As the thrilling series carried on between the Calgary Flames and the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, you could almost see the veteran legs of the Flames' skaters slowing down while the tireless legs of the young Blackhawks seemed to get faster and faster. Injuries had forced the veteran Flames to exhaust themselves playing a few men short at the end of the regular season, costing them the top division seed and putting them on the road against a young, fast team.
As they prepare for their first rematch with the Blackhawks on Monday night, the veteran roster of the Flames should be rejuvenated, but it's worth wondering how significant of a factor age will be over the length of the 2009-10 regular season.
Simply put, is it a bigger advantage to have young legs or veteran savvy?
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