The flaw in your logic that I have seen is you stating that the Hawks have clearly been the best team in the league all season. While I might be inclined to agree with you on this, I find it hard to say that when the two conferences did not play each other during the regular season.
A very fair point.
When the lockout ended, I was starved for hockey. Thanks to a ****-up by Comcast, I had the NHL Center Ice package for free for 2.5 months, and I watched A LOT of hockey. Through watching a ton of games, many from both conferences, and also influenced by the opinion of several national writers who were calling the Western Conference superior throughout the entire postseason, I came to the conclusion that the Hawks were the best team.
There were plenty of good squads in each conference, but the way the Hawks were thoroughly dominating teams--at times without even appearing to give much effort--had them ahead of the rest of the league, in my book. That first period of hockey last night was nothing foreign; the Hawks had done that before, and against some good teams.
I had some doubts during the Wings' series, but the Hawks wiped those away with their comeback and then a dismantling of the Quick-led LA Kings. I figured Boston would pose some threats, but in the end, the Hawks would stand victorious. Will my prediction of Hawks in 5 still happen? Probably not. Oh well. :shrug:
I still see the Cup heading down Michigan Ave., surrounded by confetti, in a few weeks.
