DETROIT, May 17 (UPI) -- The NHL playoffs take a break Friday night, but resume Saturday with Game One of the Western Conference finals between two old and bitter rivals -- the Detroit Red Wings and defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado.
On Thursday, the banged-up Toronto Maple Leafs escaped with a 2-1 road win over the Carolina Hurricanes to open the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals. They resume Sunday.
Most observers believe the survivor of the Western final will end up hoisting the Stanley Cup some time in June.
Some of the names have changed and the hatred has diminished, but the goals are the same for the Western Conference powers, who have combined to win four of the last six Stanley
Cup titles.
Twice in that span, the teams had to get past each other before winning the championship.
Colorado won a six-game conference final series on the way to the 1996 title, and Detroit returned the favor the following season before winning its first of two straight Cups.
The veteran-laden Wings have been favored to win the Cup since the season began. They won the Presidents' Trophy for posting the best record in the regular season, rebounded from an 0-2 hole in the conference quarterfinals, and then cruised past St. Louis in the semifinal round.
Colorado should provide the stiffest test for the top-seeded Red Wings, who are trying to reach the Finals for the first time since 1998. They lost conference semifinal series to Colorado in both 1998 and '99.
The Avalanche are trying to claim their third Cup in seven years, something that hasn't been accomplished since the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty won five in seven seasons from 1984-90.
Detroit has someone new to the rivalry as goalie Dominik Hasek makes up one of the greatest goaltender duels in playoff history.
The six-time Vezina Trophy winner has done just about everything in his career, except win a Stanley Cup. The same can't be said for Patrick Roy, who is seeking his fifth title and second in a row.
Star players are abound in the series. Avalanche centers Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg make up arguably the best 1-2 punch in hockey but often will share the ice with the likes of Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov.
Detroit also boasts two of the top snipers in NHL history in Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, both of whom are experiencing this rivalry for the first time.
"For me as a player, not being in the playoffs, watching those series was always fun," Robitaille said. "You knew it was going to be a great game to watch. Almost as a fan, you knew it was going to be physical, you knew there were going to be great plays, great goalies, so it was always fun hockey."
Game One is at 3 p.m. Eastern time in Detroit on Saturday.
