Ten months' worth of expectations in Vancouver ended last night with a total dud. Before I get to the mourning process for the Canucks, I'd like to say congratulations to the Boston Bruins, and Tim Thomas, Tomas Kaberle, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, and Mark Recchi in particular. Thomas is the kind of player that you can't help but cheer for, as he didn't make his mark in the NHL until 2007, after years of toiling in the minors and European leagues. Kaberle has toiled for the Maple Leafs teams that will in all likelihood, never get to hoist the Stanley Cup in the forseeable future, yet Kaberle has been exemplary of everything right about the Leafs. Chara deserves his accolades in developing from just a big guy on skates to a premier player, and it takes a special talent to be considered an opposing team's pain in the ass, which is exactly what Marchand was in the playoffs. Old man Recchi: a man who defies age better than many people on this planet. If he retires, he will do so on top, and perhaps with a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Now, for the other side of the equation. I wonder if Roberto Luongo will be able to show his face in Vancouver after a maddeningly inconsistent Finals. How about the Sedins, who were last seen on the side of a milk carton, or what of the Vancouver defense, who lost their teeth when Dan Hamhuis and Aaron Rome were forced to leave the series? It will be a long summer of questions, anger (as the riots in Vancouver after the game show), and sadness. Almost makes you wonder if falling one win short of the Stanley Cup is worse than blowing a 3-0 series lead in the first round to the Blackhawks, though having both things happen in the Finals would be the only worse thing.
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