Dennis Wierzbicki-USA Today Sports
The Chicago Blackhawks are not a glamourous squad to watch. The Blackhawks play to their city’s identity as they are a rough and gritty team.
This is in direct contrast with their opponent in the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who like to light up the scoreboard and play with flash and style. The Lightning can be a scrappy team as well, but that is not how they win games. They win games by pushing the pace against their opponents.
This clash in styles is what is making the 2015 edition of the run to Lord Stanley’s Cup such a classic. Chicago has been good for the past several years, but during their run to the Final, their grit and scrappiness has been a story to behold. This was particularly evident against the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Finals, a team that was laying waste to opponents with their skill and speed prior to running into the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks were overmatched on paper.
This is another series that the Blackhawks were supposed to be struggling with, but they are doing just fine by maintaining their tough play. This suits their frenzied fanbase just fine.
Kareem Gantt covers the wide world of sports for Rant Sports. For more from this author, follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, and add him to you network on Google.
