The 2011 Stanley Cup, Game 7 goes to ...

So, Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals turned out to be just what I expected.  Boston came out at home and played for their playoff lives with a 5-2 victory.  They scored in bunches, scoring 4 times in less than 10 minutes and forced Luongo from the net.  By scoring early, they kept the pressure on throughout the game and finished checks, driving to the net and renewed their focus in forcing a game 7 with another win at home.  

Enter:  Game 7, Canadian Press reports tickets selling for as much as $8,600.00

So, would the Vancouver Canucks franchise accomplish what they had never done, joining the NHL in 1970? Would they overcome the errors of the past, come of age and complete a long and steady rebuild with the ultimate accomplishment?

Or, would the Boston Bruins repeat the effort of 5 Stanley Cup Championships in 2011 to claim their 6^th?  Could they continue to overcome and win their 1^st Cup since 1972?

Both Bruins forward Boston’s Nathan Horton and Canucks' Mason Raymond would watch the game as spectators after suffering injuries from questionable hits in the series.

In Game 7, Vancouver came out hard and tried to establish the physical game to match the aggressiveness of Boston.  They were doing all the right things as a team.  What wasn’t happening was a dominant effort by either player named Sedin.  ESPN.com reported that Daniel Sedin told the Vancouver Sun: "We're going to win Game 7. We're 3-3 and we won all three games at home, and we have the fourth game at home. So we have the seventh game at home, and we'll take that. We are confident."  Afterwards, the assistant captain, Sedin clarified his guarantee: "You know, that was probably me being excited, and the words came wrong out of my mouth. What I said was, if we put our best game on the ice, I like our chances. That's the way it's been all year. When we play our best, we're a tough team to beat. We show that at home. We like our chances."

Boston’s depth really showed in each game of the series, and so did a work ethic that Vancouver never seemed to match on a consistent basis.  They played a brilliant team game and minimized Vancouver’s offense with tight defensive play and a brilliant performance by Thomas.  Luongo seemed rattled once again; despite Vancouver outshooting the Bruins through the first two periods 21-13.  Vancouver never seemed to be able to rebound.  All series long, when rattled early, were outscored heavily in each one of their loses.  In the final three minutes, Roberto Luongo was sent to the bench, and Brad Marchand scored an empty net goal for Boston, sealing the 4-0 victory for the Bruins.

Tim Thomas stopped all 37 shots to cement his Conn Smythe performance and Stanley Cup victory for the Boston Bruins.  Thomas broke the NHL record for saves in a single postseason. He allowed just eight goals in seven games.  Thomas is only the second American to win the trophy, Brian Leech was the first in 1994 against the very same Vancouver Canucks.  Is another Vezina trophy next?