Here we sit, mere hours away from watching Lord Stanley's illustrious Mug being awarded to the best team in the National Hockey League. The question on the tip of everyone's tongue is: who is that team? After 88 playoff games we have yet to determine which team is worthy enough to carry the Stanley Cup. Tonight will be true seventh heaven as it is the 7th game 7 of these 2011 playoffs and will ultimately decide the NHL's finest. The Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins have one chance to embed themselves into hockey history and have their names written on the greatest Cup in sports. So why exactly am I writing this before we bear witness to the game 7 to end all game 7's? Well, this Cup Final has been chalked full of storylines and I am truly afraid that once tonight's game is finished, we may forget a couple of them in the wake of our new Stanley Cup Champions. So in honour of the first 6 games, here is the good, the bad and the ugly of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals thus far.
The Good
Forgive me if I keep this section somewhat brief but there really hasn't been as much to write home about in these Finals as one would think and the bad and ugly are making me salivate thinking about them. But to be fair, there has been some good storylines coming from this series. Without a doubt the 37 year old goalie wearing black and yellow must be front and centre in this discussion. Tim Thomas has been absolutely marvellous these entire playoffs and the Cup have been no different. Thomas will most likely earn the Conn Smythe tonight with or without a Bruins victory and could be the sixth player in history to win the award without hoisting the Stanley Cup. In 6 games the unorthodox Thomas has allowed a miniscule 8 goals and with his first save in game 7 will break the record for the most saves by a goaltender in a playoff season. He has been the backbone of the Boston Bruins all season and is the chief reason why they are one win away from hockey glory.
Secondly, I feel the need to throw this into the good section only because he will be berated through the next two. Roberto Luongo has been stellar at home in these Finals. Yes, I'm putting Bobby Lou into the good section, sue me. You cannot argue with his numbers however, as Luongo has a stunning 0.67 GAA and .979 save % to go alongside 2 shutouts in 3 games at home. Say what you will about the big netminder, but he has been a steady rock while playing at Rogers Arena (a place where he won the Olympic Gold Medal nonetheless).
Finally, a true feel good story coming out of Vancouver would be the return of Manny Malholtra in game 2. After almost getting his eye taken out in a game against Colorado in March, Malholtra was more worried about seeing with two eyes again rather than playing in the Stanley Cup. However, after a shocking recovery Malholtra found his way back into the lineup and now has a chance to hoist the Cup from the ice rather than the press box. There has clearly been good happenstances throughout the Finals but these three underlying stories seem to top them and like I said before, I'm more excited for the next two sections.
The Bad
Oh boy oh boy where do I start? Oh ya that's right, I start in Vancouver's net and work my way out from there. So, remember how I just told you about Luongo's masterful play in Vancouver, don't jump on the bandwagon just yet. In three games in Boston Luongo has managed to be pulled twice, post an 8.05 GAA, .773 save % and embarrass himself mightily. This could in fact be the single worst performance of any goaltender in NHL history on the road in a Stanley Cup Final. Luongo has looked lost in all three games which was epitomized by his being pulled just 9 minutes into game 6 after giving up 4 goals. Read that sentence over again and let it sink in, 4 goals, 9 minutes, game 6. My God what happened Roberto? You are a high class world renowned NHL goaltender and you literally couldn't stop a beach ball. Ok, enough on Lou because we will come back to him next section once again.
Working my way out, I need to discuss the upper echelon Vancouver Canuck forwards as a whole. The Sedin's, taking their second vacation to Sweden in these playoffs it seems, have once again been non-existent as they were for the last half of the Chicago series. Henrik has posted a magnificent 1 goal in this series and Daniel stunningly has a goal and 3 assists, pretty gaudy numbers if I do say so myself. Not only have they been offensively absent, but they've been absent in general. The magic people in Vancouver have come to expect from the twins seems to come and go like Brett Favre from football, whenever it so pleases. This series should not have gone seven games and the twins are a big reason it has, for Boston that is. Along the same lines would be Ryan Kesler. Kesler has singlehandedly played his way out of Conn Smythe contention along with the red headed twins with his 1 point in 6 games routine in the Finals. These three were cornerstones of this franchise outside of Luongo and have all pulled disappearing acts for 6 games now.
Finally, the Vancouver Canucks as an entire team needs to be put into the bad section. This is the Presidents Trophy winning Canucks who led the league offensively and defensively while posting the best road record in the NHL. They are currently facing a do-or-die game 7 and have been outscored 19 - 8 in the first 6 games. They've been outright embarrassed in Boston three times and have needed late game heroics to sneak out of their own building with victories. This team is the best team on paper and I've maintained that point throughout the playoffs, but again there is a reason we don't simulate the NHL playoffs like a video game. Players need to show up and bring the grit and tenacity required to earn the Stanley Cup. So far the Canucks have relied on luck, skill and hope to get them this far, it won't work tonight if they don't bring their A game.
The Ugly
This series has unfortunately been tainted slightly with two severe and career threatening injuries. Aaron Rome's open-ice hit on Nathan Horton in game 3 may have sparked the Bruins, but it blew out the spark in Horton's head. The game 7 magic man for Boston was said to have a severe concussion and was carted off the ice and ruled out of the rest of the series. Now, Rome's hit was not malicious and there certainly did not look like there was intent to injure, but it was late and Horton was in a vulnerable position which adds up to a 4 game suspension (the longest in Stanley Cup history) and Rome missing the rest of the Cup.
Furthering the point on hits and injuries, in game 6 Johnny Boychuk appeared to run Mason Raymond into the side boards and shove him awkwardly when the puck was nowhere near. Raymond broke a vertebrae in his back and is now out for 4 to 6 months. The hit at first looked fairly harmless but on further review the shove was definitely late and resulted in a monumental injury. However, Boychuk did not receive any disciplinary action and Raymond is left to watch game 7 from a wheelchair. It's not how you want to see any player or teams season end, but it is part of the game. These two hits and resulting injuries will put a blemish on this series forever and provide the loser a 'what if' scenario for years to come.
Finally, I come back to my good friend Roberto Luongo. Hits and injuries aside, this may be the ugliest thing I've seen in a Stanley Cup ever. After essentially calling out Tim Thomas and pointing out his unorthodox style, Luongo was quoted as saying:
"I've been pumping his tires ever since the series started, and I haven't heard one nice thing he had to say about me, so that's the way it is."
Has anyone explained to Luongo that this is the Stanley Cup Final and that bearded man wearing a mask on the opposite end of the ice is his enemy and counterpart? What the hell was he expecting the two of them to go for beers after each game and high five all night? As an avid Luongo supporter I was at a loss when I heard this interview. It made no sense, plain and simple. Luongo needs to grow a pair, man up and stop some pucks tonight or there will be some serious repercussion for him in Vancouver.
Well there you have it, the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the first 6 games of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. It's been two months of non-stop playoff hockey and tonight will be the culmination of a phenomenal playoff season. Win or lose both these teams deserve a lot of respect and admiration for the work they have put in, but ultimately only one will be remembered for greatness. I picked the Canucks from the beginning so I'm sticking true to my choice, but game 7 should be a lot of fun watch! Get the beer fridge stocked, put the kids to bed early and let's have one last blast of playoff hockey before the summer sets in!
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