No Doubting Thomas in Cup Clincher

There's no way the NHL's championship round could live up to the hype of the NBA's title, but it didn't have to. The Stanley Cup Finals were excellent in their own right. In the end, the Boston Bruins went the distance to top the Vancouver Canucks on the road in game 7 to capture their first championship since 1972. The hero of the series, and for the entire playoffs for that matter, was Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas. More so than in any other sport, a hot goalie can almost singlehandedly carry his team to a title, and that's exactly what Thomas did en route to the Conn Smythe trophy.

Stanley Cup Finals Preview

Stanley Cup Finals: (1) Canucks vs (3) Bruins
The world's greatest trophy is up for grabs. On Wednesday, the Stanley Cup Finals will get underway with a very intriguing match up taking center stage. Two teams that haven't had a shot at the title (let alone brought home the trophy) in over 15 years. Vancouver will be the site of Game 1, between the Western Conference Champion Canucks and the Eastern Conference's Boston Bruins. While the Bruins haven't tasted a title in 37 years, the Canucks have never experienced the glory of winning it all. If you're the NHL, you couldn't ask for a more compelling series.

NHL Conference Finals Preview

What a thrilling month of playoff hockey we've experienced this season. The NHL is known for ratcheting up the intensity in the post-season and this year is no different. There have been surprises along the way, but with the dust settling in the Conference Finals, I think we're left with the best final four teams. Let's take a peek into the matchups.