The season’s over. Now what? (The question we are all asking…)
While the fact that the season is finished sinks in, there is quite a lot to think about – including the real impact of the 2010 – 11 season [Tampa Tribune], or on a less uplifting note, where all of the UFAs / RFAs will end up. While Steven Stamkos hopes to stay with the Lightning [St. Petersburg Times] (and Simon Gagne as well [espn1040.com]), we all know that the roster won’t be the same the next time around.
But still! With the Lightning officially packed up and out of town, there are still so many things ahead. As for hockey, there are the Stanley Cup Finals, and if you need to mix it up, there are books to read, tans to get, exercise to be had (perhaps yoga?). If you aren’t feeling any of my list items for summer, feel free to start with the list of links below & after the jump.
Lightning
- Steven Stamkos called this year’s team “the best [group of guys] I have ever played with in my career.” [St. Petersburg Times]
- If you missed it from Saturday, on their return home, Guy Boucher shook every single hand. [Raw Charge]
- Scott Burnside’s evaluation of the Lightning’s 2010-11 turnaround and Game 7 locker room recap. [ESPN.com]
- Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune is calling it “the new ice age.” [Tampa Tribune]
- Montreal native Magalie Lafreniere recapped her Lightning hockey experience from Eastern Conference Final games 3 and 4… including meeting 14-year-old Amanda, who wrote the names of all the Lightning players on her Converse shoes. [Tampa Bay Lightning]
- I loved every moment of Ben Montgomery falling on the Lightning bandwagon. His latest column includes talk of his playoff beard and EPA regulations. He’s also on twitter. [St. Petersburg Times]
- Puck Daddy kills off the Lightning one by one… including Adam Hall and his fetish for Swedish construction equipment. [Puck Daddy]
- Remember the Nathan Horton water bottle incident? The struck fan wants a written apology and a $5000 donation made to the charity of his choice. [espn1040.com]
- Also, Horton was fined $2500 for the incident. [Lightning Strikes]
- Jon Jordan and Matt Kalman from The Bruins Blog take one last look at the Tampa Bay / Boston Eastern Conference Final. [Kukla’s Korner]
- Bruce Arthur on Steven Stamkos and his development over the past three years. [National Post]
- Local note, youth hockey is gaining more momentum in Tampa. Kids can try out roller hockey for free on June 14 and 21 at USA’s Skateplex in Temple Terrace. [Temple Terrace Patch]
- With the Lightning out, beards are shaved, and everyone looks like they’re 12 again – including Don’t Trade Vinny. DTV also archived his beard evolution. [Don’t Trade Vinny]
NHL
- Boston Bruins‘ head coach Claude Julien is putting his friendship with Vancouver Canucks’ Alain Vigneault on hold for the Stanley Cup Final. [The Bruins Blog]
- Looks like it’ll be a pretty penny to get tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals (shocker). [Benched Whale]
- Apparently pizza has a stake in the Stanley Cup Finals. [boston.com]
- For Toronto Maple Leafs fans, what happened 18 years ago last Friday. [TSN]
- A rather epic piece remembering Derek Boogaard from Elizabeth Merrill. [ESPN.com]
- Love him or hate him: what it’s like to be Don Cherry. [The Star]
- Play by play of the Saint John Sea Dogs’ 2011 Memorial Cup win over the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. [NHL.com]
- For media types, a discussion of Bruins’ post season coverage. [boston.com]
- Some more talking about the Atlanta Thrashers, the Winnipeg Jets, and the Gary Bettman. [Puck Daddy]
- And if you’re really desperate, WNYC’s Radiolab (my favorite for life) presents “The Loneliness of the Goalkeeper”. It’s not hockey, but it’s still really rad. [Radiolab]
(we’re not inundating you on Thrashers / Winnipeg coverage in our link dump, mostly as this was put together before today’s events. That, and we can all talk about it in tonight’s open thread)
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