Chicago 365 Stanley Cup Central: The Quest for Forever Begins Now

     The recaps are over. The posturing has reached a fever pitch. The time for talk has ended, and the hype train is pulling up to Tampa's Amalie Arena for Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. Much has been written about the disparities between the squads, about the fact that the Hawks are the most playoff-tested team in the NHL right now, and even the great disparity in experience between Joel Quenneville and Jon Cooper. But these teams are playing for something more than a title. They're playing for immortality:

     Most of the pundits are picking the Hawks, because it seems like the obvious choice. Even a woman's pet cockatoo seems to be committing to the Indian. However, the Lightning are not to be discounted. Their path to the Final went through Detroit, Montreal, and the Rangers. Three Original Six teams, not to mention knocking off New York at home in Game 7, breaching the fortress that is known as Madison Square Garden. Those facts give the Bolts a whole hell of a lot of legitimacy and panache. Even with those qualifications, I'm not picking against my home team.

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