CHICAGO (AP) – When Blackhawks defenseman Kimmo Timonen made his NHL debut in 1998, Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm was 4 years old. Rangers forward Martin St. Louis had played in 1,154 games when forward Jonathan Drouin logged his first appearance with the Lightning in October.
It is part of an intriguing mix of youth and experience in this year’s conference finals, beginning with New York hosting Tampa Bay on Saturday afternoon. Chicago visits Anaheim in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday.
The Blackhawks are the oldest and most seasoned team remaining in the NHL playoffs, according to STATS, with an average age as of Friday of 29 years, 205 days among their players with at least one appearance in the 2015 postseason. They also lead the way with 1,706 career playoff games for the same group, compared to 692 for the Ducks.
“We like to think that it’s going to help us,” Chicago forward Patrick Sharp said, “and it’s helped us to this point. A lot of ups and downs throughout the season, but we’ve seemed to come together at the right time and then play our best hockey.
“Sometimes that youth can help you this time of year. You know they got some fast players, some guys that are playing really well the first or second time through the playoffs. So it’s however you want to use it. We like the experience on our side. Hopefully we can use it to our advantage.”