What a Stanley Cup Final Berth Would Mean for Each NHL Conference Finalist

The NHL's final four are coincidentally the teams who won the past four Stanley Cups, and another Final berth would mean something different to each team. The Los Angeles Kings would have a chance to make history, the Boston Bruins would be re-legitimized and the Pittsburgh Penguins could shake a stigma.

What would it mean for the Chicago Blackhawks? To find that out and more, here is what a Stanley Cup Final berth would mean for each conference finalist. 

Boston Bruins

What It Would Mean: It Re-Legitimizes the Bruins As a Top Contender

The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and they were on top of the world. After a first-round exit in 2012 and six games and two periods against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013, it looked like the Bruins were a different team.

After a Game 7 win, Milan Lucic expressed relief, because if the Bruins had lost Game 7, there is a chance the core group of players would have been dismantled. The Bruins went on to defeat the New York Rangers during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the 2011 Cup champs are currently steamrolling the Pittsburgh Penguins.

If the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup Final, it will prove they are still an elite team, and it will re-legitimize the makeup of their core.

Chicago Blackhawks

What It Would Mean: The Blackhawks Are The Top Dog In The NHL

The Chicago Blackhawks will be solidified as the NHL's top team if they make it to the Stanley Cup Final. They were the best team during the regular season, they have been one of the better teams throughout the playoffs and a return to the Final would cement their status as the NHL's top team.

The Blackhawks have a perfect cocktail of a roster full of talent, depth, defense and goaltending. Although the Blackhawks appeared human against the Detroit Red Wings, they responded to adversity by winning three straight, and they went on to win the first two games of their series against the Los Angeles Kings.

If anything, the Blackhawks' blip showed that they were human as a team. Every team goes through losing streaks, but the great ones can rebound. If the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup, it could be the beginning of greater things because the team's core is locked up for the foreseeable future.

Los Angeles Kings

What It Would Mean: The Kings Will Have a Chance To Make History

The Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back Cups in the early 1990s, and the Detroit Red Wings would accomplish the same feat only a few years later. The same two teams are also the most recent teams to appear in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. 

If the Kings make it back to the Final, it would be a back-to-back appearance, and they would have a chance to join the Penguins, Red Wings and other elite teams in an exclusive club.

The Kings would become only the seventh team in league history to win back-to-back Cups, and it would solidify the Kings' status as a great team.

Pittsburgh Penguins

What It Would Mean: The Penguins Can Get It Done In the Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, but since then, they have not done their job in the playoffs. Since winning, the Penguins have had two second-round exits and two-first round exits.

For a team with all of the talent the Penguins have, there is no excuse for failure in the playoffs. Regular-season dominance is great for seeding purposes, but fans and critics only care about what happens in the postseason. This year the Penguins really loaded up for a lengthy playoff run, but so far it hasn't panned out for them.

They dispatched of the lowly seeded New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators, but they haven't kept pass with the Boston Bruins. If the Penguins can make a comeback to reach the Final, they will prove they can get it done in the playoffs and they will silence many critics.