For the third year in a row, the NHL will see two American big-market, star-studded teams in the Stanley Cup Finals, starting with tonight’s Game 1 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers.
For a league that has seen substantial increases in television ratings in the past year, these Finals have the potential to be a marketing nirvana for commissioner Gary Bettman.
“If Nashville had won and some other team like that — Columbus — they would have probably committed suicide,” always-colorful NHL analyst Don Cherry said in a conference call. “But this is a dream for the National Hockey League. Philly — high profile. Chicago, they’re just jumping with joy with Chicago. They’re happy the way things are right now. Couldn’t have been better.”
Whichever team wins the series will see a long Stanley Cup drought end. The Blackhawks haven’t won since John F. Kennedy was president (1961), the Flyers not since Gerald R. Ford was in office (1975).
Former Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville is hoping for his first championship as the head man in Chicago. He has a ring for being an assistant coach on the Avs’ 1996 title team but said this would be more special.
“When you do win a championship, you can’t wait to do it again. It has been a long time since then. And I think as a head coach, you always dream about the position we’re in,” Quennveville told reporters in Chicago. “Right now, we get to enjoy the excitement that’s in Chicago. It’s been special, whether you’re out in the streets or you’re just coming to the rink. You can feel it. You sense it.”
The Flyers have come to embody one of Philadelphia’s signature characters, the fictional Rocky Balboa. Not only did they squeak into the playoffs in a shootout on the final day of the regular season, they became the first NHL team since the 1975 New York Islanders to win a playoff series after falling into a 3-0 deficit, in the second round against Boston.
Former Avalanche winger Ian Laperriere has become a folk hero in Philly, coming back to play after he suffered a brain contusion blocking a shot in the first round.
“I think through all the trials and tribulations we went through, we’ve become a very strong team,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette told reporters in Philadelphia. “Probably our greatest strength right now are the guys in the room and what they believe in and their belief in each other. There have been so many times when we’ve been down and out, and we fought back.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360, adater@denverpost.com or
Flyers vs. Blackhawks
Game 1: 6 p.m. today at Chicago, KUSA-9
Philadelphia Flyers: 41-35-6 regular-season record Chicago Blackhawks: 52-22-8 regular-season record Spotlight on Ian Laperriere:
The former Avs fan favorite returned from a brain contusion to play Games 4 and 5 of the Eastern Conference finals for the Flyers against Montreal and will make his first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals tonight.
Story line:
The teams are similar in that they can score goals and have goalies who weren’t the No. 1 guy when the season started. Chicago probably has a little more overall offensive depth, but the Flyers have a former Norris Trophy winner and Cup champ on defense in Chris Pronger.
It could come down to home-ice advantage, and Chicago has it. But the Flyers have proved themselves one of the more resilient teams in recent NHL history.
The Post’s pick:
Flyers in six.
