TAMPA, Fla. — They’ve all won it in their minds. A lucky few have done it in real life, too.
So as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks went through their final preparations for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final a sentimental feeling washed over Amalie Arena.
You had 36-year-old Lightning forward Brenden Morrow, back in the final for the first time since his rookie year, talking about how rare the opportunity is. There were 56 text messages on his phone when he returned to the dressing room after Tampa’s Game 7 win in the Eastern Conference final and he’s just gotten through answering them.
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“I got messages from friends and past teammates,” Morrow said Wednesday morning. “(I’ve just been) thinking about teams you’ve had in the past that you thought had a chance and didn’t (get it done). Those players that you played with that didn’t get the opportunity, and good friends of yours that never had a chance to play for a Cup, I was kind of thinking about them a little bit.”
Then there was veteran Blackhawks centre Brad Richards, back in Tampa where he won his only Stanley Cup in 2004. He was filled with pride while driving through the streets and seeing the “Go Bolts!” banners hanging off city buildings.
“It’s a pretty special feeling coming back where it all started,” said Richards. “I spent a lot of my adult life here and won a Stanley Cup here. A lot of great friends, a lot of great memories. It’s kind of neat that I get to come back and try to win another one, just on the other side.”
The last few days have provided an opportunity to dream and ponder.
Removed briefly from the heat of battle, still playing hockey in June, the players have been able to measure how close they are to achieving a life long dream. As Lightning captain Steven Stamkos put it: “We can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
All of that changes when the puck drops in Game 1.
Then it becomes a battle of will, and of skill. Both of these teams are brimming over with those qualities and it should be a tremendous series because of it.
It appears likely that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will continue to play together along with Brandon Saad in Game 1, and should that group find itself going head-to-head with Tampa’s triplets line you would have four of the top six playoff scorers on the ice at the same time.
Speed, skill and starpower. This series has everything.
The one area the teams differ is experience. Valtteri Filppula is the only Tampa player who has previously won the Stanley Cup while the Blackhawks have seven guys trying to win their third championship.
That could make a difference, especially with the hype surrounding the start of the series.
“This team’s been around,” said Richards. “There’s no speeches about what it’s like to be in a Stanley Cup; you have to do this, do that, get tickets. Everybody knows the drill. There’s maybe one or two players who don’t.
“Everybody’s pretty much on auto-pilot, and hopefully that’ll help us get into this series.”
Finally it’s about to begin.
Stamkos has spoken at length about how much this playoff run has meant to him and says he’s having the time of his life. His phone exploded with text messages in the leadup to the Cup final.
“It’s probably the most I’ve had in a long time after Game 7 there,” said Stamkos. “People are excited, it’s kind of cool to see. You get some old coaches and ex-teammates and guys you went to high school with and grew up with and obviously friends and family.
“I think it was nice to have those couple days off and try to respond to as many as you can.”
