VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The match-up between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins is, of course, being billed as a clash of the NHL titans.
While the players won't likely give each other an inch with plenty of face-washes and hacks, there's no hate between the coaches.
It's the first time two French-Canadian bench bosses have faced off for hockey's ultimate prize. It's sort of ironic because both Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault and Bruins head coach Claude Julien are actually great friends off the ice.
They grew up just outside Ottawa, and their friendship was cemented as blue-liners for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the old Central Hockey League. Both coached the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and then on to the Montreal Canadiens.
The two have also won the Jack Adams Trophy for best coach.
Meanwhile, fans will see two different types of goaltending in this series with Vezina Trophy nominees Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas.
Luongo likes to stay calm and let positioning work for him. He has played deeper in the net this season to avoid giving up back-door goals. He stays very structured in his game, while Thomas has been referred to as a ball-hockey type goaltender.
Thomas is usually quite aggressive and full of energy. He has only allowed one goal against the Canucks in his career.
Boston and Vancouver met only once this season at Rogers Arena. East Vancouver native Milan Lucic scored twice as the Bruins won 3-1.
Game 1 goes Wednesday at Rogers Arena at 5 p.m. Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Tickets prices are record-breaking
It really is the hottest ticket in town and likely the continent. Seats for the Stanley Cup Final series between the Canucks and the Bruins are commanding record prices.
Joellen Ferrer with the ticket site StubHub.com says this is the greatest demand she has ever seen for a Stanley Cup Final.
"The fans are right now paying an average price of $925 per ticket. This is the highest amount we've seen for a Stanley Cup Final in this company's ten-year history. So it speaks volumes about the excitement and how fans are fired up," she notes.
Ferrer says that demand is made possible by a number of factors including a higher number of season ticket holders taking up possible seats in Vancouver and Boston.
"Right now you can get into each of these games for about $400. On the high end, we've seen individual tickets for up to $4,000."
Anthem singer visits News1130
Canucks anthem singer Mark Donnelly came by our studio Monday afternoon to show off his pipes. He says it's a pretty big rush to hear more than 18,000 people help him sing O Canada.
"You can't help but be excited when you're down on the ice and you hear the crowd singing. The crowd is fantastic. They do more than I do," he insists.
Donnelly predicts the Canucks will win the Stanley Cup in four games.
Transit service to increase during games
Drew Snider with TransLink says there will be added SkyTrain service during Canucks home games. "Not quite as much as rush hour service, but if need be, we have the flexibility to add trains," he explains.
He expects a lot of people will stay downtown for the game Wednesday and transit will get very busy after 8 p.m.
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