The 2010 NHL Playoffs have reached their culminating event—the Stanley Cup Finals. But it's obvious to see, the two combatants for hockey's biggest prize aren't exactly who we expected.
The Chicago Blackhawks actually were one of the fan favorites to reach this point, having advanced through two rounds of the playoffs last year and then earning the second seed in the the Western Conference heading into the postseason this time around.
Led by Norris Trophy-candidate Duncan Keith and a 1-2-3 punch of scoring-minded forwards, the Blackhawks were definitely one of the front-runners from the start.
However, their opponent for the Cup was anything but a top candidate. The seventh-seeded Philadelphia Flyers didn't even qualify for the playoffs until a shootout against the Rangers on the final evening of the regular season.
Despite high expectations heading into the 2009-10 campaign, Philly struggled at times and wasn't able to sneak into the postseason until former Cup-winning coach Peter Laviolette was brought in.
With a depleted goaltending squad and a brutal match-up against Martin Brodeur's Devils facing them in the first round, hopes for the Flyers looked anything but brig ...
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Article written by Mark Jones
2010 Stanley Cup: Chicago Is Happy To Be Playing Philadelphia
May 26th, 2010 by Mark Jones Leave a reply »
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