Stanley Cup Finals: Champion Boston Bruins Leave Canucks Asking What Happened?

After the first two games of the series, things seemed like a foregone conclusion.

Vancouver had defeated the Boston Bruins in two close games, but did so in convincing fashion.

The question wasn't if the Canucks were going to win the cup, it was whether they would do it in five games or six?

Flash forward another two weeks and we were being stared in the face by the very thing that nobody expected to happen, Game 7.

Still not a huge deal to fans of the Vancouver Canucks.

Vancouver had been fantastic at home, controlled the play and found ways to win.

Plus, history was on the side of the Canucks.  Most teams win after going up 2-0 in series. 

Teams that win Game 5 of a 2-2 series usually win the series.

Canadian cities who had hosted the Olympic games had seen their respective teams win the Stanley Cup the year before.

Apparently, that memo never reached the in-box of the Boston Bruins who have now defied statistics and made history for their city.

Boston had been without a Stanley Cup championship since 1972 and hadn't even seen the finals since they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in 1990.

After the dust had settled and all the talk about biting, diving, concussions, who was dirtier than whom, and the horrifically inconsistent doling out of punishments by the NHL disciplinary office, the bottom line was that the Bruins did more to win this cup than the Canucks.

Vancouver played well at home, but only seemed to physically show up on the road, tallying only three goals on the road.

The Canucks played a physical game but, by the end of Game 7, it was clear that the physical play had clearly taken more of an effect on the Canucks than the Bruins.

The goalie battle was a decisive victory for Tim Thomas, who gave up more than two goals only once in this series, standing on his head to make fantastic saves all series long.

Roberto Luongo, on the other hand, allowed more soft goals and was chased from the net by the fierce Boston attack twice in this series.

Then there were the Sedins, the magic Sedins who destroyed the San Jose Sharks and stood poised to attack the Stanley Cup Finals with all of their skill and ability.

They may be hired to do a few magic shows this summer so that they can be asked to re-enact their amazing disappearing twins act that happened throughout the finals.

Plus, the amazing switcharoo that occurred between the two team's power plays.

Boston managing to turn theirs on when it mattered most and Vancouver managing only two power play goals all series.

While the Bruins and their faithful following in Bean-Town celebrate their first Stanley Cup in 39 years, the Vancouver Canucks have questions to answer.

How did they go from having a series well in hand to watching a team skate the cup on their ice?

Why did the team stop playing in Boston?

What made the power play suddenly lose all power?

Most importantly, how are we going to re-sign the players we need to make a run at this next year?

It was a long, bruising, physical series that pushed both teams to the brink of what every hockey player dreams of.

Lord Stanley has spoken, so there are two more things to be said.

Congratulations to the Boston Bruins, the 2011 Stanley Cup Champions...and...

I can't wait for next season to start!