Bruins vs Black Hawks Live Streaming NHL Free Watch Stanley Cup Finals 2013 Online

The Bruins and the Black Hawks, both NHL original six teams from the NHL's earliest years, will meet in Game One of the Stanley Cup finals tonight.  

It's been a long road for both teams to get here, but here they are for the championship of hockey. Both teams want to be able to drink from the most famous championship trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup but that right only goes to the team that wins this series.  

As usual in a short series, the goalies are crucial. If one has a hot hand, he can carry his team all the way to the championship. These teams have two excellent players in goal.

Corey Crawford was in the stands when Patrick Kane slammed home the goal that secured the Stanley Cup for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.

A year later, Tuukka Rask was just a practice player when Tim Thomas led the Boston Bruins to the title.

Fast forward to Wednesday night at the United Center, and Crawford and Rask will be the focus of millions of hockey fans when they take their place in goal for the Cup finals.

"Once you've seen it, and not being on the ice, I think everybody would like to have that chance someday," Rask told nhl.com. "For me, it came pretty early after our win and I'm just trying to make the most out of it and enjoy myself."

The rise of Rask and Crawford is a testament to the patience and steady approach of the Bruins and Blackhawks, and it's no coincidence that each team is seeking to become the first franchise with two Stanley Cups in the salary cap era.

After a slow and steady climb, Rask and Crawford have been the best goaltenders in the league during this year's playoffs. Crawford leads the NHL with a 1.74 goals-against average, just ahead of Rask (1.75 GAA).

While Chicago drafted Crawford in the second round a decade ago, Rask was a first-round selection for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005. Boston got him in a trade for goalie Andrew Raycroft a year later.

General manager Peter Chiarelli, who officially took over the team a couple weeks after the Rask deal, said it's his understanding that the Bruins decided they wanted Rask instead of center Jiri Tlusty in the deal.

"There was a lot of discussion at both ends about it," Chiarelli said. "It was decided that it would be Rask from Boston's end. I think they tried to come back and maybe flip that, consider the other guy, who is a good player in Carolina now. Eventually they said no and the deal was done."

It certainly worked out for the Bruins.

Rask took over after Thomas decided to take a year off. Once the 26-year-old Finn got off to a great start, the mercurial Thomas was traded to the New York Islanders.

Now, Rask and Crawford are competing in the big event, the Stanley Cup finals.