The Hockey Stop

The Boston Bruins have won the Stanley Cup in stunning fashion over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 at Rogers Arena by a final score of 4-0. Many in hockey circles didn't give the Bruins a chance against the super-skilled Canucks, especially after having gone down 2-0 in the series.

But the Bruins dominated the Canucks in Boston, and lost by only one goal in all three games in Vancouver. So perhaps it was inevitable that Boston would dominate this Game 7 in Vancouver. They had simply out-willed the Canucks and played a more physical game that wore down Vancouver's skill players. The injury to defenseman Dan Hamhuis in Game 1 and the suspension of defenseman Aaron Rome after a devastating hit on Nathan Horton in Game 3 did not help Vancouver's cause. That hit to Horton also became a motivational factor for Boston and the series seems to have swung in Boston's favor after that hit.

The story now is the gritty Boston Bruins. What a season for Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas. What a way to go out in style by 43-year-old Mark Recchi. What a stone wall on defense by Captain Zdeno Chara. What an amazing effort in Game 7 by two-goal scorer Brad Marchand. What a coaching performance by Claude Julien. And the list goes on and on.

Bottom line is congratulations to the Boston Bruins on winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years.

The Canucks flag flies in front of the B.C. Legislature.

An epic Stanley Cup Final series between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins will come to a fitting conclusion on Wednesday night with Game 7 at Rogers Arena.

The Canucks have the edge because they are simply a better team at home.

I've never seen a more Jekyll and Hyde team and goaltender then the Canucks and Roberto Luongo in this series. At home in beautiful British Columbia they play with more energy and passion and get the clutch goal and timely save to secure victory. But on the road in Boston they are just atrocious and have been dominated by the Bruins.

So which team will show up Wednesday night? Will it be the good 'Nucks or the bad 'Nucks?

My money is on the team that ran circles around the rest of the league during the regular season on their way to a Presidents' Trophy. The team that battled the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks to a first-round Game 7 victory. The team that put away the pesky Preds and ferocious Sharks. And the team that is now facing their toughest challenge yet in a tough-as-nails Boston Bruins team.

But this is not 1994, when the New York Rangers defeated Vancouver in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden in NYC. In that heartbreaking loss, the Canucks had to watch Mark Messier jump up and down like a little kid after scoring the winning goal to give the Rangers their first Stanley Cup in 54 years.

That won't happen this year. It is why you play during the regular season for home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. For moments like this. There will be 18,000 excited and anxious fans cheering on the Canucks inside Rogers Arena; thousands more gathered in public areas around the city of Vancouver; and millions more across Canada cheering on the Canucks to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history and the first Cup in Canada since Montreal won it in '93.

Regardless of who wins, these two teams have blessed us fans with an amazing series. It's been one for the ages and it's a shame someone has to lose.

Last night in Dallas it was the amazing disappearing act of LeBron James. Tonight in Boston it was the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, who vanished when their team needed them the most (Many in Vancouver will blame goalie Roberto Luongo for the two losses, but that would let the guys in front of him off the hook).

In order for the two teams that on paper are supposed to win the NBA and NHL championships -- that being the Miami Heat and Vancouver Canucks -- to actually get it done, then their stars must be stars. And the stars have not played to their potential, which is why it is 2-2 in both series.

That is not to take anything away from the Mavericks and Bruins. They are both hard-working, talented teams that each deserve to be where they are at this point in the season. But, they both should have met their matches in the Heat and Canucks. And curiously they have not so far.

Game 5 is obviously critical in both series. And the most important player on the hardwood in Dallas will be James. If he doesn't play his best game of the season then Miami will be on the verge of losing a series that they should have won. And if the super Swedes Henrik and Daniel don't find their game and start scoring goals, then good luck going back to Beantown down 3-2 and surviving to see another day.

Will the stars shine for Miami and Vancouver in Game 5? If you are a fan of the Heat or Canucks, you better hope they do.

Wow. What a Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. The most television viewers in 12 years for an SC Final opener witnessed finger biting, hip checks that flipped players in the air, unbelievable goaltending, and a last-second goal to seal a 1-0 victory for the 'Nucks.

What makes the 3.2 overnight rating and 6 share on NBC so remarkable is that these figures are for American audiences and one of the teams resides in a mid-sized Canadian city tucked way up in the fringes of the Pacific Northwest. That means that, unlike last year when two major American markets -- Philadelphia and Chicago -- battled it out for Lord Stanley's Cup, this year Boston is the only American city in the Finals.

And apparently every single TV set in the Boston-New England market was tuned in to the game because the ratings were a full 14 percent higher than last year's Game 1 between the Blackhawks and Flyers.

Besides the fact that one of the teams isn't from an American city, the other fact that makes the ratings so remarkable is the relatively late start time of 8 p.m. on a weekday. No doubt there were a lot of hockey fans who stayed up late to watch the game despite having to go to work or summer camp early the next morning.

According to the initial figures, more Bostonians tuned into the Bruins-Canucks Game 1 than did last year's Game 1 between the Celtics and Lakers. It will be interesting to see the breakdown of the ratings by region. The ratings should be through the roof in the entire New England area -- Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine.

And this doesn't even factor in the ratings in Canada, where the entire country is rooting for the Canucks to bring the first Stanley Cup to their country since the Montreal Canadiens won it in 1993.

When the playoffs started if you had told me that the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins would be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, I would have nodded my head and said, "Yep."

The 'Nucks ran away with the Presidents' Trophy this year and seemed to be operating on another level all season. The Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler, Roberto Luongo and their mates simply dominated the rest of the league. Of course they had a scare in the first round from their arch-nemesis Chicago Blackhawks. But after they got that big monkey off their backs, everything started clicking for Vancouver. And after putting away San Jose in five games, they are peaking at just the right time.

Like the Canucks, the Boston Bruins were another team looking to put past playoff defeats behind them. In Boston's case, this season they became much more mentally tough after last season's collapse against the Flyers, in which they blew a 3-0 lead in the series and a 3-0 lead in Game 7. They weren't going to let that happen this year. And after beating Montreal in seven games in the first round and sweeping Philadelphia, the B's beat the Lightning in seven games behind stellar goaltending by 37-year-old Tim Thomas and a game winning goal from forward Nathan Horton.

Now the best team from the east and the best team from the west will battle for Lord Stanley's Cup in what will hopefully be a great series. You certainly couldn't ask for two more hockey crazed cities than Vancouver and Boston. People in British Columbia, Canada and Massachusetts, USA live and breathe the sport of hockey.

Here is the Stanley Cup Finals Schedule (all times are Eastern Standard):

Game 1 — Wednesday, June 1 (NBC 8PM) at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia,

Game 2 — Saturday, June 4 (NBC 8PM) at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia,

Game 3 — Monday, June 6 (VS 8PM) at TD Garden, Boston

Game 4 — Wednesday, June 8 (VS 8PM) at TD Garden, Boston

Game 5* — Friday, June 10 (NBC 8PM) at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia,

Game 6* — Monday, June 13 (NBC 8PM) at TD Garden, Boston

Game 7* — Wednesday, June 15 (NBC 8PM) at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia,

* If Necessary

This is what I wrote last year after the then run-and-gun Washington Capitals became the first No. 1 seed in NHL history to blow a 3-1 series lead and lose to a No. 8 seed, the Montreal Canadiens, in the first round:

"What do I hope the high-flying Caps learn from this Game 7 loss, and last year's Game 7 loss to Pittsburgh, and the year before when they lost in Game 7 to the Flyers?

DEFENSE WINS STANLEY CUPS."

Lesson learned. On Saturday afternoon the road to redemption took a big step in the right direction as the Caps dispatched the New York Rangers in five games. It took three years of painful playoff exits and a 7-0 regular season thrashing by the very same Rangers this year to get the Caps to make the necessary changes to become a playoff team.

They changed their entire system from offense first to a tight-checking defensive style suited for the grind-it-out playoffs. They added a shutdown defenseman in Scott Hannan, a veteran Stanley Cup-winning second line center in Jason Arnott and two more battle-hardened veterans in Marco Sturm and Dennis Wideman. They also went with a young goaltender named Michal Neuvirth who has won two Calder Cup trophies with the minor league Hershey Bears and is cool as a cucumber between the pipes.

But despite all those necessary changes, the biggest question mark going into Saturday's game was whether the Caps could close out a series in five games. Well, by beating the Rangers 3-1 to end the series, the Caps not only threw that big monkey (more like a gorilla) off their backs but sent it into space.

This team found their inner killer instinct and is a dangerous team going forward. For the first time as a Caps fan, WE are the dangerous team no one wants to play. Change has come to Washington. Onward.

Other Notes:

• Congratulations to the Nashville Predators for winning their first playoff series in franchise history by beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-2.

• Could it be the curse of the President's Cup? The Vancouver Canucks are on the brink of making the wrong kind of history as the Chicago Blackhawks forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 to the Sedin twins and their mates. The biggest question mark going into Game 7 is between the pipes for Vancouver. Cory Schneider was injured on the tying penalty shot in Game 6 and Roberto Luongo has been very shaky in this series, including flailing around and giving up a bad rebound goal by Ben Smith in overtime last night. It should be a great game on Tuesday.

• What an exciting Round One! The Sharks came back from 4-0 down in Game 3 to shock the Kings and the Caps came back from 3-0 down at MSG in Game 4 to stun the Rangers. And all the overtimes have been great for fans. It is safe to say in these playoffs that no lead is safe and that the games will be most likely settled in the extra session.

Despite being eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs tonight by a more experienced Vancouver Canucks, the Los Angeles Kings have a lot to be proud of this season and much to look forward to in the years ahead.

After a nine-year playoff drought, this young, talented group will be battling deep into the playoffs for many years to come, thanks to a smart rebuilding effort reminiscent of the building blocks a few other teams started putting in place a few years ago that are now paying dividends, namely the Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

All three of these teams tasted the bitterness of early playoff exits before gaining the experience and supporting cast to make runs deep into the postseason. Pittsburgh already won a Stanley Cup last year and the 'Hawks and Caps hope this is their year to do the same.

So keep your heads up, Kings fans, although I know it is tough right now with the pain of losing to a team you very well could have defeated. But it wasn't your year. It's too early for that. The Caps learned a hell of a lot from the sting of losing in Game 7 two years ago to the Flyers in the first round and in Game 7 last year to the Penguins in the second round.

Now Washington knows how to handle these situations and hopefully come out on top this time.

And Los Angeles will know too. That's because Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, Alexander Frolov, Ryan Smyth, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Michal Handzus, Wayne Simmonds, Jack Johnson, Matt Greene and the other Kings on this all-star roster got their first taste of the playoffs and once you get your first taste of the NHL postseason you live to return and eventually hoist the greatest hardware in professional sports -- the Stanley Cup.

The National Hockey League regular season wrapped today with a thrilling overtime shootout in Philadelphia to catapult the Flyers into the playoffs and send the Rangers home to New York.

Here are the first-round match-ups. For the full schedule with dates, times and TV coverage, click here.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens

#2 New Jersey Devils vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs. #6 Boston Bruins

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Ottawa Senators

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Colorado Avalanche

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Nashville Predators

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 Los Angeles Kings

#4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings

Also, some awards were decided on the final day of action.

Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Tampa Bay's Steve Stamkos will share the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy because both players finished with 51 goals.

Vancouver's Henrik Sedin nabbed the Art Ross Trophy for scoring with 112 points (29 goals, 83 assists).

New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur and backup Yann Danis won the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed, with 191.

Some initial thoughts on the first-round match-ups (and guess what, it all comes down to the men between the pipes):

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Caps-Canadiens

Washington is quickly putting its record-breaking regular season behind it (first non-Original Six team to reach 120 points) and focusing on Les Habs, a team it has never faced in the playoffs. Laval, Quebec native and former Montreal goaltender Jose Theodore should be pumped to play his old team and he is sure to hear it from the crowd, which should provide even extra motivation.

Prediction: Caps in 4

Devils-Flyers

Philadelphia is riding high after advancing to the playoffs in a last-game shootout against the Rangers. That won't last long. The Devils are a complete team. They already were one of the fiercest defensive teams in hockey, but with the addition of Ilya Kovalchuk they are now dangerous on offense. Flyers will sneak one win in but that is all.

Prediction: Devils in 5

Sabres-Bruins

A good match-up between two defensive-minded teams. But the edge goes to the Sabres because of Ryan Miller. If he shows the spark he had in the Olympics for Team USA, then Buffalo will be very hard to beat.

Prediction: Sabres in 6

Penguins-Senators

This is a very even match-up but the edge has to go to the Pens because of their experience winning the Cup last year and the Sidney Crosby factor. Also, Sens star Alexei Kovalev will miss the playoffs with a left knee injury. That said, Ottawa and head coach Cory Clouston should not be underestimated. They have weapons up front like Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson and the blue line is solid, especially with the addition of Andy Sutton.

Prediction: Sens in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Sharks-Avs

San Jose is a perennial playoff disappointment and that won't change this year. Despite another stellar regular season, Colorado could upset the Sharks. That is unless goalie Evgeni Nabakov plays up to his potential. If he does, the Sharks are pretty much unbeatable. But the Russian goalie has been known to put in mediocre performances just at the wrong time. Avs coach Joe Sacco has his group of young players believing.

Prediction: Avs in 7

Hawks-Preds

Next to the Capitals, Chicago has the most dynamic team in the NHL. With Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews leading the charge the Hawks are the best in the West. But there is still a question mark at goal. Can Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi take this team deep into the playoffs? Time will tell.

Prediction: Hawks in 5

Canucks-Kings

The City of Angels is excited the Kings are back in the playoffs after a long dry spell. And with a corps of young talented players like Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown there is a bright future ahead for the Los Angeles franchise. And they will give the Canucks everything they've got. But it won't be enough. Vancouver has more depth and experience and Team Canada gold medal winner Roberto Luongo and Art Ross winner Henrik Sedin.

Prediction: Canucks in 7

Coyotes-Wings

This is going to be a great series. Both teams are peaking just at the right time and have hot goaltenders. Phoenix has MVP candidate Ilya Bryzgalov and the Wings have rookie of the year candidate Jimmy Howard behind the net. With all the off-ice problems in Phoenix, it is amazing the Coyotes are in the playoffs. And Detroit had all kinds of on-ice problems earlier in the season. But with the kind of Cinderella season Phoenix is having, it has the edge.

Prediction: Coyotes in 6

Many NHL franchises and sports venues are getting on board the green bandwagon by taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

This trend encompasses all of professsional sports, as The New York Times noted in a recent article titled "Getting Sports Events to Go Green," which focused mostly on Major League Baseball's efforts to green the game. For example, the Boston Red Sox use solar panels to heat water at Fenway Park.

So what has hockey done to lessen waste and pollution when thousands of fans pack arenas across North America? One initiative is called NHL Green -- a partnership between the league and GreenLife with technical guidance from the Natural Resources Defense Council. The NHL will use this alliance to develop a league "Green Plan." But what are individual teams doing right now to reduce their carbon footprint?

Here are the greenest NHL arenas based on factors such as easy access to public transportation, energy efficiency, eco-friendly construction materials, recycling options and other environmentally friendly aspects.



Arena: Consol Energy Center
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
City: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Neighborhood: Downtown
The Stanley Cup champs are moving into a shiny new venue after waddling in the decrepit Mellon Arena -- the oldest and lowest capacity arena in the NHL. And what an arena it will be! The Consol Energy Center will not only help the Penguins in Pittsburgh, but the real penguins in the rapidly melting polar ice caps. When the arena opens for the 2010-11 season it aims to be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified NHL arena. The Consol Energy Center will feature a gigantic glass atrium facing downtown that will bring in more natural light, lots of green space around the building, environmentally friendly paints, alternative energy sources and locally purchased construction materials. Plus easy access to public transportation allows fans to take the subway or bus to the game instead of driving.





Arena: General Motors Place
Team: Vancouver Canucks
City: Vancouver, Canada
Neighborhood: Downtown
Vancouver aims to be the greenest host city ever when the 21st Winter Olympic Games head to British Columbia in February, 2010. In June of 2006 the Vancouver Organizing Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that the hockey games would be played on NHL-sized rinks so there would be no environmental impact by expanding the ice size at GM Place (to be called Canada Hockey Place for the Olympics) and UBC Thunderbird Arena. GM Place is serviced by the SkyTrain "Stadium-Chinatown" station. SkyTrain is Vancouver's elevated rapid transit system.





Arena: Madison Square Garden
Team: New York Rangers
City: New York City, New York
Neighborhood: Chelsea
It's hard not to be green when garden is in your name and you are situated atop the busiest train station in North America -- Penn Station. Thus, "the world's most famous arena" makes the list for being so damn accessible without a car.





Arena: Pepsi Center
Team: Colorado Avalanche
City: Denver, Colorado
Neighborhood: Downtown
The Pepsi Center is not only retrofitting their building to make it more environmentally friendly, but also is taking the initiative to educate visitors about the importance of energy conservation. The arena teamed with Xcel Energy to launch a website with tips on how Colorado residents and businesses can save money and energy by going green. The Pepsi Center also features the Power Zone where kids and adults alike can play interactive trivia games, learn about wind and solar power, and more. The venue has also installed solar panels and designated hybrid-only parking spaces and a no-idling zone. The Pepsi Center is serviced by bus and Denver's light rail system. The closest station is Pepsi Center/Elitch Gardens on the C and E lines.





Arena: Philips Arena
Team: Atlanta Thrashers
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Neighborhood: Downtown
The 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak caused minor exterior damage to the Philips Arena. Since then it has been only good news. The arena not only survived the tornado but is thriving -- Pollstar recently named Philips Arena the No. 1 U.S. venue for the first half of 2009 and earlier this year the arena became the first existing NBA or NHL arena to achieve LEED certification. The arena is also served by mass transit. The Philips Arena/CNN Center subway stop is an easy walk to the venue.





Arena: Staples Center
Team: Los Angeles Kings
City: Los Angeles, California
Neighborhood: Downtown
The Staples Center makes the list simply for trying to get car-centric Angelenos out of their leased luxury SUVs and onto the subway to see a game. The L.A. Metro recently released the above video advertisement to encourage fans to take the Blue Line light rail to the Staples Center. The Kings offer ticket discounts to metro riders and the venue provides secure bike racks. Other green initiatives include a dynamic recycling program, low-energy lighting, green cleaning chemicals, waterfree urinals and 1,727 solar panels installed on its rooftop.





Arena: TD Garden
Team: Boston Bruins
City: Boston, Massachusetts
Neighborhood: Downtown North section
The future just got brighter for Boston and the planet because TD Garden recently installed an energy-saving LED lighting system that will light up the arena's exterior at night. According to the website GreenSportsVenues.com: "The project provides a 60% decrease in kilowatt consumption over the previous equipment." The lighting system also automatically shuts off at 2 a.m. to save energy. The lighting changes colors depending on the team playing, so for example when the Bruins hit the ice the color will be yellow. And to celebrate a victory the lights can even do the wave with special effects.





Arena: Verizon Center
Team: Washington Capitals
City: Washington, D.C.
Neighborhood: Gallery Place/Chinatown
The "Phone Booth" has turned Gallery Place/Chinatown into the hottest neighborhood in the nation's capital while doing its part to cool down the planet. When former Caps owner Abe Pollin decided to replace the U.S. Air Arena in Landover, Maryland he significantly reduced the carbon footprint by locating the new arena above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station -- making the arena easily accessible via subway for fans in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs. The Verizon Center was also the first indoor venue to install a high-definition LED scoreboard. Light-emitting diodes are significantly more energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs.

Honorable Mentions:

Honda Center -- Anaheim Ducks
Large recycling program and locally grown produce used in restaurant.

Air Canada Centre -- Toronto Maple Leafs
Located next to Union Station so easy access to public transit.

Bell Centre -- Montreal Canadians
Located in the heart of downtown, the arena provides easy access to public transit.

Xcel Energy Center -- Minnesota Wild
Recycling program, green cleaning products, low-energy lighting, low-flow water in restrooms, bike racks and bus vouchers for employees, education zone display with info on renewable and alternative energy.

Prudential Center -- New Jersey Devils
The newest arena in the NHL is also one of the most accessible via public transit -- the facility is located two blocks from Newark Penn Station.