04/24/24
June 15, 2011
Boston Bruins win first Stanley Cup since 1972.: The Vancovuer Canucks' Cup-drought reaches 40 years.
Same guys that worked the Bruins-Lightning's penalty-free Game 7. Either they have a high tolerance for monkey shines or they can't see very well.
posted by yerfatma at 09:00 PM on June 15, 2011
They certainly missed the Higgins charge on Chara (if you hit Chara in the head with an elbow, you've have jumped, no two ways about it)
posted by kokaku at 09:07 PM on June 15, 2011
Certainly not worse than the slash in the slot on Kesler. That was a damn good scoring opportunity.
Thomas is too good. Two goals seems like a mountain.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:11 PM on June 15, 2011
I can see how the slash was missed, but my god, didn't the refs at least hear the cracking wood and the flock of birds fleeing as that Sequoia was felled?
posted by MeatSaber at 09:21 PM on June 15, 2011
Daniel Sedin is not doing the Canucks any favors. Luongo would have saved that second goal had Sedin not collided with him in the crease.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:42 PM on June 15, 2011
Wow.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:46 PM on June 15, 2011
Canucks had their chances early but Thomas is out of his skull. Hard to put three past him in the third but we'll see.
posted by rumple at 09:52 PM on June 15, 2011
Stick a fork in the Canucks, I think. Yet another Canadian NHL team reminds Canadians that the Winter Olympics are only three years away.
posted by etagloh at 09:54 PM on June 15, 2011
posted by tommybiden at 09:59 PM on June 15, 2011
Oh man, that poor kid made me sad when they ruled the Bergeron play a goal. Makes it hard to root against the other laundry.
posted by yerfatma at 10:00 PM on June 15, 2011
I'm a little bummed this is the last game of the season, but at least I won't have to hear this "Let's Go Higher" song any more...
posted by MeatSaber at 10:08 PM on June 15, 2011
Too bad it's not a closer game. The Canucks just looked like they folded. They gave Marchand so much space and time in their zone and he made them pay twice.
posted by insomnyuk at 10:12 PM on June 15, 2011
Canucks have played decently I think but they don't have that third gear and Boston went into defensive shell after first goal. I think a lack of veteran experienced leadership is part of it, also they are missing 2/3 of their second line so with tight checking on Sedins not many other options to break down the organized Bruins.
posted by rumple at 10:29 PM on June 15, 2011
Canucks have played decently I think but they don't have that third gear
It's been a chippy series, and that has played to Boston's strengths. A pity, but chippy, dirty teams with fantastic goalies tend to win the Stanley Cup.
posted by etagloh at 10:38 PM on June 15, 2011
A pity, but chippy, dirty teams with fantastic goalies tend to win the Stanley Cup.
And chippy, dirty teams with headcases in net tend to lose the Stanley Cup.
posted by MeatSaber at 10:44 PM on June 15, 2011
The chorus of boos that accompany Bettman every year as he presents the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup amuse me every time.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:54 PM on June 15, 2011
So that'd make this series a chippy, dirty team versus a gutless, dirty team?
If that's what folks want to say, no problem - B's are still skating with the Cup and I never thought I'd see that in my lifetime (since, at four months old, I don't remember the last one). They played hard, they didn't give up, and they outplayed the best offense in the league. I'll take that.
posted by kokaku at 11:06 PM on June 15, 2011
Never thought I'd see this in my lifetime (not counting 1972 since I was 4mo old). Prior to this the biggest moment in Bruins history for me was back in 1988, beating Montreal in the playoffs for the first time in 44 years. This is much much better.
posted by kokaku at 11:22 PM on June 15, 2011
Take it. They were the better team in the end. Though it didn't hurt that Tim Thomas was fucking ridiculous.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:50 PM on June 15, 2011
This has truly been an amazing decade for Boston sports. Hurray!
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:51 PM on June 15, 2011
Many of the series leading up to the cup were much more competitive and better hockey. Finals were pretty much a hack and dive affair aside from a terrific performance by Thomas. Having 4 games that were basically over by the time most folks first pint was yet to be emptied didn't help.
Canucks have basically committed to Luongo for the next decade - yikes!
posted by cixelsyd at 12:14 AM on June 16, 2011
A comment in the Huddle thread about looking forward to the Olympics in 3 years got me thinking.
Here's a question to the Canucks fans -- if you could trade the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal for this Stanley Cup for Vancouver, would you do it? Same question for Canadian SpoFites who are fans of other Canadian teams -- would, say, a Leafs fan trade the gold medal for a Leafs cup in the next couple of years? No judgment to be implied in the question; I am genuinely curious. I think I know how most American fans would respond to this question, but am curious about the Canadian perspective.
posted by holden at 12:58 AM on June 16, 2011
Oh, I'd trade the medal for a Canucks' Cup in a heartbeat. Not even close.
I'm not a Luongo Lover, but the first goal was unstoppable, the second he got clocked by his own player and almost stopped it anyway, the third was weird, maybe he could have done something different but that was it anyway...
Bruins threw a blanket over the Canucks the whole series (8 goals in 7 games for the highest scoring team in the regular season) and they are, in the end, full value for their cup.
Also: bottom-feeding selection of Canucks fans rioting: piss off. You're an embarassment. Act like you've lost before!
posted by rumple at 01:11 AM on June 16, 2011
Many of the series leading up to the cup were much more competitive and better hockey.
Please don't do this.
posted by yerfatma at 08:28 AM on June 16, 2011
Hockey's post-championship celebration is my favorite in sports. No other losing crowd sticks around and cheers as much for the team that crushed their dreams.
The level of expertise the Vancouver crowd applied to booing Bettman was exemplary. They booed him as loudly as I've ever heard in a Cup ceremony, but the second the focus of attention left Bettman and went to a Bruins player they began cheering.
posted by rcade at 08:40 AM on June 16, 2011
A terrible night (postgame) in a beautiful city, but it wasn't all bad: Exhibit 1
posted by tommybiden at 09:17 AM on June 16, 2011
Video of rioters. Utterly moronic. Why can't you be more like Miami?
posted by rcade at 09:53 AM on June 16, 2011
if you could trade the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal for this Stanley Cup for Vancouver
No.
Bruins playoff roster had only 1 American player (Thomas), 16 Canadians, and 4 Europeans; Canucks had 15 Canadians, 6 Eurpoeans, and 4 Americans (Canucks roster was larger due to injuries / suspension). Bizarre as it may seem, a victory for the Canucks would have been a bigger win for US hockey.
For the second time in the series Bieksa shot the game puck the length of the ice as time expired to a deserving Thomas. A bit of class in defeat.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:01 AM on June 16, 2011
The level of expertise the Vancouver crowd applied to booing Bettman was exemplary
It was fantastic. Did anyone else notice him jiggling his non-mic hand like he was keeping time to a song only he could hear? I believe it was called, "Get Me the Fuck Out of Here Before They Start Throwing Things". The NHL seriously needs to find a new presenter.
posted by yerfatma at 10:12 AM on June 16, 2011
At least one plastic beer cup was thrown at Bettman (empty -- Canadians have their priorities). The TV announcers said nothing about the booing, which was a nice bit of reality denial on behalf of the league. As I listened to the chorus of boos, it made me wonder how this guy can remain a viable commissioner when he's so widely reviled. He's a PR nightmare for the league.
posted by rcade at 10:27 AM on June 16, 2011
Bizarre as it may seem, a victory for the Canucks would have been a bigger win for US hockey.
And that's what makes it a wrench, I think, for Canadian fans: that the talent and the glory are exported commodities.
Stepping back, I think Boston over Vancouver is less painful than, say, the Hurricanes over the Oilers or the Ducks over the Flames. Beyond Detroit, the Original Six have had a fairly rough decade and a half, and the past couple of years have seen two of them take the Cup.
posted by etagloh at 12:10 PM on June 16, 2011
Yay Broons. Boo hooligans. Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me. Did the authorities not expect this to happen?
posted by THX-1138 at 02:28 PM on June 16, 2011
the third was weird, maybe he could have done something different but that was it anyway...
You mean like using his goalie stick to sweep it away instead of sitting there like a bowling pin?
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:36 PM on June 16, 2011
"Get Me the Fuck Out of Here Before They Start Throwing Things"
That's the same look he had at the Winnipeg press conference. I thought it was " I really hate my job, this league, and everything having to do with hockey. Oh look - another cheque deposited to my bank account ... sweet."
posted by cixelsyd at 02:50 PM on June 16, 2011
Photos: Riots, fire, destruction after Vancouver's loss
posted by tommybiden at 02:59 PM on June 16, 2011
Since I was a Bruins fan well before the Original 6 became the 12, I enjoyed this one more than those of '70 and '72. In those 2, Bruins were the superior team, had the best player on the ice, and even going to OT in game 4 of '70 caused concern, not because it was a close series, but because it would have meant losing a playoff game to one of the expansion teams for the first time. This one was different. Boston did not have the best team, and the best player was a goaltender whose style was often questioned, and not just by opposing goaltenders.
This one had some nice story lines to it: Thomas' struggles to get to the NHL, let alone lift the cup,; Mark Recchi going out at the very top; and a coach who was doubted even as late as 2 games into the playoffs achieving the ultimate vindication for his team's style and his own demeanor. This one was proof that the lunch pail trumps the Gucci bag every time.
It's a pity about the behavior of the Vancouver "fans" outside the arena. I was upset at first by the booing during the presentation of the Conn Smythe and the Cup, but the comments above made me realize that it was for Bettman and not the Bruins. The cheers for the individual Bruins, especially for home boy Milan Lucic, as they lifted the cup were truly sporting and typical of true hockey fans.
One factor not to be underrated in the Bruins' win is the eclipse factor. In 2004, when the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in game 4 to win the World Series, there was a total eclipse of a full moon. This phenomenon was repeated yesterday, although not visible in the northern hemisphere. Since a total eclipse of a full moon occurs on average only 69.58 times per 100 years, it was no coincidence that the sun, moon and earth aligned to ensure a Boston victory.
posted by Howard_T at 03:10 PM on June 16, 2011
Riot City. What a disgrace. Some reports are suggesting the same group of balaclava clad "anarchists", that tried to trigger a similar result at the Olympics, brought their tools and flammables before the game started. Videos seem to suggest this is a distinct possibility. Win or lose, these morons were going to torch property.
This one was proof that the lunch pail trumps the Gucci bag every time.
Since a total eclipse of a full moon occurs on average only 69.58 times per 100 years, it was no coincidence that the sun, moon and earth aligned to ensure a Boston victory.
On second thought I change my mind. I want to riot now.
Seriously, Boston won because of Tim Thomas. That is the whole story. The Canucks out-shot and out-hit the Bruins by a large margin over the course of the series. Lunch pail vs. Gucci, gimme a break.
would, say, a Leafs fan trade the gold medal for a Leafs cup in the next couple of years? No judgment to be implied in the question;
Not this one - the gold was more than just hockey. But, I can't say I represent a majority because I know at least, oh, a dozen other Leaf fans that would probably disagree.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 05:50 PM on June 16, 2011
On paper--Vancouver is the superior team. Heart goes to the Bruins. Lord Stanley is happy in Boston!
posted by kandylynn at 07:25 PM on June 16, 2011
My kids were watching the Cup for the first time. Toward the end I told them "watch: shortly, the guys that are trying like mad to deck each other will be showing a level of sportmanship and courtesy toward each other that you could not imagine."
Then I had my vision ruined by the producer. To me, the post-game line-up and handshake and the bringing out of the Cup is utterly majestic and should rightly be viewed from above the ice. It is a magnificent scene to look down upon, with the gallant procession of players and seeing the numbers on their sweaters as they move through the line.
But the broadcast took the view down to rink level. I don't want to see the ice cam view of it taken at ankle height. I want to see the pageantry of it from a higher vantage point. And that's how it used to be done.
Who the heck would want to watch the royal wedding by looking up the bride's dress instead of gazing down on the proceedings from above?
(Actually, let me get back to you on that one...).
posted by beaverboard at 09:04 PM on June 16, 2011
A terrible night (postgame) in a beautiful city, but it wasn't all bad: Exhibit 1
I thought the Canucks couldn't score on the road.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 02:51 PM on June 17, 2011
I'm late to the party (as I was in Las Vegas all last week), but I can say that I would not trade that Olympic gold medal win in 2010 men's hockey for 5 Maple Leaf Stanley Cups.
Plain and simple, that game/goal/moment was the grandson moment of Paul Henderson's goal in 1972, and the son of Mario Lemieux's goal in 1987. The raw euphoria across the country WAY overshadows any joy (and hate among others) a Maple Leaf Stanley Cup would mean to me.
Let me put it this way: even now, if I hear that crapy Black-Eyed Peas song "I've Got a Feeling", I still get misty-eyed because that's what they played in the arena immediately after Sidney Crosby scored the goal. It can't stand that song, but it still evokes intensely joyful memories.
posted by grum@work at 02:45 PM on June 19, 2011
The refs apparently have a plane to catch...