Congratulations to the Boston Bruins, 2011 Eastern Conference Champions

by John Fontana on May 27, 2011 10:42 PM EDT in Playoffs

With the final horn at TD Garden, the Boston Bruins have secured their place in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals as the newly minted Eastern Conference Champion.

It's been a volatile seven game series between the B's and the Tampa Bay Lightning, filled with sideshow antics as well as some great hockey. While no one is ever thrilled with defeat, credit is due to Boston for a well played series.,

As for the Lightning, this concludes what was a surprising run in the playoffs, by a rebuilding team in year one of the franchise makeover. While the games are concluded, there will be no rest for the wary in the Bolts front office. Draft planning and free-agency decisions will be on the forefront for the next few weeks. Steve Yzerman has plenty of work ahead in getting players such as Steven Stamkos and Teddy Purcell under new contracts, while managing the cap so as not to handcuff the team going forward.

Once again, congratulations to the Bruins. For full coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals on SB Nation, I would like to encourage readers to check out both Stanley Cup of Chowder and Nucks Misconduct for coverage of the Bruins and Vancouver Canucks respectively.

Game 1 of the Finals will be Wednesday, June 1st, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver BC.

Tweet Comment 23 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

You wrote this while the game was still being played?

Maddon's Mission
Make you want to kill him, then make you want to love him. Sly.

by Jonah Keri on Jun 19, 2010 10:31 PM EDT

by Doug09 on May 27, 2011 10:44 PM EDT reply actions

I wrote it BEFORE the game. As well as oen if the Lightning won.

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on May 27, 2011 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Well played game

Kept me on the edge of my chair all evening.

I, for one, would have preferred some penalties, but I will take a penalty-free game over a badly-called one any day.

Great game by both goalies—nifty play by Horton to get in the slot.

Great season, boys! This game is hard to take only because you have my heart!

"[The Lightning] are uncanny. When they want to get a goal, it's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You can see it. It's like they flip a switch. When they are down, it's just like they think, 'we know we are going to score.' I don't know what it is, it leaves [the opposition] flabbergasted." - Mike Knuble, 3 May 2011

by MTBoltFan on May 27, 2011 10:52 PM EDT reply actions

It wasn’t a penalty free game, it was a non-called game. Refs “let them play”

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on May 27, 2011 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions

And I’m glad they did. Made for a much better game.

by FloridaownsFSU on May 28, 2011 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions

NHL knew that Boston could not score on the PP

and Tampa could rather easily. That’s why they put their whistles in their pockets tonight.

by raysrule44 on May 27, 2011 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Going that route?

Where’s the “Horton shouldn’t have even been playing” angle?

by Johnny Appleseed on May 27, 2011 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Horton heard the woo of woooos!!!!

by 13_Legion on May 28, 2011 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I may be biased but I didn’t see any egregious non-calls.

by BobbyOrrsBastard on May 27, 2011 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn't either

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Go Bolts! Out West, go Preds! Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on May 27, 2011 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Glad its not just me or just Bruins fans.

by BobbyOrrsBastard on May 27, 2011 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions

even though it negates one of our big weapons

I tend to prefer letting them play, as long as nothing gets out of hand, which it didn’t. Just a well-played game on both sides. These might not have been the two best teams all season, but this was definitely the best two teams in the East right now.

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Go Bolts! Out West, go Preds! Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on May 27, 2011 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

Both teams got away with calls that would’ve been made in any other game evenly, and there was no ‘oh my God how is that a no call’ on either side.

"You can't defense that!" -Gary Thorne, after Brian Roberts' go-ahead home run in the 8th inning of an O's game vs. TB

by SnipeShot on May 28, 2011 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions

My sentiments as well.

by BobbyOrrsBastard on May 28, 2011 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions

That's the point

By not calling the game like any other game the refs negated the Bolts real advantage. I’m just sick and tired of the refs influencing games, and they influenced this one by calling it different than 99% of games. I want relative consistency from game to game, ref to ref, score to score, period to period, player to player, team to team. I’d have no problem with the way the game was called if that’s how you call other games. But swallowing their whistles was a massive advantage to Boston. HUGE advantage.

I thank Draysbay for proving that Loose Change fanatics exist in mainstream America, and more importantly for Chik-fil-A spicy chicken recommendations. My life is forever changed

by matthan on May 28, 2011 9:36 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs

If you can name me all of the missed penalties in that game (on both sides, mind you, try to ignore the jerseys for a moment), and the final tally takes more than one hand, I’ll buy you a beer if you’re ever in Boston.
And don’t give me a little chop to the hip as a slash, either. I’m talking pure flat-out, that-should-be-a-call penalties.

by Johnny Appleseed on May 28, 2011 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Not here to boast. Roloson was the #1 star of the game, period. Game probably would have been 5-0 had Roloson not been so good.
You guys played a hell of a series. And I hope we get another dance with the Bolts next year. Best of luck in the Southeast, and enjoy the Finals.

Fun fact: Boston has not had a penatly-free game in the regular season since 2003. That game ended in a tie.

by Johnny Appleseed on May 27, 2011 10:54 PM EDT reply actions

at least we lost fair and square

No bad calls, no cheap tricks. Just honest hard work. Had bergie been playing, it might have been a different outcome bur hey, it’s been one hell of a season! Congrats to both teams and much luck to the teams in the finals!

"Hockey, Hockey, Hockey."

by Hockeyboy41 on May 27, 2011 10:55 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

guys this was just extra pleasure for us...

we were just hoping to make the playoffs… 100 games played… all came down to 1 goal.
we moved up 7 spots in the east and 23 points. in ONE year. that is unheard of in the NHL now. we WILL be no. 1 come playoffs next year. next year is our year. this year was a start but new logo. new uniforms. new building remodel. all the guys under new contracts. hopefully Vokoun in net for us and ced the entertainer backing him up.

predicting now….
Tampa finishes next season as the no. 1 seed in the east 113 points.

by TomK91 on May 27, 2011 11:01 PM EDT reply actions

Class.

This is.

by BobbyOrrsBastard on May 27, 2011 11:34 PM EDT reply actions

what a series

I hope everybody in Boston realizes that they were in a battle. They didn’t dominate tonight, but they just put more pressure on the goal than we did. Roloson was strong, but he can’t win when we don’t score. Congrats to the Bruins.

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Go Bolts! Out West, go Preds! Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on May 27, 2011 11:34 PM EDT reply actions

it was a battle from puck drop in game #1 til the final buzzer in game #7. much respect to the bolts and their fans you have something to look forward to next year. Just hoping the Bruins can get in the way again!!! Great series!!

by beachguy113 on May 28, 2011 12:56 AM EDT up reply actions