CHICAGO – It's always sunny when you're Philadelphia's Chris Pronger(notes). Or should the ripped-off television reference be "Everybody Hates Chris?"

Whatever. The Flyers defenseman is never at a loss for words and was in fine form Sunday, sparring with the media during an off-day news conference, mostly in jest – but sometimes, not.

Here's the Stanley Cup Finals according to Chris, with captain Mike Richards(notes), goalie Michael Leighton(notes) and coach Peter Laviolette also getting some time at the mic.

The Pronger chronicles

On shutting down Chicago's top line of Jonathan Toews(notes), Patrick Kane(notes) and Dustin Byfuglien(notes): "I think we did a good job of denying them time and space. If they don't have the puck, they can't score."

On his much-anticipated matchup against Byfuglien: "There was a lot of talk, you guys [media] had a lot to say about him, so I guess we needed to calm that down real quick … That may have been blown out of proportion."

Pronger's secret? Good

CHICAGO – Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals?

It was hockey of the absurd, a preseason game masquerading as a championship tilt. Exciting for fans, sure, but excruciating for coaches and painful for players.

What was weird about the Blackhawks' 6-5 victory?

What wasn't?

The Philadelphia Flyers weren't whistled for a solitary penalty. The Chicago Blackhawks' top line of Jonathan Toews(notes), Patrick Kane(notes) and Dustin Byfuglien(notes) went a combined minus-9. Philadelphia's first line wasn't much better, also going goal-less. The Flyers' fourth line, meanwhile, scored twice, including Blair Betts'(notes) first tally in 29 games (and it was a beauty, a Bossy-ian laser off the post and in).

Philadelphia goalie Michael Leighton(notes), the feel-good story of the playoffs, was unceremoniously yanked. There were five goals in the first period (3-2 Flyers) and then five more in the second (3-2 Blackhawks). Bad ice. Crazy bounces. Lead changes. Last-minute goals. The United Center, so loud

CHICAGO - Will the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Philadelphia Flyers and win the Stanley Cup? The bigger question should be, how many Stanley Cups will the Blackhawks win?

It seems downright silly to utter the word "dynasty" when discussing a franchise that only made the playoffs once between 1998 and 2008 and hasn't won the Stanley Cup in 49 years. But there's something compelling, something convincing, about this Blackhawks team. It starts with the tantalizing promise of its sublimely skilled youngsters, continues through its unmatched depth, and finishes with the fact this character group has already been together for a few years and has already been galvanized by enduring the bad times.

Eight key Blackhawks players, the core of the team, were drafted between 2002 and 2007; they've grown up together, learned how to be pros together. And now they know they're close to making history together and they're determined not to squander the opportunity.

"I feel very fortunate to be here in

It’s the matchup hockey fans have been waiting to see all season.

Antti Niemi(notes) versus Michael Leighton(notes).

Who? What?

You know, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Finnish-born first-year NHL goalie against the Philadelphia Flyers journeyman who’s been claimed on waivers four times and who played a personal-best 34 NHL games in 2003-04 with the team that drafted him … the Blackhawks.

Okay, so the goalie-vs.-goalie duel isn’t exactly a who’s who of big-name puck-blockers.

No matter – there are plenty of stars at every other position in this unexpected Stanley Cup final.

Chicago has an abundance of dangerous forwards, led by captain Jonathan Toews(notes) and mercurial winger Patrick Kane(notes), and perhaps the best defense tandem in the game today in Duncan (Look Ma’, No Teeth) Keith and Brent (Look Ma’, Keith Has No Teeth) Seabrook. Philadelphia, meanwhile, responds with Bobby Clarke-clone Mike Richards(notes) and a blue line that’s perpetually patrolled by Chris Pronger(notes).

Unlike in the Eastern Conference where anarchy rules and the bottom two seeds were the last teams standing, the Western Conference's best survived the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs and will face off for the right to play for the Stanley Cup.

Philadelphia Flyers (7) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

It's the team that snuck into the playoffs with a shootout win in Game No. 82 vs. the team that snuck into the playoffs with an overtime loss in Game No. 82. Or, if you prefer, the team that rallied from a 3-0 series deficit in the conference semifinal vs. the team that knocked off the regular-season champions and then the defending Stanley Cup champions.

It's the Flyers vs. the Canadiens in an Eastern Conference final that nobody saw coming.

The Habs, of course, did it with the netminding heroics of Jaroslav Halak(notes) and suffocating team defense on Alex Ovechkin(notes) and Sidney Crosby(notes), but don't forget about Mike Cammalleri's playoff-leading 12 goals

They're underrated, under-the-radar or at least undervalued. They're the NHL's Playoff X-Men, the players with the potential to rise up in the postseason and win a series, maybe even a Stanley Cup, while the rest of the hockey world marvels at their unanticipated impact.

Here are eight potential Playoff X-Men in the Western Conference, from Chicago to Vancouver.

Chicago Blackhawks: Really, every team's goalie should be its X-Man. After all, nobody controls a game's outcome like the netminders. If they play well, they usually win; if they play poorly, they almost always lose.

But the 'Hawks are taking it to a whole new level with the decision to go with first-year NHLer Antti Niemi(notes) over veteran Cristobal Huet(notes). Niemi started Chicago 's final nine games of the regular season and finished the year with an impressive 26-8-3 record as well as a goals-against average (2.25) that was among the top five in the league.

That's