from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

So Boston will largely be a mystery to Chicago when the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final opens Wednesday, and Chicago will be equally unfamiliar to Boston.

“I’m sure the rivalry could return instantly come Game 1,” Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “I think it’s good for the league and it’s good for hockey, two great hockey markets. We’re very excited to be a part of it.”

The last time the Stanley Cup final spilled this far into the late spring/early summer was in June of 1995, the other time the NHL played 48-game season because of a labour squabble. The final series began on June 17, and ended a week later on June 24, a mostly anticlimactic four-game sweep for the New Jersey Devils over the Detroit Red Wings.

If Chicago-Boston goes the distance, it could go until June 26, which would be the latest ending in history for an NHL season.

Ultimately, the on-ice test will be to see if great defence and goaltending can trump great offence, the way it did in the Eastern Conference final, when the Bruins limited the Pittsburgh Penguins to just two goals. Pittsburgh went into that series as the No.1 offensive team in the regular season.

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