NHL playoffs

[JimBuck]

Boston earned it that's for sure. Good to see Recchi get a cup. Can't really blame Luongo but Boston just worked them over. I have a new appreciation for Tim Thomas after these playoffs. He definitely deserves the Conn Smythe Trophy.

In retrospect, what a year of playoffs! It's a bummer I'm gonna have to wait another 110 days until the next NHL game.

[Bran32]

Good for Tim Thomas!!!! Can't wait to see who the Wild hire and see if they start making some moves!!!

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Congrats to the Bruins.

Riots have erupted in Vancouver...I always knew the fans there were complete garbage. Way to stay classy, Vancouver.

[jwmiller33]

[jwmiller33]

Since Rome's hit on Horton, Boston outscored Vancouver 21 to 4

[solbes]

Nice job, LeBRONgo!! What a choke artist he was after game 2. Anyway, congrats to the Bruins. Thomas was money the whole series.

Is there any other sports trophy that is 1/100th as cool as Lord Stanley's Cup? I think not. Half the time I watch the last game just to see guys skating around with that thing, it's so awesome.

Looks like Canada will be cup-less yet again. Kind of makes me laugh a little bit.

[spearchucker]

Congrats to Boston. The diving by Vancouver throughout the year has been sickening. They could make an entire DVD on Vancouver embellished penalties for the 2010-2011 season. Good team, but cut the acting.

What was all the booing by Vancouver fans at the end? Were they booing Bettman or Boston. Pretty poor sportsmanship.

[Bear55]

Congrats to the B's, talk about battling and willing your way through the playoffs all the way to the cup.

Scott interesting stat about the number of Canadians on a team, they also said last night that a Canadian has won a huge majority of the Conn Smythe trophies over the years. Here are the only non-Canadians to win the award dating back to 1965.

Timmy Thomas USA

Malkin RUS

Zetterburg SWE

Lindstrom SWE

Leetch USA

[OnAFly]

Bear - Thanks for posting that. I heard the US only had two guys win it, I was wondering who the other was.

AS far as the booing goes, it would have happened in any arena. They were booing Bettman. Shortly after the booing the traditional "Bettman Sucks!" chant started. It happens everywhere he goes, including the allstar game this year.

Seeing guys, especially those first timers, carry the cup around is really the highlight of the night regardless of who wins. Anyone else hear Recchi's f-bomb when he was skating around with the cup?

[Shorelunch]

I'm glad Boston won the series/cup. I started game 1 cheering for Vancouver, but did an about face after actually watching them.

I thought it was ironic that Bruin's fans were chanting "USA USA USA" when they won the cup, even though they have more Canadian players than the 'Nucks.

[topcat3820]

What was all the booing by Vancouver fans at the end? Were they booing Bettman or Boston.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

I'm gonna have to wait another 110 days until the next NHL game.

About 300 days for me. I find the regular season and play-offs to be as far apart as Apples and Oranges are. Call me a fair weather fan if you like but I probably watched 20 minutes of the regular season total and I DVR-ed every possible play-off game.

Well deserved series win by the Bruins!

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm glad Boston won the series/cup. I started game 1 cheering for Vancouver, but did an about face after actually watching them.

I'm with 100%. I have no problem cheering for a team in our division. However, after watching Tim Thomas in the first two games I began cheering those guys on. The guy was an animal throughout the finals.

[Bear55]

Seeing guys, especially those first timers, carry the cup around is really the highlight of the night regardless of who wins. Anyone else hear Recchi's f-bomb when he was skating around with the cup?

That really is the best part about the whole thing, like you said it doesn't matter who wins it is just fun to watch.

[JimBuck]

I thought it was ironic that Bruin's fans were chanting "USA USA USA" when they won the cup, even though they have more Canadian players than the 'Nucks.

That's Boston fans for ya'!

[PierBridge]

UMMMMM....The Cup is back in the U.S.A...thus the U.S.A chant....

[Shorelunch]

UMMMMM....The Cup is back in the U.S.A...thus the U.S.A chant....

Yeah, but it was won by a majority of Canadian players . . .

[jwmiller33]

Yeah, but it was won by a majority of Canadian players . . .

Yeah, but the cup is back in the US. . .

[spearchucker]

Yeah, but it was won by a majority of Canadian players . . .

Still an American team. If a company employs a bunch of Mexican workers, it is still an American company not a Mexican one.

[JimBuck]

Back in the US!? Other than these brief press and finals' appearances, It hasn't been won by a Canadian team since 1993!

[scsavre]

ITs not like the Bruins are a college team (dirty Sioux). No need to hate cause they are filled with canadiens. The cup remains in the US......Unfortunately the looters are getting the most press.

[fishing tech]

I am a believer that you coach a team to play a style that allows you a chance to win with the talant you have. Boston did that and Vancouver did not adapt. Very good series.

[Bear55]

I am a believer that you coach a team to play a style that allows you a chance to win with the talant you have. Boston did that and Vancouver did not adapt. Very good series.

This is a very good statement. You need to find your own way to win, there is no magic formula to produce a cup. If you look at all the cup finalists over the past 5-6 years and even in the whole history of hockey two things stand out, you need to have a solid mix of elite talent and physical toughness to make any noise in the playoffs. We can't just look at big physical teams like Philly, Boston, or Anaheim and copy them, or try and copy some of the high end talent teams like Detroit, Pitt, Chicago. We have to find our own way to get there with our own guys. Right now it seems like we have a long long way to go. Here is hoping that a good percentage of our prospect turn into the talent and toughness we need to get there.

[Musky Buck]

I hear ya Bear, the thought we have to "hope" doesn't lead to much optimism but hey it's all we got, I still hate Norm Green, our North Stars should have never left. Anyway, agreed, the right mix of toughness and talent, right now we are lacking in both areas, I realize we are miles away from maybe the playoffs even, let alone a cup.

[Bear55]

Well this might sound a little crazy but we might be far away or just a few years, you really never can tell. If we can get a few of the youngsters to develop and some of the older players reach their potential and we fill in the gaps with some hard nosed or depth players anything can happen. Sometimes 2-3 guys can make all the difference in the world, the hard part is to find or develop those difference makers.