Stanley Cup finals

Toronto's talented duo can take some solace in the fact that players on both sides of the Cup final have been in their skates. The road has been fraught ...

The road has been fraught with challenges over a number of seasons for the Avalanche and Lightning. The steady hand of general manager Julien BriseBois has been present for 12 seasons, four in the big chair, and head coach Jon Cooper is the NHL’s longest tenured coach after 10 years. Teams are reluctant to talk about windows of opportunity, but in a hard-cap world they are real. Back-to-back seasons among the top 10 scorers and a rounding out of his game with defensive excellence have signified his rise. Personal accomplishments fill the void for a time, often leading to rich, long-term contracts. They’re different than us: the way they think and handle situations, the special skills they’re gifted with, and the expectations they carry.