You’d never expect for there to be a rivalry of sorts building between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks, but an emotion-filled playoff series can do that as well as the possibility the two teams will face off in the postseason against this year.
One part of the bad blood between the two teams is the head to head battle between Ryan Kesler and Andrew Ladd. Kesler called Ladd a coward during last year’s playoff series after Kesler’s nose was broken as the result of a big hit.
Yet despite the animosity among the players and the teams, Kesler says he’s not focused on Ladd this time around. From The Province:"[Ladd] is probably going to hit me a couple of times tonight,” Kesler said. “I’ll be ready for it.
“I’m not going to chirp at all, I’m going to play my game.”