As we at long last embrace the morning of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, all appropriate anticipation dictates it’s perhaps a poor time to point out yet again that the NHL season is monstrously too long, so I’ll only mention in passing that when this hockey season started, Caitlyn Jenner was still a man.
I just mean it has been a long, emotional journey for a lot of people; that’s my point, and on top of that, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning likely will stretch this thing out another two weeks.
As 10 of the 14 NHL playoff series have lasted six or seven games, 10 of 13 that did not include the easy egress Penguins, and as there is so little to choose between the collective merits of these worthy conference champions, I fully expect hockey to be played to within just a few hours of June 18.