Report: Toews says the Lightning were not the Hawks' toughest challenge.

You certainly have to appreciate his honesty. unless of course you're a Lightning fan. Last week Chicago Blackhawks Captain and Stanley Cup Champion Jonathan Toews was asked to share his thoughts on the post season, and while it clearly wasn't intended as an insult, Toews took a bit of a shot at the Lightning by saying they weren't the toughest opponent the Blackhawks faced in the playoffs.

"No disrespect to Tampa because I think they far exceeded our expectations for what they were able to do and how difficult they made things on us," Toews said to a packed hotel ballroom.

So who offered the toughest challenge for Chicago? According to Toews that team was the Bruce Boudreau led Ducks, who he was highly complimentary of. In fact Toews may have implied that this year's Anaheim Ducks squad was the toughest team he ever faced in all three of his Cup Championship runs.

"Anaheim had so many components of the game," Toews said. "The physicality, the speed, the skill of the top-end players like the (Ryan) Getzlafs and (Corey) Perrys we ran up against. They were such a tough team in goaltending and all aspects. "That’s the series that stands out to me in the last number of years as far as the challenges."

Toews wasn't the only player who seemed to think so, at the same event Chicago's Andrew Desjardins seemed to echo his thoughts.

"It was the hardest hockey I think I’ve ever been part of," Desjardins said.

Both teams look like they could be in position to make another run come next season, and we could soon see another Anaheim vs. Chicago series in the Western Conference. Image courtesy Key Stone Press.