Cheesesteaks Vs. Vince Vaughn: A 2010 Blackhawks-Flyers Stanley Cup Final Preview

Each sandwich was created in a similar fashion, too. During the Great Depression, food was pretty scarce, and people got generally sick of eating the same thing day after day. So, part out of necessity and part out of creativity, steak was chopped up into small slices to create the beef sandwich in Chicago and the steak sandwich in Philadelphia. Add your peppers or your cheese, and, bam like Emeril, you have sandwiches that later become world famous.

Edge: PUSH

Ownership

In the mid-1960s, Ed Snider had a vision. People in Philadelphia had no idea what hockey was, but that didn't matter much to Snider. He heard the NHL was expanding, and he made it his mission to bring the sport to town. Quickly, with the help of the winning teams of the Broad Street Bullies-era Flyers, the game caught on. By the time the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup in 1974, two million people were ready to line the parade route.

Snider, still in possession of his beloved Flyers, has been on a never-ending quest to win another Cup since winning the last one in 1975. He's overspent on players and he's made ill-conceived hires her e and there over the years, but it's impossible to measure his commitment to the franchise.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Rocky Wirtz is becoming quite the young owner himself. Since taking over in 2007, the 'Hawks have seen a complete resurgence on the ice and in the stands. Fans are back, they're involved, and the team is obviously winning. Games are even on TV in Chicago now. Still, it's going to take a hell of a lot of work by Rocky to make up for the archaic practices of his father, Bill Wirtz, who died in '07.

Edge: Philadelphia

The Flyers haven't won a Cup in a really long time, and their rivals aren't really shy about reminding them. After all, every team in the Atlantic Division has won a Cup more recently than the Flyers, and that includes teams that have only been around since the 80s. It's been 35 very long years.

But uh, 35 years? Last time the Blackhawks made the Cup Finals, George Bush was in the White House. The first one. Last time they won a Cup? John F. Kennedy was in the White House. The Flyers weren't in the league. Philly's drought has absolutely nothing on Chicago's.

Edge: Chicago

City excitement

The Cup drought is obviously killer in both towns, and with that comes a lot of excitement about what's potentially on the horizon. But some of that excitement can be misplaced. Back when the Flyers made the Cup Finals in 1997, they adorned the giant statue of William Penn on top of Philadelphia City Hall with a Flyers jersey.

The Flyers were promptly swept by the Detroit Red Wings, so this year, there are no jerseys on statues in Philly.

Turn to Chicago, though, and it appears they didn't heed the warning.

Blogosphere

The once under-developed Flyers blogosphere thrives today, thanks to the additions of Broad Street Hockey and Flyers Goal Scored By..., which join Philadelphia blogging colossus The 700 Level to form a megasphere of blog fun. These three blogs bring it every single day, albeit in different ways, and each have pretty excellent followings.

But trying to pick a fight with the Blackhawks blogosphere isn't a winning battle. They write, they podcast, they're in print. They do it all, every single day, at Second City Hockey, Hockeenight and other wonderful Internet staples.

Edge: Chicago

Two absolutely classic logos face off in this Cup Final – the feathered cap of the Blackhawks and the flying P of the Flyers. In 2008, The Hockey News called the 'Hawks logo the best in hockey, but recently, Damien Cox of the Toronto Star brought up a question that's been debated to hell and back – is it offensive?

Controversy is never good, whether you think that controversy is ridiculous or fabricated or not. It's been the talk of the Internet all day long, and that's enough to sway this one in one direction.

Edge: Philadelphia

Famous fans

The Flyers get a lot of support from famous fans, and at a concert in the area last summer, Trey Anastasio of Phish said "next year's the year" about the Flyers. Guy might feel like some kind of soothsayer in a few weeks. They also get support from The Roots, famous native sons of Philly, each night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Second lady of the United States Jill Biden is also a diehard Flyers fan.

But it all begins and ends with Vince Vaughn, who can be seen at every Blackhawks game from his perch in the front row. He's been there when times were bad, too. As Yahoo!'s Puck Daddy put it, he's the Jack Nicholson of hockey.

Edge: Chicago

There's a lot of crossover between the Blackhawks and Flyers, and ironically, a lot of the guys have actually won a championship together. Against a team from Chicago, even. In 2005, during the NHL lockout, the Philadelphia Phantoms beat the Chicago Wolves in the AHL's Calder Cup Finals. On that Phantoms team were current Blackhawks Patrick Sharp and Ben Eager, as well as a ton of current Flyers, most notably Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.

But there's more crossover here. Michael Leighton, Flyers goaltender, was drafted by the Blackhawks. These guys know each other and they know each other well, but fortunately for both clubs, it's pretty even each way.

Edge: PUSH

No, its not Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, but the NHL actually has to feel pretty lucky with the way the Finals turned out. There's Chicago, the feel good story of their resurgence, and their plethora of young stars – of course, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Then there's Philly, the feel-good story of the playoffs thus far, coming back from 0-3 down against Boston and everything. But at the same time, everybody hates them. They have Chris Pronger, Dan Carcillo and Scott Hartnell, immediately ruining any lovable circumstances these guys have created for themselves with this playoff run.

Edge: Chicago