Congratulations to Patrick Sharp and the Chicago Blackhawks, the 2013 Stanley Cup champions.
It was an exciting final series with Boston, culminating with the dramatic conclusion of Game 6. The short-season set-up, which didn't have teams playing outside of their conferences until the cup final, made it difficult to gauge just how good each team was.
It reminded me of the old days in major league baseball, before interleague play, as the two teams in the World Series never met until the championship.
But I do think that was one of the changes made due to the lockout, which created great excitement in the shortened season, and one of the best post-seasons in recent memory as well.
As Chicago fans celebrate the victory, and we in Thunder Bay prepare for Patrick bringing the cup back sometime over the summer, already thoughts are toward next year.
The Maple Leafs have made a deal to acquire back-up netminder Jonathan Bernier from the Kings. This is a great addition to a team that came so close to knocking off the eventual Eastern champion Bruins.
Two teams that failed again to live up to promise -- Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers -- will have new coaches.
Alain Vigneault and John Tortorella were both fired, and now switch teams and coasts.
Our focus will also be on the Olympic tryouts later this summer.
Locally, we start thinking about the Thunderwolves and the impact new coach Bill McDonald might have. They have already lost a few players who will try to make minor pro teams. So he has his work cut out this summer.
It should lead to an exciting fall when they take the Gardens ice again.
For now, let's enjoy the summer, and the hockey off-season.
