2019 Stanley Cup Final Begins On Monday Night: Choosing A Side

Not only is it Memorial Day, but it also happens to be the first day of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. So, as you are enjoying another thrilling Stanley Cup Final matchup, make sure to also remember and be thankful.

From all of us here at Blackout Dallas, we would like to wish you all both a Happy Memorial Day and a Happy Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final Day. What a terrific day it is indeed.

While many of you (including myself now that I’ve graduated college and am in the working world) are enjoying a day away from work and other responsibilities, I hope you also remember the significance of the holiday itself.

It’s a holiday that is meant to remind us that the freedom we enjoy on a daily basis requires a sacrifice. In addition, it’s a chance to remind us of the debt that we owe to all in the past and present that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

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Though our thankfulness should extend past today and be a year-round practice, today is one of the few days that serves as a significant reminder. To all of those that have served or are currently serving this great country, we thank you endlessly. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to watch and enjoy NHL hockey and the Stanley Cup Playoffs on a nightly basis with a worry-free conscience.

So thank you. As the hockey world shifts its focus to the proceedings tonight in Boston, don’t forget what this special day is truly all about.

And now, let’s talk about Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

On April 10, 2019, 16 NHL teams embarked on a journey through the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs while the other 15 entered an early offseason. Throughout the past six weeks, those 16 postseason clubs have swung and clawed at each other in hopes of advancing to the next round. And with 14 of those teams now in offseason mode, only two competitors remain: the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues.

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Pucks and Pitchforks

This is proving to be one of the most exciting Stanley Cup Final matchups in recent memory. For much of the past decade, the Final has been controlled by a mixture of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Los Angeles Kings. This time around, however, we’ve got two different teams on stage. Each one has an intriguing story.

The Bruins haven’t been to the Stanley Cup Final since 2013. After winning the Cup in 2011 and falling just short against the Chicago Blackhawks two years later, the Bruins underwent a six-year retooling period that involved both slight and drastic changes. A new coach and new GM headlined the list as Boston turned their roster around in an attempt to build another Cup contender.

And while they weren’t necessarily the favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final, they continued pushing through the postseason trek. They knocked off the Toronto Maple Leafs in a seven-game bout in round one, fended off another dose of adversity in a six-game series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and easily handled the Carolina Hurricanes to earn a trip back to the Final.

On the other side of the bracket, the St. Louis Blues are in relatively unfamiliar territory. This is their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1970 (when, as luck would have it, they lost to the Bruins) and they have never won a Cup in their 51 seasons in the NHL. And at the midway point of the 2018-19 season, they looked as though they were further away than they had ever been.

On Jan. 2, 2019, the Blues owned the worst record in the NHL. They sat in dead last in the standings and seemed to be on a crash course for a tumultuous season. But then came the turnaround. St. Louis put together an incredible run to finish the season, knocked off the Winnipeg Jets in six games in round one, got around the Dallas Stars in a seven-game series in the second round, and knocked off the San Jose Sharks in round three to push their way into the Final. The last four months seem to have set them up for greatness, but we’ll find out in this final round.

And so here we are at a thrilling finish to the 2018-19 season between two juggernauts. Who are you as a Dallas Stars fan cheering for?

Whoever you want to see win, be prepared for an exciting battle. Now we get to see two legitimate clubs go punch-for-punch to close out another great year of hockey. Oh happy day.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m., so make sure to tune in and catch another exciting installment in the greatest final in sports.