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.

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.

I did a double take when I saw this figure. If it is true, then it is simply stunning. City officials claim that more than two million Chicago Blackhawks fans lined Madison, Wacker, Washington and Michigan Avenues to cheer on their beloved team after their first Stanley Cup victory in 49 years.

To put the crowd in perspective, there were an estimated 350,000 fans at the White Sox rally when the team won the World Series in 2005 -- ending an 88-year championship drought, nearly double the Blackhawks!

And President Obama's inauguration drew between 1 million and 1.5 million people to the nation's capital. Even at the highest figure that would still be 500,000 less people then came out for the 'Hawks in Chicago today on a humid, scorching 88-degree summer day in Chi-Town.

And on top of the oppressive heat, the event took place on a work day. It is absolutely astonishing that over two million people showed up. The level of support for Chicago's hockey team is unbelievable.

Live coverage from WGN-TV of today's Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory parade in downtown Chicago:

 

The Chicago Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years tonight versus the Flyers in Philadelphia off an overtime goal by forward Patrick Kane.

The red light didn't go on initially but some of the 'Hawks started celebrating anyway. After a brief review, it was declared a goal and the official celebration got underway with the hard-fought 4-3 victory in Game 6.

Captain Jonathan Toews, 22, was declared playoff MVP and was handed the Conn Smythe Trophy by Gary Bettman.

Chicago will be hosting its first victory parade since 1961 (before tonight the longest active drought in the NHL) for the team that won over this sports-mad city. The 'Hawks rode the timely saves of Antti Niemi, the stellar defense of Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell and the star power of forwards Kane, Toews, Dustin Byfuglien and Marian Hossa to claim the greatest trophy in all of sports.

Washington Capitals fans have been attempting to get President Obama to attend a game at Verizon Center to no avail, even going so far as setting up a Barack The Red campaign initiated by Caps-centric blog Russian Machine Never Breaks.

But with the Caps out of the playoffs -- Vice President Joe Biden attended their Game 7 loss to Montreal in D.C. -- Obama will not be attending a game at the VC anytime soon.

Perhaps the president's first chance to witness a hockey game will come this weekend. That's because the First Family is returning to Chicago for Memorial Day Weekend and Games One and Two of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers will be taking place at the United Center this Saturday and Monday nights.

With the 'Hawks the talk of the town, it will be impossible for Obama not to notice. Memorial Day is probably out since the president will be making remarks at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery south of Chicago.

So the opening game on Saturday night would be the best bet for the president attending his first hockey game. Both Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali have been seen at the UC donning 'Hawks jerseys so wouldn't it be great if President Obama joined them in the press box?

Stanley Cup Finals Schedule:

Saturday, May 2 at Chicago, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS

Monday, May 31 at Chicago, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS

Wednesday, June 2 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. VERSUS, CBC, RDS

Friday, June 4 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. VERSUS, CBC, RDS

*Sunday, June 6 at Chicago, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS

*Wednesday, June 9 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS

*Friday, June 11 at Chicago, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS

- * denotes if necessary

- All Times Eastern

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.

Of course the game lived up to the hype. It seems every time these bitter rivals tangle that fans are treated to some fantastic hockey from both sides.

But my how the tables have turned. With their come-from-behind shootout victory over Pittsburgh tonight, my Washington Capitals have won all three games against the Penguins this season.

When I was growing up as a Caps fan in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, there were two constants every spring -- the Cherry Blossoms would bloom along the Tidal Basin and the Caps would lose to the Pens in the playoffs.

For so many years the Pens had our number and the number of fans from Western Pennsylvania filling up half of the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland was just plain embarrassing. Bus after bus would roll into the Capital Centre parking lot and unload thousands of black-clad fans with Lemieux or Jagr on the back of their jerseys. And more times than not they would celebrate another playoff series win over the Caps.

But change has come to Washington and I'm not talking about Obama. While Pittsburgh beat Washington in seven games last year to eventually win the Stanley Cup, the Caps have their best chance in a long time to finally silence all those obnoxious Penguin fans.

Owner Ted Leonsis and General Manager George McPhee have been nothing short of brilliant in building the pieces of this team to shape a Stanley Cup contender.

Now we have the answer to the hated Penguins. They have Crosby, Malkin and Staal. But we have Ovechkin, Semin and Backstrom. They have Fleury. But we have Theodore, who played tonight like the Hart and Vezina winning goalie that he is.

And instead of half of Pittsburgh busing down to D.C., the Verizon Center rocks the red every home game. The Caps have some of the most passionate fans in the NHL as is evident when every seat is taken and the VC becomes a sea of red.

The ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup, but I hope the Caps get to face off against the Pens in the playoffs this year because after years of suffering at the hands of Pittsburgh, it's about time for some sweet, sweet revenge.

Highlights from tonight's game courtesy of NHL.com:

Whether or not the Washington Capitals have what it takes to win the Stanley Cup this year remains to be seen (Pens and Devils in the East and 'Hawks and Sharks in the West are tough tasks to say the least).

But Cup or not, the Capitals reached a significant milestone tonight in the history of the franchise -- their 5-1 home win against the Ducks was their eighth straight, which is the team's longest winning streak in 26 years.

There is still a lot of hockey left to play this year, including the Vancouver Winter Olympics, but right now the Capitals are the best team in the NHL, or at least the best team in the Eastern Conference. Washington is tied with Chicago and positioned only two points behind San Jose for the league points lead with 76.

All streaks must come to an end at some point, but for long-suffering Washington, D.C. sports fans (think Redskins, Wizards and Nationals) this is a moment to savor.

This lonely Caps fan in the City of Angels is definitely enjoying it.