Tom Wilson, Ryan Reaves have perplexing presence at Stanley Cup final

ARLINGTON, Va. — Take physicality out of the game all you want. Eliminate head shots. Crack down on boarding. Have the NHL impersonate the NFL and implement a bunch of rules designed to stop targeting defenseless players.

Good, great, grand, wonderful.

It still probably won’t take away a fundamental part of professional hockey. Although times have changed, hitting and physicality remain critically important to a team’s success, as evidenced by the fact that Tom Wilson and Ryan Reaves — two of the league’s toughest and most physical players — are participating in this Stanley Cup final.

It’s more than a little ironic, no? That as the league skews younger and faster, Wilson and Reaves are here…