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Bruins end 39-year title wait
Source: Agencies |
June 17, 2011, Friday
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THE Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years on Wednesday when they beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in the seventh and deciding game of the National Hockey League championship.
Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each scored two goals for the Bruins while Boston goaltender Tim Thomas won the most valuable player award after notching his second shutout of the finals.
The Bruins, one of hockey's "Original Six" teams, had not won the Stanley Cup since 1972 and defied the odds to win it this time in one of the most enthralling finals series in years.
Three of their four playoff rounds went the full distance of seven games and they came from 0-2 behind in the finals to beat the Canucks, who were favorites to win after finishing the regular season with the best record.
That gave Vancouver the home advantage for the final and although it won its first three games at home, it lost all three it played in Boston then Wednesday's decider on home ice.
"We never made things easy on ourselves," said Boston's veteran winger Mark Recchi, who had announced at age 43 that he would retire if the Bruins won the cup. "It's a hell of a way for me to go out that's for sure."
Boston had lost five straight Stanley Cup finals since winning its last championship. The Bruins hadn't even reached the finals since 1990.
For the Canucks, the loss ended their dream of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time. They joined the NHL in 1970-71 season and were appearing in the finals for the first time in 17 years.
It also ruined the celebrations of thousands of fans that had crushed into the city's downtown area in the hope of repeating the street party that erupted when Canada won the hockey gold medal at last year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Bergeron scored the only goal of the first period then scored a shorthanded goal at the end of the second period which stretched Boston's lead to 3-0.
Marchand also scored in the middle frame then finished it off with a second into an empty net while Thomas turned away all 37 shots that were fired at him with the same aggressive acrobatic style that stymied the Canucks throughout the series.
"Their goaltender was phenomenal," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said.
Star goalie Roberto Luongo again failed to match Thomas' brilliance, giving up 18 goals in the last five games of the finals.
Captain Zdeno Chara nearly slipped when he skated away from Commissioner Gary Bettman with the Stanley Cup. And the oversized trophy eventually got a lift from Nathan Horton, the injured Boston forward whose Game 3 concussion on a late hit irrevocably swung the momentum to Boston.
Before Game 7, Horton worked to give the Bruins a home-ice advantage, pouring a bottle of Boston water onto the ice in front of the Bruins' bench before warmups. "I was just trying to get some Garden ice here and make it our ice."
Mark Messier and the New York Rangers won Game 7 in Vancouver's last finals appearance in 1994.
Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each scored two goals for the Bruins while Boston goaltender Tim Thomas won the most valuable player award after notching his second shutout of the finals.
The Bruins, one of hockey's "Original Six" teams, had not won the Stanley Cup since 1972 and defied the odds to win it this time in one of the most enthralling finals series in years.
Three of their four playoff rounds went the full distance of seven games and they came from 0-2 behind in the finals to beat the Canucks, who were favorites to win after finishing the regular season with the best record.
That gave Vancouver the home advantage for the final and although it won its first three games at home, it lost all three it played in Boston then Wednesday's decider on home ice.
"We never made things easy on ourselves," said Boston's veteran winger Mark Recchi, who had announced at age 43 that he would retire if the Bruins won the cup. "It's a hell of a way for me to go out that's for sure."
Boston had lost five straight Stanley Cup finals since winning its last championship. The Bruins hadn't even reached the finals since 1990.
For the Canucks, the loss ended their dream of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time. They joined the NHL in 1970-71 season and were appearing in the finals for the first time in 17 years.
It also ruined the celebrations of thousands of fans that had crushed into the city's downtown area in the hope of repeating the street party that erupted when Canada won the hockey gold medal at last year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Bergeron scored the only goal of the first period then scored a shorthanded goal at the end of the second period which stretched Boston's lead to 3-0.
Marchand also scored in the middle frame then finished it off with a second into an empty net while Thomas turned away all 37 shots that were fired at him with the same aggressive acrobatic style that stymied the Canucks throughout the series.
"Their goaltender was phenomenal," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said.
Star goalie Roberto Luongo again failed to match Thomas' brilliance, giving up 18 goals in the last five games of the finals.
Captain Zdeno Chara nearly slipped when he skated away from Commissioner Gary Bettman with the Stanley Cup. And the oversized trophy eventually got a lift from Nathan Horton, the injured Boston forward whose Game 3 concussion on a late hit irrevocably swung the momentum to Boston.
Before Game 7, Horton worked to give the Bruins a home-ice advantage, pouring a bottle of Boston water onto the ice in front of the Bruins' bench before warmups. "I was just trying to get some Garden ice here and make it our ice."
Mark Messier and the New York Rangers won Game 7 in Vancouver's last finals appearance in 1994.
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