Oilers' Trent Frederic reveals personal rivalry with Matthew Tkachuk

Matthew Tkachuk has been giving the Oilers their flowers all throughout this week, but he's still mostly known to be one of the NHL's biggest pests, and Frederic has a history with him,

Tkachuk and Frederic grew up playing together, but since they've been in the NHL, it's only been bad blood. In last year's playoffs, Frederic called Tkachuk disrespectful for initiating a fight and then turtling.

Oilers fans have seen Tkachuk run the same racket before, initiating a scrum or controversy and then ducking and turtling away from any reproductions. The Oilers will have to be ready to deal with his antics, and given Frederic's answer here - maybe he'll deal with Tkachuk.

The Oilers may not be known as much for their team toughness as the Panthers are. But between Frederic, Evander Kane, Corey Perry, and plenty more capable of winning a battle, they'll be able to stand up against Florida.

Also in the theme of old connections, Evander Kane and Brad Marchand have a deep personal connection too - their dads were teammates in 1981.

With the Stanley Cup on the line and the painful tinge of last year's loss, this series will surely get emotional and chippy. These two teams have a history, and everything's on the line.