2011SCGM7PIC copy

No. 1 Star: Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

Before receiving the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, Thomas recorded his fourth shutout of the playoffs and second in the Stanley Cup Final as the Boston Bruins won their first title in 39 years after defeating the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7. Thomas made 37 saves and finished with a 1.98 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage, tops among all goaltenders.

No. 2 Star: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

Bergeron started the scoring late in the first period and put the game to bed with a shorthanded tally with 2:25 left in the second period to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead. Before Game 7, Bergeron hadn't scored since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

No. 3 Star: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins

Making a name for himself throughout the playoffs, Marchand scored a pair of goals, including the empty netter to put things away for good, and assisted on Bergeron's opening goal. The rookie finished with 11

AP110615067110 copy

One year ago, Tim Thomas sat on the Boston Bruins' bench and watched as the Philadelphia Flyers came back from a 3-0 series deficit in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and eliminated the Bruins.

It was the end of a miserable season for Thomas, whose effectiveness was limited by a hip injury. He lost the No. 1 goalie job to backup Tuukka Rask.

But as Thomas had done for his entire career, he fought back; and one year after watching his team fail in spectacular fashion, he raised the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP following the Bruins' 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 -- the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 39 years.

A ninth-round pick by the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, Thomas didn't play his first NHL game until the 2002-03 season after bouncing around the minor leagues and spending parts of four seasons in Europe. Some would have quit after being unable to achieve their goals right away, but that's not Thomas' style. He's always been a fighter; whether it's

GM7PHOTOTICKET copyHistory will be made Wednesday night during Game 7. Either the Vancouver Canucks will win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history or the Boston Bruins will win their first title in 39 years.

If you want to find yourself inside Rogers Arena on Wednesday night, start checking between your couch cushions or sifting through your desk for old birthday cards from grandma because it's going to cost you.

According to StubHub, tickets to Game 7 have been the most purchased item on the site since Monday night and the average price per ticket was $3,082. The Game 1 ticket price average was $833. Game 2 was $976 and Game 5 last Friday was $1,219.

A quick look right now shows around 400 tickets available for Game 7 ranging from $1,600 to $13,589 for a pair of lower-bowl ducats. The $13K price tag won't scare off everyone as StubHub tells us one soul bought a pair of center-ice lower-bowl seats for $6,500 each Monday. Those are some deep pockets.

Rogers Arena will be packed Wednesday night and

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

MAYRAYGM6 copy

• Tough news for Mason Raymond and the Vancouver Canucks. After the forward was hit into the boards last night by Johnny Boychuk, he left the arena on a stretcher and has suffered a vertebrae compression fractured and will miss the next 3-4 months. Boychuk will not face any discipline for the hit. [Canucks]

• Nick Cotsonika on Roberto Luongo heading into Game 7. [Y! Sports]

• Brad Marchand is making a name for himself in the Stanley Cup Final and breaking records along the way. [CSNNE]

• Daniel Sedin channeled his inner Mark Messier saying last night, "We're going to win Game 7", because what else would you expect him to say? [Vancouver Sun]

• Bodypaint and naked female Vancouver Canucks fans. [Kukla]

• Despite shutting down viewing parties the last few years, NBC has allowed the Boston Bruins to have fans inside

TIMTHOMASGM61 copy

 No. 1 Star: Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

Thomas was given a big cushion early on and defended his ground stopping 36 shots as the Boston Bruins forced a Game 7 with a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Boston scored four times in a 4:14 span in the first period as the home-team dominance in the series continued. Thomas kept the Canucks from gaining a bit of momentum at the end of the first with this denial of Jannik Hansen on a breakaway:

No. 2 Star: Mark Recchi, Boston Bruins

The 43-year-old Recchi was active in the first period helping set up two of Boston's four goals and later added his third assist of the night on the Bruins' fifth and final goal of the game. Recchi now has 13 points in 24 games in these playoffs.

No. 3 Star: Michael Ryder, Boston Bruins

After going pointless in Game 5, Ryder returned to the scoresheet potting a goal and adding an assist in the first period. Ryder now has six points in his last four games.

Honorable mention: Boston's four goals in 4:14 was

LUISCHNEIDER copy

With a chance to win the Stanley Cup for his team on Monday night, Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo was chased by three Boston Bruins goals in 3 minutes and 4 seconds in Game 6 of the Final.

Bruins winger Brad Marchand scored high glove side at 5:31 of the first period; Milan Lucic followed at 6:06 with a puck that squeezed through Luongo's pads; then Andrew Ference tallied a power-play goal at 8:35 to chase him.

The rout came three days after Luongo said that Vancouver's winning goal in Game 5 on Friday would have been "an easy [save] for me" when comparing his style of play with the more unorthodox goaltending of Tim Thomas -- a critique which set off a media-driven tet-a-tet between the two during the off days.

The Bruins fans made sure to voice their pleasure at his misery when being relieved by Canucks backup Cory Schneider, who promptly gave up a fourth Bruins goal. They continued to chant his name into the second period, with Luongo on the bench.

After the Boston

HERITAGECLASSIC1MAIN copyThe NHL's annual Winter Classic held on New Year's Day has become tradition. Four games in and between the revenues generated, sponsorship dollars brought in and monster television ratings on NBC, it's clear that it has cemented its place in the landscape as one of the premier events of the sports calendar.

That's why the decision, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, over the weekend that the 2011-12 NHL schedule will not feature the all-Canadian Heritage Classic is the right one.

The outdoor game idea was a unique one that instantly caught the attention of the casual and non-hockey fan. Putting two outdoor games on the schedule weeks apart on an annual basis would only water things down and chip away at the specialness of seeing meaningful open air hockey.

It also keeps the NHL's original outdoor game, the Heritage Classic, special to Canadians as the Calgary Sun's Steve MacFarlane writes:

Making the celebration of the roots of hockey in Canada an annual or bi-ennial tradition is

We're not sure exactly why NHL championship gear continues to leak in the hours and days before a team wins their conference or the Stanley Cup, but we're not complaining.

After the NHL's conference champion merchandise found its way online on the day the Vancouver Canucks became the first team to advance to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, here's what the Canucks (or the Boston Bruins on Wednesday) will be wearing during the celebration:

SWAG

Woof.

At least the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks gear from last season had some design and creativity to it. These shirts could take a cue from the ones given to this year's conference champions; they had some personality to them.

We also would have loved to have seen a Stanley Cup on the front of the hats as some part of champions logo to dress them up a bit more.

If you're one to open your wallet for more than just championship shirts and hats, here's also mini Stanley Cups, Zambonis, glassware and assorted t-shirt designs to choose from.