Father and son set to clash in Conference Final.

The Stanley Cup playoffs is an extra special time of year for anyone that works in the National Hockey League and the deeper we get into one of the most grueling tournaments in the world of sports, the more special each and every game and series becomes.

This week both the Western and the Eastern Conference Finals will begin and, although we are awaiting the result of tonight's Game 7 to know whether or not it will be the New York Rangers or the Carolina Hurricanes facing off against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the bracket on the Western Conference side has already been set. It will be the Edmonton Oilers taking on the Colorado Avalanche on that side of the bracket, and as a result it means we are in store for a family rivalry in the Western Conference Final.

For two men this particular playoff run will be extra special as veteran NHL defenseman Josh Manson will face off against his dad, Dave Manson a former NHL player in his own right, in a playoff series for the very first time in both of their careers. Although you might think that a family rivalry might make this a little difficult, for Josh and Dave the timing could not have worked out any better.

"He reached out, and then he said, 'Go win this game so I can come see my granddaughter,'" said Josh Manson as per NHL.com. "That's No. 1 on his list. He wants to come to Colorado so he can see my daughter, his granddaughter. That was the important thing."

"It's our first granddaughter and our only grandchild," said grandpa Dave. "It's exciting anytime you can get an opportunity to hopefully see her, and that's what kind of popped into my head. She's an important part of our family."

It is a rather fortunate coincidence for the father and son duo and what makes it even more special is that it took a great deal of fortune to make this happen in the first place. Not only did both the Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche need to win a pair of series to get to this point, but Dave Manson didn't even start the season with the Oilers. Instead Manson was promoted from the American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors alongside Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft on February 10th following the decision to fire former Oilers head coach Dave Tippett.

The family rivalry gets underway on Wednesday when the Avalanche and Oilers play Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.