Cup Candidates

With their victory last night, the Philadelphia Flyers earned a berth to the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. Prepare for a (hopefully) gritty match up.

Chicago hasn't claimed the Cup since 1961, when there were only six NHL teams - and Philadelphia wasn't one of them. The Flyers are seeking their first title since back-to-back wins in 1974 and 1975, when the franchise was barely more than a few years old.

Philadelphia has had a hell of a playoff run, coming in as a 7-seed and just barely making the postseason with an overtime shootout victory in the final game of the year. Their 4-1 series victory over the equally improbable Cinderella Montreal Canadiens (8) was similar to the opening series against the New Jersey Devils (2), but their semi-final round against the Boston Bruins (6) was nothing short of inspired. First down 3-0, they made a comeback to force Game 7. Rallying from a 3-0 deficit in that game to win, Philly showed it has the strength to go deep into the playoffs.

Chicago (2) was more dominating in the West, handily dispatching Nashville (7) before returning the favor to Vancouver (3), the bastards who waylaid my beloved Kings. But what shows their mettle is the four-game sweep over top-seeded San Jose, who started the year favored to win it all, but had yet another meltdown.

There will be lots of drama when the two teams meet this Saturday, and not just because teeth are flying and faces are getting rearranged. We'll see:

• Is the Hossa curse still in effect?

• Which team's young stars will trump the other?

• Does touching the conference trophy bring bad luck?

• Who wins the heavyweight battle of Pronger vs. Byfuglien?

• Which team's shaky in-season goalie continues to be the dominant post-season success?

• Will the experts get their playoff predictions right?

I'm rooting for the 'Hawks, because Pronger was a dirty Duck, and I really don't want to see a shitbag like Dan Carcillo hoise the Cup. And they have babes.