Looking back at the past 16 Stanley Cup champions is like an anthropological study of the NHL itself. How it's gone from All-Star teams in a league without a salary cap to meticulously constructed ones under it. How suffocating defenses were legislated out in favor of a more offensive era. How the power shifted among quasi-dynastic teams. Pretty much the only through line connecting these eras is the necessity of quality goaltending. Well, that and Matt Cullen.
But what if these champions were to meet in a seven-game series, on a rink that transcends time and space?