Throwback Stanley

"Your Song" is on the radio, as the horns moan and the towels whirl and all of St. Louis loses its mind inside the home of the Blues. The kids are in the streets. Nixon is in the White House. The Beatles are dying, and our boys in 'Nam are now in Cambodia, too, and we gotta get down to it, 'cause there are four dead in Ohio.

Welcome back to 1970, America. Yes, it does seem like it was only yesterday.

Or last night, perhaps, as the Blues finished off the San Jose Sharks in that madhouse in St. Louis. They're headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1970, and, yes, once again the Boston Bruins are waiting for them, just like in 1970.

Throwback Stanley, boys and girls. Does it get better than this?

This is Bobby Orr going full Superman after scoring the Cup-winning goal, the most iconic photo in Stanley Cup history. It's the Plager Trifecta, Bob, Bill and Barclay. It's a living legend in one goal (Glenn Hall) and a guy everyone called "Cheesey" (Gerry Cheevers) in the other.

It's Phil Esposito, Wayne Cashman, Johnny Bucyk and Derek Sanderson. It's the Red Baron (Red Berenson), Garry Unger, Ab McDonald and Noel Picard. It's Dan Kelly on the call, and Scotty Bowman and Harry Sinden behind the benches.

Today, it's Bruce Cassidy behind one bench and Craig Berube behind the other. Tuuka Rask and Jordan Binnington are between the pipes. And it's Brad Marchand, Patrick Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Zdeno Chara; Brayden Schenn, Patrick Maroon, Vladimir Tarasenko and Colton Parayko.

Drop the puck, boys. 1970 awaits.