Eastern Conference Finals 2014: Blue Shirts or Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge?

One has 24. The other has four. Coincidentally, the last time they both won hockey’s holy grail were consecutively; Patrick Roy and the Canadiens in 1993, Mark Messier and the Rangers in 1994.

Both years were wildly entertaining, as most (or all) NHL playoffs are. Gretzky and the L.A. Kings were shut down by Montreal. Messier made one of the most famous promises in sports history, as he guaranteed a game six victory against the Devils in the semifinals, propelling the Rangers’ momentum into the final round.

Now both Messier and Roy are gone. Heck, Gretzky moved onto New York with Messier to no championship. You would think the drama would be gone too – but that’s the great thing about the Stanley Cup Playoffs…the drama never ceases.

Montreal defeated their rival Bruins in seven games, while New York overcame Crosby and the Penguins in seven, too. Both squads are exhausted, and a little bit bruised – emotionally and physically.

New Ranger Martin St. Louis’s mother sadly passed away on May 9, when the Rangers were down 3-1 in the series; New York has not lost since, coming back to win three straight games to get past Pittsburgh. Emotion for the win.

Some take adversity and rise to the challenge. Exhibit A: Martin St. Louis.

After not being named to Canada’s Olympic team for Sochi, he scored 17 points in 15 games, until he was told he would be replacing Steven Stamkos on the roster. Never drafted, overlooked for his small stature, the man is Mr. Prove-You-Wrong. He won his second Art Ross Trophy last season at the age of 37.

St. Louis, moved from Tampa Bay to New York at the trade deadline, was swapped for Rangers’ captain Ryan Callahan. Well, Big Apple, I think you’ve found your new “C”.

The entire squad attended the funeral with the St. Louis family. The team is now his. Yes, he only had eight points in the regular season with his new mates, but his stats are gathering speed in the post-season. Leaders arise at difficult times, and he will be the catalyst in this series, inspiring Brad Richards, Mats Zuccarello, and Rick Nash.

As to the physically bruised mentioned earlier – let’s examine Patrick Roy reincarnated, Carey Price. After colliding with New York’s Chris Kreider in the second period, Price did not return for the third, nursing his knee. Price had a .800 save percentage in Game 1 – a little off his .927 during the regular season. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 20 of 22 in the Rangers’ huge 7-2 away win.

Price’s status is uncertain for Game 2. The Canadiens’ MVP stole several games for Montreal, while Peter Budaj has played seven playoff games total. Everyone kept going back to the stat of King Henrik not winning in Montreal since 2009 – everyone is now silenced.

Montreal finished with four more points than New York during the regular season, but when following shots – a decent indicator of puck possession and success – the Rangers fired 355 more times. Speak all you like of P.K. Subban, Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges, but that’s a lot of shots to block.

Game two is set to drop on May 19. Should St. Louis motivate his boys once more (he had the opener in game one), it would be very hard for Montreal to take the series, returning to New York down 2-0. The Canadiens’ offense was almost invisible in game one; leader Lars Eller has limited playoff experience, and is expected to fizzle.

New York finishes the job in five or six games. It’s uncertain whether they will have the power to overtake either Chicago or L.A. in the final, but what’s more uncertain: if it’s the Kings and the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals – who will Gretzky cheer for?