The Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing and the intensity has been turned up to 11 like a Spinal Tap amplifier. For hockey fans, there is nothing more entertaining than the playoffs. It's the ultimate battle of the bands — 16 teams competing for glory with only one earning the title of Stanley Cup Champion.

The musical equivalent would be best acts in the world facing off in an elimination tournament at Coachella, Bonnaroo and Sasquatch, with the final survivor awarded Lil Jon's Crunk Cup. Of course, music isn't a competition, but that doesn't mean we can't ridiculously cross entertainment genres and match musicians to their NHL equivalents.

Lyric: "I only want U 2 have some fun" — 1999

Most people will take this as a dig against Crosby, but it's not. The 28-year-old is arguably the League's best player, while Swift is one of pop music's brightest stars. Both burst onto the scene as teenage prodigies and seemed destined to own the landscape in their respective crafts. Through their 20s, they have each grown exponentially in popularity and racked up individual accolades on the way. However, while they are each at the top of their game, they are equally disliked by a large segment of the population and knocked for being vanilla in the media. Opposing fan bases deemed Crosby "Sidney Crybaby" because they believe he whines for calls, while T-Swift has drawn ire for narrative songs about her relationships with celebrity partners.

Lyric: "The players gonna play, play, play, play, play / And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate" — Shake it Off

No one has logged more minutes in the NHL over the last three seasons than Suter. Likewise, no artist plays longer shows than Springsteen. With Suter, what you see is what you get from the blueliner and you can expect a steady performance every night; the same goes for Springsteen, whether live or with a new album. Each has made a career of being as steady as 4/4 time. Suter won't wow you with flash on the backend and The Boss isn't going to deviate from rootsy rock 'n' roll about the working class — but that's not a bad thing in either genre.

Lyric: "Don't get caught on the wrong side of that line" — Atlantic City

Aside from the similarities in their last names, both are ageless wonders still entertaining fans and producing well beyond their respective "primes." The Rolling Stones recently announced dates for a summer tour, while Jagr announced he'd like to re-sign with the Panthers for another season. Neither seems to be able to find satisfaction, despite their advancing age. Mick is 71 years old and Jagr, at 43, continues to defy age in the NHL, scoring 17 goals and adding 30 assists last season. The 6-foot-3 winger could probably play into his 70s.

Lyric: "I've been around for a long, long year, stole many man's soul and faith" — Sympathy for the Devil

Toews is known as Captain Serious and no popular artist is more serious about blues music than White. The center is the modern day torchbearer for "old-time hockey," grinding out wins with a two-way game like they were power chords. Meanwhile, White is a purveyor of all things old-timey, using and collecting archaic techniques the same way Toews and the Hawks rack up wins. Coincidentally, White's first band, The White Stripes, used a red, white and black color scheme, the same as Chicago's sweaters.

Lyric: "This battle is in the air, I'm looking upwards" — St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)

Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski dubbed the Ducks' trio the apropos "Trinity of Hate." If you polled hockey fans on their most hated players, Perry, Getzlaf and Kessler would likely land near the top of the NHL's most vilified list. Conversely, Nickelback might be the most reviled and derided band in popular music. Just saying the name "Nickelback" will bring a cringe to the face of a music lover, while the Anaheim trio will bring the ire of any opposing fan at the mere mention of their names. Of course, Nickelback are extremely successful, selling more than 50 million records worldwide, while Perry and Getzlaf both own Stanley Cup rings and Olympic Gold medals. This success only makes them more hated by pretty much everyone except die-hard Nickelback and Anaheim fans, respectively.

Lyric: "First on the bad list, and you're last on mine" — Where Do I Hide

Mike Doyle is the official reporter for the Minnesota Wild, and the writer of the team's "View from the Lighthouse" blog.

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