Chicago Blackhawks vs Boston Bruins. It’s almost here.
The Stanley Cup Final, not Finalsssssssssss, is soon upon us. A battle of two teams with hot goal-tending and horrific power play. But hey, great penalty kill.
Yesterday, NBC Sports’s top NHL announce team Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) participated in a conference call to preview the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.
I’ll be back later today with the Eddie O. interview posted on Chicago Now. Obviously it will be Blackhawks centric. But for this article we’ll talk Bruins and Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins and Blackhawks have never met in a final before. Bruins vs Blackhawks gives us the first Original 6 Final matchup since 1979.
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that comprised the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion
Emrick on the original 6 Matchup: “The thrill of Original Six for those of us that really like the history is one thing, but having the two best goals-against-averages and save percentages in these two goaltenders…. and you throw in Original Six and wild fan bases that go over generations; this is going to be a thrill for us to just be a part of this and watch it all with you.”
McGuire on Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks: “Welcome to the Stanley Cup Final where there is no Cinderella. The two best teams are actually in the Stanley Cup Final… It’s going to be a matchup galore, it’s going to be coaching star power, player star power, awesome goaltending, physical confrontation, two electrifying buildings and cities – I can’t wait. Can we go now?”
Emrick on the 6 significance: “In these two cities in particular, they will appreciate the history. It’s passed down by generation. These fan bases are solid and have been… That’s an exciting thing to us that there is an appreciation for people who have played in the past.”
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final airs Wednesday on NBC at 7 central, with pre-game coverage beginning at 6 central on NBC Sports Network.
For more information on NBC Sports Group’s Stanley Cup Final coverage
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