Bruins Win First Stanley Cup Since 1972

It took 39 years but the Boston Bruins are the Stanley Cup champions once again.

Patrice Bergeron and rookie Brad Marchand scored two goals apiece and Tim Thomas made 37 saves in his second shutout in the Finals as the Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on Wednesday night.

It was Boston's first Stanley Cup championship since 1972.

Bergeron scored the game-winner in the first period and added a short-handed score in the second to keep the Cup away from the Canucks, who have never won it in nearly 41 years of existence.

Thomas was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the Finals MVP.  He shutdown the NHL's highest-scoring team as he limited the Canucks to 8 goals in 7 games - including two shutouts in the last 4 games.  Thomas became the first goalie to get a game #7 shutout on the road.

Boston dropped the first two games in Vancouver but became just the third team since 1966 to overcome a 2-0 series deficit.  The Bruins are the first team in NHL history to win a Game 7 three times in the same postseason.

Meantime, Thomas' counterpart, Roberto Luongo, was downright awful in the series.  A year ago, he led Canada to an Olympic gold medal but was pulled from the Canucks' last two games in Boston after giving up 15 goals on the road and he was subpar in Game 7 as well.  Luongo gave up 18 goals in the last five games of the finals.

It was quite a bizarre Stanley Cup Finals as Vancouver won three one-goal victories at home, while the Bruins won three blowouts in Boston.

The Bruins hadn't won a Stanley Cup since Bobby Orr led them to championships in 1970 and 1972.  Since that time, Boston was winless in 5 previous trips to the finals.