Conference Final-ly!

Ok, I might be jumping the gun a little, but the Bruins took one step closer to being an Eastern Conference Finalist with their 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers tonight. The Bruins have been through quite a wild ride since their last trip to the NHL Conference Finals, and it's hard to believe that the last time we saw them there, it was 1992. We'll look at some of the more amazing things that have happened since the Bruins were in the Conference Final, and we'll piece together some pretty amazing history over the last two decades. Honestly, even I had no clue it had been eighteen years since the Bruins played for a berth in the Stanley Cup Final.

• Since Rick Bowness led the Bruins to the Conference Final, the Bruins have employed nine different coaches, including both Pat Burns and Mike Keenan. Thankfully, Keenan's legacy lasted all of 74 games.
• The Bruins have worn eleven different jersey styles over those eighteen years. From 1992-95, they wore jerseys with a thick white sleeve and hem stripes. They also wore the throwback jersey in 1992-93 in honour of the NHL's 75th Anniversary. In 1995-96, the Bruins changed to half-stripes on the sleeves, and also changed their road logo as the "B" went from yellow to black. They also introduced the Pooh bear jersey as an alternate. In 2006, the Bruins introduced an alternate jersey based on their 1967-74 black road jersey. Of course, there was the shift to the Rbk EDGE jerseys that saw the Bruins adopt a new design and logo as serifs were added to the "B". In 2008, the Bruins unveiled another alternate jersey. And they also wore a new yellow jersey for their Winter Classic game this past season. Phew!
• In those eighteen years, the Bruins only missed the playoffs five times: 1996-97, 1999-2001, and 2005-07.
• In those eighteen years, the Bruins were eliminated in Round One eight times. The Buffalo Sabres swept them in 1993; the New Jersey Devils needed five games in 1995; the Florida Panthers needed five games in 1996; the Washington Capitals used six games in 1998; the Montreal Canadiens needed six games in 2002; the New Jersey Devils repeated their five-game win in 2003; the Montreal Canadiens needed all seven games in 2004; and, the Canadiens needed all seven games again in 2008.
• Eight players have led the Bruins in scoring over a season during those eighteen years: Adam Oates (1992-96), Josef Stumpel (1996-97), Jason Allison (1997-98, 2000-01), Joe Thornton (1999-00, 2002-03), Sergei Samsonov (2001-02), Patrice Bergeron (2005-06, 2009-10), Marc Savard (2006-09) and David Krejci (2009-10).
• Adam Oates was the highest scoring Bruin in one season over that time. His 45 goals and 97 assists in 1992-93 were good for 142 points. Second place? Adam Oates in 1993-94 with 112 points.
• Cam Neely's 50 goals in 1993-94 were the highest total for one Bruin in one season over the last eighteen years. Adam Oates' 45 goals in 1992-93 would be second-best, and Glen Murray's 2002-03 campaign with 44 goals would be third-best.
• 2008-09 would be the best season for the Bruins statistically over the last eighteen years as they posted a 53-19-10 record for 116 points in 82 games. On the flip side, their worst season came 1996-97 as they posted a 26-47-9 mark for just 61 points in 82 games. For comparison's sake, the Bruins were 27-18-3 for 57 points in the strike-shortened 1994-95 season in just 48 games.
• The Bruins changed divisions once in the last eighteen years, jumping from the Adams Division to the Northeast Division in 1993.
• The Bruins changed arenas once over the last eighteen years, moving from historic Boston Garden in 1995 to what is now called TD Banknorth Garden.
  
• The last time that the Bruins played in the Conference Finals, there were just 22 teams in the NHL. Winnipeg, Hartford, and Quebec were still a part of the NHL, and the Minnesota franchise was called the North Stars. The expansion San Jose Sharks finished a league-worst 17-58-5 for 39 points under head coach George Klingston.
• The last time that the Bruins played in the Eastern Conference Final, they eliminated the Buffalo Sabres in the opening round in seven games. They eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in a four-game sweep in Round Two before running into an upstart Pittsburgh Penguins team that swept them out of the playoffs.
• The last time that the Bruins played in the Eastern Conference Final, Ray Bourque led the Bruins in regular-season scoring with 21 goals and 60 assists. In the playoffs, however, Adam Oates led the way with five goals and 14 assists.

Now, all of this is just statistical analysis that means a whole heck of a lot of nothing in the big picture. The Bruins still have to win one more game, and no one is taking Game Four of the Boston-Philly series for granted.

However, a lot has changed since the Big Bad Bruins played for a berth in the Stanley Cup. It's been a long time since this Original Six franchise has taken a run at a Stanley Cup, and it's refreshing to see the teams with long histories writing new pages in their biographies.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Not Just Offensive

Remember this guy? Yeah, you probably do. He's a pretty important piece of the puzzle for the defending Stanley Cup Champions. He has led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals over the last two seasons, and has come away as a winner once. He backstops the defence, and makes some pretty incredible saves thanks to his quickness, flexibility, and hockey acumen.

There were some questions as to the Penguins ability to play more defensive after their Game Two loss against the Canadiens, and I'd say a response has been sent. After all, Fleury and the Penguins shut out the Canadiens tonight by a 2-0 score. That's a pretty good defensive effort, I'd say.

By no means did the Penguins play a perfect game in their defensive zone. Montreal had chances, including several that appeared to be sure goals, but were turned away by Fleury. Several good opportunities were shot wide by Montreal's snipers, most notably Mike Cammalleri's partial breakaway that he fired high and wide in the first period. The fact remains that the Penguins still made mistakes, but Fleury was there to bail him out just as any good goaltender would be.

If anyone thought this series would be an all-offence Penguins team against an all-defence Canadiens team, we were witnesses tonight as to why the Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Sure, they can score. We all know that. But they showed that they have the defensive game that can shut down a team when necessary.

The 2-1 series lead that Pittsburgh currently owns has them back in the driver's seat. And if they continue to play relatively good defensive hockey, the next few games should pose headaches for Montreal's attack.

As the saying goes, defence wins championships. The Penguins showed that last season against Washington and Detroit. And it appears they are rediscovering that work ethic as the playoffs go deeper. Will there be a repeat?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Defending The Trophy

There is a lot of luck, skill, and determination that needs to come together at the right time to defend a championship. Injuries, bad goals, and some untimely bad play can result in a loss and, if that loss is a deciding game, an earlier-than-wanted summer vacation. However, we have our first back-to-back defence of the Gagarin Cup as Ak Bars Kazan won their second KHL Championship in consecutive seasons. Congratulations goes out to the Snow Leopards on their victory!

As we examined last Saturday, HC MVD had the defending champions on the ropes as they had claimed a 3-2 series lead. Game Six would be played in Kazan before the series returned to Moscow for Game Seven if necessary. If there's anything that needs to be said, it's that one should never count the defending champions out.

Game Six: If a statement game was needed, this was it. After all, another loss for Kazan would allow HC MVD to hoist the Gagarin Cup as champions for the first time in the KHL. The Eastern Conference Champions not only sent a statement, but hammered home a message in Game Six on April 25.

With MVD's Alexander Shibaev sitting in the penalty box for slashing at 5:54 of the first period, Kazan opened the scoring. Niko Kapanen's seventh of the playoffs came on the powerplay at 6:36, and Kazan was out to the early 1-0 lead. Kazan added to the lead at 18:19 when Grigory Panin scored his second goal of the playoffs, putting Kazan ahead 2-0. The score would carry through to the intermission as the home team looked good through the first twenty minutes.

Penalties continued to hurt MVD in the second period. MVD was whistled for too many men on the ice at 1:13, and Kazan made them pay. Jarkko Immonen's fourth goal of the playoffs was notched at 2:37 on the powerplay, and Kazan was up 3-0. MVD's Pavel Trakhonov was called for tripping at 10:34, and the lethal Kazan powerplay tallied another. Ilya Nikulin ripped a shot past goaltender Michael Garnett at 12:21 for his fifth of the playoffs, and the powerplay marker put Kazan up 4-0. Some four-on-four play resulted in Kazan's Alexander Stepanov scoring his first goal of the playoffs, and the Eastern Conference Champions were out to a 5-0 lead as MVD's Michael Garnett was done and heading towards the bench. After forty minutes, though, Kazan had built a nearly-insurmountable lead, but twenty minutes remained.

10:26 into the third period had Kazan extend its lead further. Nikita Alexeyev potted his third of the playoffs past MVD's Alexei Volkov to give Kazan a 6-0 lead. With both teams playing some four-on-four, Kazan capitalized again. Alexei Yemelin netted his fifth of the playoffs at 13:32, and the Kazan rout was getting ridiculous at 7-0. At 17:51, MVD snapped Petri Vehanen's shutout as Alexander Shibaev's powerplay goal was scored with Andrei Mukhachev was off for holding. With 2:09 to play, Shibaev's first of the playoffs drew MVD closer at 7-1, but it was all Kazan needed.

A statement was sent, and in bold fashion, by the defending champions. With the series returning to Moscow on April 27, both teams were playing for the KHL's biggest prize in a do-or-die game.

Game Seven: Kazan's captain, Alexei Morozov, was injured in Game Six, so he sat this one out. This appeared to be a huge blow to the Kazan attack as Morozov's two-way play was a large part of his team's success. With sixty minutes to decide the 2010 KHL Champion, the puck was dropped in Moscow on the biggest game of the year.

Comparatively to Game Six, Game Seven had far less physical action. Three penalties in the first period were all that was on the scoresheet, but there were several scoring chances at both ends. However, both MVD's Michael Garnett and Kazan's Petri Vehanen were equal to the task, and the game remained scoreless through the first twenty minutes.

Just 1:18 into the second period, however, we saw our first goal.

Nikita Alexeyev pots his fourth goal of the playoffs past Michael Garnett, and Kazan took the 1-0 lead.

Play would go back and forth after Alexeyev's goal, and we saw another marker scored at 15:16 of the second period.

Niko Kapanen's fast hands in front of the net shelved the puck over Garnett for his eighth of the playoffs, and Kazan was up 2-0. Honestly, the pass from Dmitry Kazionov was like threading a needle, and Kapanen converted on the feed. Gorgeous goal from the Eastern Conference Champions!

Through forty minutes, Ak Bars Kazan had a 2-0 lead, and it appeared that as long as they were committed to their own zone for the last twenty minutes, the Gagarin Cup would be theirs for the second year in a row.

While the action was furious at both ends of the ice, neither team recorded another goal in the game. Petri Vehanen shut the door on MVD, and Kazan showed exactly how much moxie they had by outscoring MVD 9-1 in the final two games of the KHL Final. Kazan's 2-0 win on Tuesday, April 27 gave them their second consecutive Gagarin Cup Championship!

“We just kept battling," Game Seven MVP Ilya Nikulin told Alexei Shevchenko. "Not just for ourselves, but for the injured guys. Unity is our strength. We never surrender when the going gets tough. That little bit extra makes Kazan what it is – not a team of one or two players, but a real, united collective.”

Kazan's Petri Vehanen was selected as the goaltender of the Gagarin Cup Final after posting a 1.70 GAA, a .918 save percentage and one shutout. Kazan's Alexei Yemelin was named the top defenceman in the final series as he posted four goals and four assists while being a +7. And Kazan's Dmitry Obukhov was named the top forward as he scored four goals, two of which were game-winning goals.

Overall, Alexander Radulov of Salavat Yulaev Ufa took home the playoff scoring title as his 19 points stood as the most of any players. HC MVD's Alexei Ugarov was the top goal-scorer in the playoffs as he lit the lamp nine times in the postseason.

Overall, the KHL Playoffs turned out to be an exciting tournament that saw the defending champions rise to the occasion, capturing the Gagarin Cup for the second consecutive season. Congratulations to Ak Bars Kazan, your 2010 KHL Champions!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Rounding Up Sunday

You might be wondering what cowboys and cats have to do with today's round-up. There is a link between the image to the left and hockey, but I'll explain that below. Round Two of the NHL Playoffs are underway, and we had a champion crowned in the KHL. More on the Russian champions tomorrow as we wrap up that season, but we have lots to cover here today. Let's not waste any time. Here we go.

• The Bruins welcomed back Marc Savard yesterday only to see another major piece of their forward unit go down. Marco Sturm's season is over tearing both his ACL and MCL in a freak play yesterday. It didn't appear that Sturm did anything unusual in finishing his check on Philly's Matt Carle, but he crumpled to the ice on his first shift of the game. Knee injuries are always scary because they could spell the end of a player's career, and it would be tough to see the 31 year-old not return. Best of luck, Marco, and a speedy recovery!
• The game in Pittsburgh today looked a little different with neither Andrei Markov or Jordan Staal on the ice for the teams. The Penguins could have used Staal's face-off prowess and defensive abilities, while Montreal always looks a little off on the powerplay without Markov. There times in today's game where Pittsburgh dominated down low, but a credit goes out to the Canadiens' lineup that bent but didn't break. Much like the Washington-Montreal series, it looks like this one might be a long one.
• News out of Minnesota today stating that the Wild will wear a tenth anniversary patch for the entire season with the exception of two games. The only games that won't feature the patch on the Wild's jerseys will be their opening games in Europe for the NHL Premiere games. If you found it in that article, the Wild will don the Roman number "X" on the patch.
• Also in that article above, the Wild are apparently getting good feedback from the NHL about hosting the 2012 Winter Classic, and it appears the venue will either be brand-new Target Field or TCF Bank Stadium if Minnesota is selected. The first holds just under 40,000 people while the latter holds 50,000. I'll tell you this right now: I'm there if they get the 2012 game.
• How much time off is bad for hockey players? That's a question that the Hershey Bears must ask as they will have at least a week off after eliminating the Albany River Rats in four straight games. The Atlantic Division Final is tied at two games apiece, so the earliest that that series will be decided on is May 7. Will the week off hurt Hershey? Only time will tell, I suppose. As cryptic as that last line may be.
• Thanks to Washington's early exit, the Hershey Bears will become extremely scary now. The Capitals re-assigned defencemen Karl Alzner and John Carlson to the Bears, and both men are NHL-seasoned. I'm not crowning the Bears as Calder Cup Champions just yet, but gaining these two men as they enter the Eastern Conference Final makes them that much more dangerous. Yowza.
• The OHL Championship has nearly been decided, and the defending Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires lead the Barrie Colts by a 3-0 lead in their series. Taylor Hall and his Spitfires can book a ticket to Brandon, Manitoba if they are able to win on home ice on Tuesday night. Windsor has been surgical in dismantling teams along the way to the Championship, including rallying from a 3-1 deficit against the Plymouth Whalers. Could Windsor repeat? The odds look good right now.
• Great article penned by Jeff B. over on his site, Third String Goalie, about the demise of the Winnipeg Jets. He has linked up just about every video available online about the death of Winnipeg's NHL team, and the article he wrote is extremely well-written. While the videos could occupy you for the next 48 hours or so, the article itself should be read. Well done, Jeff!

The image above? It comes from an EDS commercial that was played at a number of the Manitoba Moose games this season. Honestly, I think it's one of the greatest commercials I've seen at a hockey game, and it's certainly better than some of the lame ones to which we're normally subjected.

While I wasn't rounding up cats, there's your quick Sunday round-up for this week. KHL news tomorrow, so join us to see who took home the Gagarin Cup!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I'll Admit It

I missed Marc Savard. I missed the moxie he brought to the Bruins' lineup. I missed his skill and ability. I missed his unbridled joy in scoring.

Welcome back, Marc Savard! I've missed your love of the game!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!