Boston Bruins Versus Vancouver Canucks 2011 Game 7: Coin Toss

It is beautiful and sunny throughout British Columbia, and it is days like these that reinforce the understanding that Vancouver is still the best city on earth. Everything about today provides the ideal conditions for the making of a first ever hometown championship.

However, in every fairy tale, there is an antagonist, and in this one, there is certainly no guarantee of a happy ending. One thing that can be assured though is that within the next 10 hours (barring a sixth or seventh overtime), the best hockey team in the world will be drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup.

Unlike many, I am not here to provide a prediction. Instead, I am here to say that no matter how it is broken down and analyzed, there will not be a valid conclusion as to which team will win the cup and why.

Over the past 24 hours, experts, analysts, fans, and reporters have dug up various historical statistics, players' state of minds, team dynamics, game by game observations, and countless material, to try and forecast the winner of tonight's game. 

Both teams have displayed strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Sedins and many other Canucks may have succumbed to the toughness of the Bruins on many occasions, but at the same time, the Bruins are having a tough time maintaining that toughness in Vancouver. Historical stats can all be countered with other historical stats as well.

For example, no team has ever won three game sevens and won the Stanley Cup, but at the same time, no team by the name of "Vancouver Canucks" has ever won the cup either. Players on both sides are going to claim that they will be mentally prepared to win tonight's game, but there can only be one winner. 

Plain and simple, there is nothing to work with. This is game seven, and in other words, a best of one. Both teams had to win fifteen playoff games to be here. Therefore, expect the unexpected. Let's face it, not too many predicted that Ruslan Fedotenko would be the hero for the Lightning in Gamd 7 of 2004, or that Max Talbot and the Penguins would buck the home ice advantage trend in game seven of 2009.

Past factors such as toughness, skill, travel/home advantage and meltdowns, can all be scratched. Everything on paper is irrelevant at this point.

Only one thing is certain tonight, and that is, no matter what, history will be in the books one way or another. May the best team win.