For a lot of people, the magic of the hockey season is over, but for others, now is the time to pretend like they've been fans for years.
Even if you don't fall under one of these two extremes and all the hype is catching your interest, here's the low-down on this year's 2015 Stanley Cup Final that will bring you up to speed.
Though each year of the Stanley Cup Final brings about a special kind of excitement with each match-up, this year's is especially interesting.
The Chicago Blackhawks are facing their third Stanley Cup appearance in five years, having won both of their other two appearances. Their most well-known stars include forwards Jonathan Toews (captain), and Patrick Kane, defenseman Duncan Keith, and their goaltender Corey Crawford. All of these players are incredibly talented, earning them spots as 2015 All-Stars.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have only had one appearance in the Stanley Cup, which they won in 2004. Since then, they gained a talented captain, Steven Stamkos, who has been in multiple NHL All-Star games and has won the "Rocket Richard" trophy twice for being the leading scorer in the league. Their goaltender, Ben Bishop, has become a household name in Florida due to his excellent career in this year's playoffs.
The ultimate star of the playoffs, however, is Tampa Bay center Tyler Johnson. Johnson leads the playoffs with 13 goals.
Though both teams have players that are capable of great success, the real question is: How do these two teams compare to each other?
What makes this match-up so great is that the teams compliment each other. Chicago's goaltending can be shaky at times, but their superstars' scoring abilities have them winning in this series. Tampa Bay has a strong goaltender, but they have players that aren't all of equal talent. This makes the match-up balance out. The entire series so far has been high paced and action packed. That said, it's one of the best Stanley Cup Finals I've ever seen and something definitely worth watching.
Both teams put in copious amounts of hard work and equally deserve to raise the cup.
If you have anything to say about the series, tweet me with the hashtag #StanleyCupWithEmandConor.
