Winners and Losers of the Stanley Cup Finals

Oh man, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup last night. Like most of the city of Boston, I watched most of it (missed maybe the last 5 minutes of the 1st period due to class). Instead of writing about last night’s game and trying to flush out “Luongo choked” in a full article, I figured I would break down the winners and losers of the Stanley Cup finals. Canucks fans beware; I am a Bruins fan and a bit of a homer. You have been warned.

Winner: Tim Thomas

What can be said about Tim Thomas that hasn’t already been said? It’s like he threw on the Superman cape before every game. He single-handedly kept the Bruins in every game by making some inhuman saves. He had the Conn Smythe sown up by the end of game 5, whether the Bruins won the cup or not. Remember, this was a guy who was being questioned about his style by most after game 2 and by one mentally deficient goalie after game 5. This is a big middle finger to all who questioned him.

Loser: Roberto Luongo

You know it’s bad that even after winning a gold medal; your fan base is still scared that you’ll fold like a lawn chair. Oh, did he fold. Did you see the look in his eyes after the goals that got scored on him (and there were a lot of opportunities)? He looked lost. Plus, he questioned Thomas’ style after game 5. Seriously? You allow 14 goals in 5 games and have the stones to question a guy who has given up 6 goals in the same period?

Winner: Nathan Horton - the symbol

As a symbol, Nathan Horton will forever be associated with this Stanley Cup. He is the Dave Roberts of the Boston Bruins. He shows up in the locker room after game 4, travels to Vancouver on game 7, even dressed and skated with the team after they won the cup. He was a rallying point, not just for the team but the fans. What happened to him made it very easy to root against Vancouver.

Loser: Nathan Horton – the player

Now, as a player, you have to feel for Horton. He was the lynch pin of the team through the playoffs. He scored the game winners in the game 7’s against Montreal and Tampa Bay. If the Bruins needed a goal, you have a feeling it would be Horton that came through. Due to the injury, he won’t be remembered for that.

Winner: Mark Recchi

At 43, he gets to go out on top. Now, he was questioned about his ability to get it done throughout the playoffs, but seemed to intensify during the first two games of the Finals. However, the 3 goals and 4 assists in the Finals were key, even getting an assist in game 7. He was a leader in that clubhouse and definitely what they needed for these playoffs.

Losers: the Sedin twins

Has a set of Swedish twins ever disappointed more than the Sedin twins? All Bruins fans heard about prior to the series was how great the Sedin twins were. Where the hell were they? Chara and Seidenberg made them a non-factor. It wasn’t just that. They had no heart. They took punches, didn’t fight back, and didn’t get backed up by any of their teammates. It’s just plain sad.

Winners: Kevin Bieksa and Raffi Torres

They were the only Canucks who seemed to be trying out there and the only Canucks who I actually feared after it was a foregone conclusion that the Sedin twins and Kesler decided to turn invisible. Bieksa was always scrapping and looked like he would wreck you if you tried anything stupid. Torres seemed to want to try and jump start the offense every time he was on the ice. They both get thumbs up from me.

Losers: Alex Burrows, Maxim Lapierre, and Aaron Rome

Three guys who can never, EVER, walk the streets of Boston without armed guards. Absolute punks of the highest order. Burrows is an idiot for biting Bergeron. Lapierre is a tool for taunting about the bite. And Rome! Don’t even get me started on Rome. It’s bad enough he severely injured someone on a blatantly obvious illegal hit, but they he opens his pie hole and says that he didn’t deserve to be suspended and the hit was borderline illegal. Ugh, I’m fighting the urge to lay down expletives right now.

Winners: Duck Boat operators in Boston

A Championship in Boston means one thing! A rolling rally! Put the whole team on duck boats, roll them through the city with the Cup, and bask in the glory. Basically it’s an excuse for people to start drinking before noon. As if you need a reason!

Loser: Boston Mayor Tom Menino

The doughy, semi-literate mayor of the city of Boston put the kybosh on a Bruins viewing party at the Garden last night. I guess he thought we were all from Vancouver or something (more on that later). He also asked bars in the area to stop serving alcohol by the second quarter and black out the windows so people couldn’t see inside. What is this, communist Russia! Although it will be funny to hear him struggle with players names. Every time he speaks, he battles to the English language…and loses.

Losers: The City of Vancouver

So, I was watching the postgame last night and they showed a shot of Vancouver. A car was flipped over and on fire. I thought all Canadians were laid back and chill with funny accents and good beer. Little did I know about the sleeping beast that lies below. I’m kinda scared to go there in August now. I’m not letting anyone know I’m from Boston, I’ll tell you that much. Stay classy Vancouver, stay classy.