Thanks for the wait NHL...

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is fast approaching.  As the week wears on and the anticipation builds we are beginning to see some storylines appear in this series.  Can Buff be stopped?  Who has the better defensive core?  Who has the better Captain?  Should Toews have touched the Campbell Trophy?  Should Richards have not touched the Prince of Whales Trophy?  Personally I believe the Finals should have started tonight.  That way the media would have much less time to jam these thoughts into the players’ minds before they step out on the ice.  Game 1 on Wednesday night would have laid the tracks for an unbelievable weekend showcase of the leagues two best teams.  Friday night in Chicago, Sunday night in Philly, the buzz would have been tremendous if we had been given a game to lead into the weekend.  But I’m not Gary Bettman (or affiliated with the NHL at all) so that thought remains solely my opinion.

Since there is nothing but speculation to talk about at this point let’s take a look at some of these lingering questions.  I honestly don’t think there is one Coach in the NHL who would take Pronger, Carle, Timonen, and Coburn over Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, and Hjalmarsson.  Although the guys over at NHL Network disagree, I give the defensive advantage to the Hawks in this series.  When looking at the D-Men alone I think it is fairly close, but when you throw the Hawks two way players (Toews, Hossa, Bolland, Ladd) into the mix I think the Hawks have a clear cut edge.  As far as Buff goes I think the battle between him and Pronger will come out as a draw.  Today on Jim Rome Mr. Pronger said the easy way to stop Buff is to not let him get set up.  With the way he has played thus far in these playoffs, it’s hard to say that Chris Pronger could not be somewhat effective in doing that.  I think there will be an entertaining mix of Buff doing his thing along with Pronger doing a good job of jamming him up around the net. 

All of you who read religiously here at The Manchise know that I have a bit of a crush on the Flyers.  I am quite fond of their uniforms, I like some of their personalities, and I respect the way they play the game.  As I have said before they are the only team I consider being even close to the Hawks in terms of depth.  They also are similar to the Blackhawks in having an unproven goaltender in net.  On paper the teams are strikingly similar ands that’s why I believe this is the best matchup the NHL could have gotten for the Finals.

So if the two teams matchup perfectly what will decide the winner of this series?  I truly believe that when the dust settles whichever team gets the better performance out of their Captain will win the Cup.  Over the course of the series the forwards and defensemen and goalies will all cancel each other out.  It will be up to the Captains to guide their team to glory.  So who do I got, Toews or Richards?  Unfortunately you will have to wait and see.  Check back tomorrow for an in depth comparison of the two Captains that will ultimately lead to my pick to win the NHL’s most coveted prize.