore checking and physical play to knock off the Devils in five games.

The second round got them a dance with the Boston Bruins.  The Bruins won the first three games of the series and it looked like the Flyers were done.  Hold on again...

Game Three resulted in David Krejci getting injured on a clean north-south hit and that took him out of the rest of the playoffs.  Although they won that game, Simon Gagne came back in Game Four and was the game hero scoring the game-winner in OT mirroring the comeback game of Marc Savard's OT winner in Game One.

The Flyers kept coming, and with the injuries of Marco Sturm and David Krejci, it was hard for the Bruins to best the Flyers, who play a very effective fore check and can dig deep down inside to pull out the win.  A win and then three more to make the Flyers the fourth team in professional sports history to win a series after being down three games to none.  

Off to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Montreal Canadiens.

For the first time in NHL history, a seventh- and eighth-seeded matchup in a conference finals.  Also, it was the first time in this year's playoffs that the Montreal Canadiens has faced a team that is balanced in physical play and a scoring force to reckon with.

After five games, Philadelphia outscored Montreal 16-7, and there were three shutouts in Games One, Two and Four.

The Flyers were playing goalie Micheal Leighton after Boucher was injured in the Bruins series and he has more than stepped it up.  Combined with the defensive play, fore checking, and some timely stops by the 29-year-old netminder, the Flyers earned their spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Laying it All Out

So who will win this year?

Hard to say.  

Most pundits are calling for the Blackhawks to win their first Stanley Cup since the 1960-61 season.  Some still think the determination and the grit of the Flyers will get their first cup since the 1974-75 season (they won the year before as well) during the years of the Broad Street Bullies.

Chicago has a strong, young squad who can bang the boards and has a very good scoring touch.  Players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, and Duston Byfuglien will create havoc.

Philadelphia has the same thing, and with the return of Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere, this will be a more dangerous team to face as Carter will add to the offensive weapons that they already have with Danny Briere, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, and Claude Giroux.

Laperriere is the PK specialist and in the final game of the Eastern Conference, he showed why by stopping a shot that was potentially a tying goal.

The coaching will be key as well and I have to give the edge to Peter Laviolette.  He has the ability to mix and matchup his roster and that seems to throw their opponents into disarray.  If he can calm Dan Carcillo down from a near meltdown at a crucial moment, that's got to say something.

To say who will be a definitive winner is going to be hard to say for sure.  If you HAD to put money on it, I'd say Chicago will win their fourth Stanley Cup.

If you had to call it on character, I would say Philadelphia will win their third cup.

That being said, it will be the lucky bounces that will call the season and crown a champion for the 2009-10 season.

This is Cory Ducey saying, "Hit hard, but keep it clean ."