It's the final, a battle between the oldest American franchise and the third oldest Canadian franchise. The last time the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup was in 1972, the second season of the Vancouver Canucks.
The 2011 Stanley Cup tournament has come down to a battle of these two teams. For the Canucks, the third visit to the final. But, this year's team also comes in as the best during the regular season, sporting the league scoring champion and Olympic gold medallist netminder Roberto Luongo. The Bruins match Vancouver's depth up front, and have Zdeno Chara hulking on the blueline. They also have a top-notch tender in Vezina-nominee Tim Thomas.
The Canucks have made it to the final dance by first dispatching the defending champion Blackhawks, in a thrilling seven game series. They followed that up with victories over Nashville and San Jose. The Bruins lost their first two at home to Montreal, and then turned it on taking down the Canadiens in seven. Boston then knocked of Philadelphia and Tampa. It hasn't been an easy round for either team, and I don't think the Cup final will be. Look for this to possibly go the distance, it should be a very good series. It certainly will be a good way to put this hockey season to bed, and then we can focus our attention on the Border Cats and Chill seasons for the summer.
