Stanley Cup Final Preview
It's finally here! Tomorrow, the battle for sport's greatest trophy begins in Chicago as the Blackhawks host the Boston Bruins, which should be a fantastic series. This was my pick before the playoffs started. So, I'll be waiting for my call from NBC to replace Mike Milbury. It amazing to think that this will be the first time that these two Original 6 teams will face-off for the Stanley Cup. Let me go off on a tangent for a second, though. I couldn't care less that we have an "Original 6 matchup." It doesn't make the hockey any better, and no one that isn't in their late 70s really cares about "Original 6 matchups." So, I don't really understand why everyone is making a huge deal about it. But, I digress...
The first thing that needs to be considered is the old "Rest vs. Rust" argument for Boston. Yes, they swept Pittsburgh in a very impressive manner. Let's be real, though, Pittsburgh is a soft team. It wasn't really a "hard-fought" sweep (if there is such a thing). They've had all of this time off while Chicago has been going into overtime games against LA. Chicago gets the few days off that they needed, but it's not too many that they will ruin their momentum going into this series. If Claude Julien kept his players sharp during this layoff, the time off won't be an issue, but if they falter in Game 1, it will be the first thing the analysts run to to explain the loss.
Next, it will be interesting to see how Boston handles Chicago's depth. Joel Quenneville (former Devil) is able to roll four lines with no problem. He was even doing that in overtime games, so it shows you how much trust he has in his guys. Pittsburgh might have been "deep," but the depth was old superstars passed their prime. Chicago has skill and speed all throughout their lineup (Kane, Toews, Hossa, Sharp, Shaw, Saad, etc.) This will definitely be Boston's biggest challenge yet.
As always when the Stanley Cup Finals come around, goalie match-ups are huge, This is where things even up. Rask and Crawford have been solid all playoffs. Whichever team can break the other goalie first will have the upper hand, and that won't be easy to do. Even since the game against the Rangers when Rask gave up that fluky goal when he fell, he has been a rock in net for Boston. He completely shut down the Penguins that were supposed to have all of this offensive firepower. Crawford was able to help Chicago come back from being down 3-1 to Detroit and thus lead them to the Finals. This is going to be a great, long, tough, hard-fought series. I can't wait for it to start tomorrow!
Prediction: Chicago in 6.
TIMMY!
Unless you live under a rock, or are boycotting all forms of social media, Tim Tebow signed with the New England Patriots. This is one of those things that is shocking, yet not at all surprising. I say that because I didn't think he had a shot at playing this year. But, this is a textbook Bill Belichick move. It's one of those reclamation project he loves oh so much. If Tebow sticks with the Pats, I would love nothing more than to see him score a game-winning touchdown versus the Jets. I was talking with some people yesterday, and we could only figure that Belichick has some crazy plan for Tebow. There's got to be an offensive package that he's cooked up for Tebow that can help him excel. No matter what the rationale behind the move is, it's sure to be a media circus in New England now. Here's to hoping it's a huge distraction!
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