Bruins Win the Stanley Cup

The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup tonight with a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in game seven. After losing the first two games of the series, the Bruins dominated the last five -- winning four of them and outscoring the Canucks, 21-4, along the way. The hit by Aaron Rome on Nathan Horton in game three turned out to be Boston's rallying cry -- and lead to increased hitting, scoring and motivation.

Boston's Tim Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, allowing just eight goals during the series and registering an other-worldly .940 save percentage for the entire postseason, when he made 798 saves (a new NHL record).

Finally, it's time to continue a tradition around these parts of picking the next champ a year in advance. Your 2012 Stanley Cup champions: the Philadelphia Flyers. (And, please, don't come looking for Mr. Cleo when if it doesn't happen.)