Deserving Veterans in Line to Receive Stanley Cup Hand-Off

Last year, there was plenty of emotion wrapped into Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 win. After Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain ever to hoist the Cup, he handed it off to veteran Bill Guerin, who hadn't won it since he was with New Jersey in 1995 and played a huge role in Pittsburgh's playoff run.

Cup-less veteran Dallas Drake had the honor of taking the Cup from Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom in 2008.

In recent years, the honor of taking the Cup from the winning team's captain has generally been reserved for a veteran who had never won the Cup before. The moment most remember from the 2001 Finals was Colorado captain Joe Sakic handing it to 22-year veteran defenseman and first-time champion Ray Bourque.

Who gets to play the highly-sought "second fiddle" role this year?

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Neither team has a high-profile veteran who hasn't ever won the Cup before, but Philadelphia has a pair of mid-30s players -- neither of whom have their name on the trophy -- who have been big parts of their team during the playoffs.

Defenseman Kimmo Timonen is 35. He's played 11 years in the NHL, all with either Nashville or Philadelphia. He's had a great playoff run, scoring one goal and picking up 10 assists entering Game 6. His ability with the puck is well-known, but he's been very good in his own zone, too.

The sentimental favorite among all the Flyers has to be forward Ian Laperriere. His struggles to return from a brain injury in these playoffs are well-known at this point. His willingness to block shots and do the little things can't be cast aside. At 36, it's clear Laperriere is on his last legs as a useful NHL player, and this could be his last realistic chance to touch the Stanley Cup as a player.

Guys like Chris Pronger and Danny Briere might have a case, but it's almost too easy to suggest that Laperriere will get the handoff from Flyers captain Mike Richards if Philly can rally and win this series in seven.

The Blackhawks aren't nearly as obvious.

Goalie Cristobal Huet is 34 and has never won a title. However, he hasn't seen the ice since mopping up for Antti Niemi at the end of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Vancouver. He won't get it from Jonathan Toews if the Blackhawks finish this series off.

Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien are stars on this team, but neither are sentimental favorites for any reason. Chris Chelios is older than the two of them combined, after all.

If Chicago goes the sentimental route, they really only have two choices. The first is defenseman Brent Sopel, who is 33, in his 12th NHL season, and has never come close to the Stanley Cup in his career. Sopel has enjoyed a nice run through these playoffs, posting six points and a plus-seven rating in 21 games entering Game 6.

The other option would be forward Marian Hossa. He's younger (31), and doesn't have a lot of sympathy among fans, since he's played in the last three Stanley Cup Finals -- for three different teams. He's still not a terribly popular guy in Pittsburgh, and he didn't seem to have a lot of support in Detroit when the Blackhawks played there this season.

However, his story is well-known, and he's had a great playoff season. His numbers don't reflect it (three goals, 15 points, plus-eight), but Hossa has been effective. His ability as a two-way player has helped the Blackhawks avoid disasters in the defensive zone, and he is capable as both a puck-carrier and a passer. He's played really well, and it could be argued that he's earned the chance to hoist the Cup by stepping up when his team needed him.

Either Wednesday or Friday, Toews or Richards will meet Gary Bettman and take the Stanley Cup for their respective teams. At that time, we'll find out what order they've decided to pass the famous trophy in.