Thomas Wins Conn Smythe, But Many Bruins Deserve Credit For Stanley Cup Victory

The Boston Bruins did what many people thought was impossible, capping a rally from a 2-0 series deficit to win the Stanley Cup with a dominating 4-0 win over Vancouver in game 7 last night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The win snapped a 39-year championship drought for the Bruins, and continued Boston’s championship run. All four major sports teams have won a championship in the last seven years (Patriots 2004, Red Sox 2004 and 2007, Celtics 2009, Bruins 2011).

There were a number of heroes during the finals, most notably Tim Thomas. The 37-year-old started the season as the team’s backup goalie, but quickly took over the starting job and turned in a Vezina Award worthy season. He started slowly in the postseason with a pair of rough starts against Montreal, but played lights out against Philadelphia, most of the Tampa Bay series, and the entire Vancouver series. Thomas allowed just eight goals in the seven-game finals, and allowed nine goals in eight games against the highest-scoring team in the league this season. He was the clear Conn Smythe winner, and shed the tag of being unable to perform in big games during this postseason. It could not happen to a better person, as he has always been humble in victory and gracious in defeat. It is always great when something great happens to a great person.

Patrice Bergeron was fantastic throughout the entire playoffs, and stepped up big time last night with a pair of goals. Bergeron finished the postseason with 6 goals and 14 assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-15 in 23 games, putting him second on the team in scoring behind league-leader David Krejci. More importantly, Bergeron did all the little things that help a team win. He won an amazing 60.8 percent of his faceoffs, while recording 48 hits and 18 blocked shots. Mark it down: Bergeron will win the Selke Award as the league’s best defensive forward within the next couple of seasons.

Brad Marchand came into the season as an unknown, and leaves as a Boston legend. Affectionately known as “Marshmont” thanks to a caller and the producers of the Felger & Massarotti show on 98.5 The Sports Hub (though it started because no one knew how Marchand was when the season started), Marchand turned out to be a huge asset to the team. In October, if someone had said a rookie was going to score 11 goals and 8 assists in the postseason, including two goals and an assist in Game 7 of the Cup finals, just about everyone would have said Tyler Seguin. Instead, it was Marchand, who was huge in Game 7 (and throughout the playoffs) and has earned the title of the new Ken Linesman. I’m thinking he will be even better than Linesman, which is saying something.

Dennis Seidenberg was a huge asset on defense, teaming with Zdeno Chara to help shut down one some pretty potent offensive attacks in Tampa Bay and Vancouver. Seidenberg led the team with 74 blocked shots and laid out 57 hits, many of them the bone-crunching, open-ice variety. He averaged 27:37 of ice per game, just two seconds less than Chara’s 27:39. Who knows what last season’s postseason might have looked like if Seidenberg had played.

Chara proved his worth as a captain, leader, and No. 1 defenseman in this postseason. He only had 9 points, but he led the team in ice time and plus-minus (plus-16) and had 56 hits and 32 blocks. He recovered from the flu against Montreal (seems like last season) and also bounced back from a couple rough games to play great in the final, even making a save after he turned the puck over last night. Most importantly, he is reportedly the one who stood up in the locker room after the first period of Game 3 and told the team it was time to man up and win it for Nathan Horton. I was never a Chara basher, but it is still nice to see him vindicated.

At some point during the finals, Mark Recchi decided that win or lose, he was retiring at the end of the playoffs. In true Recchi fashion, he finished strong, dishing out three assists in Game 6 and another in Game 7 as he played some of the best hockey of his career. He was an inspirational leader for the team, a fan favorite, and a class act. It was fitting for Chara to hand the Cup to Recchi and let him enjoy his final moment as an NHL player. Thank you to Mark Recchi and good luck with your non-hockey life.

I always loved the way Shawn Thornton played the game, as well as the emotion, energy, and attitude he brought to the game and the Bruins. When the Bruins re-inserted Thornton into the lineup in Game 3, it changed the series. The Canucks no longer felt they could get away with mocking the Bruins, and the Bruins started hammering away at the Vancouver defensemen. In the end, it was this pounding that wore down Kevin Bieksa and company and helped the Bruins win the Cup. There is no question in my mind that Thornton had a lot to do with that, and he deserves to get the assistant captaincy that is being vacated by Recchi’s retirement.

David Krejci ended up the team’s leading scorer (12-11-23) despite an awful first round, and when he played well. He proved he could be the No. 1 center on a great team, and has followed Bergeron in the two-way player mold as he won 51.8 percent of his faceoffs. Steve Yzerman would be proud of the transformation both Bergeron and Krejci have made, and probably wishes he could pry them away to play for his Lightning.

Milan Lucic struggled through much of the playoffs, but came alive at points, especially in Game 3 when he hammered Alexandre Burrows and taunted him with his finger in his face. Lucic received a huge ovation from the Vancouver crowd when he got his turn to hoist the Cup, which was a great gesture. Kudos to the Canucks’ fans for that, as well as for the loud cheers Thomas got when he received the Conn Smythe.

Nathan Horton may have missed the final four-plus games, but the Bruins are not there if not for his Game 7 heroics throughout the playoffs. He had three game-winning goals and two OT winners, and sprinkled TD Garden water onto the ice at Rogers Center before Game 7. He was an emotional leader the final four games,

Rich Peverley played many roles in the playoffs, from fourth-liner to penalty killer to first-line wing when Horton was injured. He ended with 4 goals (including a pair in Game 4) and 8 assists, but his real value was in his versatility. I loved the Peverely trade when it happened, and love it even more now.

Michael Ryder may have played his last game in a Boston uniform, but he went out in style. He played good two-way hockey through the playoffs, and earned his contract in these 25 games – especially in Montreal when he saved the series with plays at both ends of the ice. He had 8 goals and 9 assists and finished with a plus-11 rating.

Andrew Ference played his best hockey in the playoffs and established himself as a bona fide No. 3 defender. He scored big goals and changed the momentum of the Montreal series with a huge goal and hand gesture.

For all the abuse Tomas Kaberle took, he performed fairly well. He finished with 11 assists and played solid defense after the opening round or so. Was he worth everything traded for him? Probably not, but in the end, he helped bring home a Stanley Cup.

Adam McQuaid was a physical and imposing presence while paired with Kaberle, and Johnny Boychuk played much better in the final after a rough series against Tampa Bay. Seguin had the huge game against Tampa to help turn things around there, while Chris Kelly was an offensive weapon against Montreal and great on faceoffs and defensively the rest of the way. We now know why Peter Chiarelli traded a second-round pick for Kelly.

Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell were great fourth-line players, but even more valuable as penalty killers. The two, along with Thornton, provided energy all season -- especially in the final four games.

The entire Bruins management team, from GM Chiarelli to President Cam Neely to Principal Charlie Jacobs to coach Claude Julien, did a fantastic job of building and running this team. I have been critical of all of them in the past, rightfully so, but they pulled through this season. I did not like the long-term deals to which they signed Bergeron and Chara at the start of the season, but they look good now – at least in the short-term.

I have called for Julien’s head a number of times, and I did not feel he was the guy to bring this team to a Stanley Cup. I was wrong. He did almost everything right in this postseason, and he was a father-figure to this team. They clearly respect him and love playing for him, and that’s a credit to Julien. I might let him coach his contract out and then give him a management job.

Though Thomas was the clear MVP, something else was also clear: the Bruins were a deep team. They worked for each other, fought for each other, and achieved for each other. Thomas was the brightest star, but he certainly was not the only one.