At long last the Stanley Cup finals are set. Anxiously waiting for two years, NHL fans will finally get a chance to see it all, to see the two best teams in the league battle for the elite championship hardly conceivable to most players. And yes, this final series should most definitely bring excitement as the two teams facing off were not expected to both still be alive at this point in the game.

The highly ranked Carolina Hurricanes were not too much of a shock making it as far as they have, coming into the playoffs as the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. Before the season began, though, it was a completely different story. Missing the playoffs for two consecutive pre-lockout seasons brought doubt to many critics, but the Hurricanes were determined to prove them wrong. And they did just that, finishing the regular season with an impressive 112 points, only one point out of first place. Winning their first round series against the Montreal Canadians 4-2 and beating the New Jersey Devils 4-1 in the second round, Carolina only had to get passed one more team to make it to the finals, the Buffalo Sabres. In a rugged battle that lasted seven games, the Hurricanes finally won the series 4-3. Though most would blame it on Buffalo's injuries, Carolina absolutely earned the right to call themselves Eastern Conference Champions and the chance to win the Stanley Cup.

Carolina's competitor in the finals, however, can tell a completely different story. Finishing the regular season as the eighth seed in the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers had to face the dominant Detroit Red Wings in the first round, who finished the regular season winning the Presidents Trophy. Going up against such a powerful force, no one expected the Oilers to win, only hoped. Well, hope worked as they skated past the Wings 4-2. They then passed the San Jose Sharks 4-2 in the Conference semis and finally the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4-1 in the Conference finals. Edmonton has not won the Stanley Cup since the 1989-1990 season, but is now hoping to end the sixteen year drought and win the title. If they do get passed the Hurricanes, they will be the first eighth seed to ever win the Cup. If not, they will still go down in the history books, as no other eighth seed in NHL history has made it past the second round.

So, it is set, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers will face off for the Stanley Cup Championship. Sit down and watch everyone because this is either team's series to win. There is not a critic in the world who can confidently predict who will win this championship, but they all know that it will surely bring the excitement that NHL fans have been waiting so long to see.