Actually, I watched it. The rest of the people in my house were completely non-plussed to see me jumping on the furniture and heralding the Boston Bruins as this year's hockey elite.
I was happy, mostly because I didn't think Vancouver deserved it. They didn't play well enough in any of their series to dominate the opposition, and in the Stanley Cup final they were hanging on by the skin of their teeth in every single game. Not becoming of a Champion. Not at all.
Aside from the dirty hits, the dirty players, the bawling baby that is Roberto Luongo, and the incredible work ethic of the Boston Bruins, comes the highlights of such a series. The Bruins proved that you need more than depth to win the Cup. Determination and grit can really get you a long way. Vancouver's 'depth' didn't stand them in good stead during this final. Instead, it was the young, hungry Bruins players that stepped up along side the able veterans and made this an interesting, if one-sided series.
With that all done and dusted and free agency upon us, it seems appropriate to comment on what's happened so far.
Some teams are winners and some teams are losers. We've all had our days as hockey fans where we remember the players we lost to other clubs, to free agency, or to offer sheets. Remember Dustin Penner? Bet Edmonton would like a re-do on that one.
Having said that, as the trades start to slow down a little bit, I'll go club by club over the next few days to remark on each. Not tonight.
I will say this: the additions of Tim Connolly, Cody Franson, and the injured but slowly rehabilitating Mathieu Lombardi is making the Leafs look a little faster, and a little bigger. I'm interested in what's going to happen in the coming days, because I have a feeling that Mike Komisarek isn't going to be a Maple Leaf any longer.
