THOMASLUONGO1

Leading up to Wednesday's Game 1, Puck Daddy's Sean Leahy and Greg Wyshynski are previewing every facet of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks— on the ice and off the ice.

One goaltender stands at his end of the rink with much to prove and critics to silence; the other basks in the love thrown his way and hasn't felt much of an ounce of pressure outside of himself.

That's the story of Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas as the two square off in what could be a series full of goaltending duels.

2011PREEEEEELuongo's been the guy with the sky-high expectations and even after winning a gold medal for Canada at the 2010 Olympics, is still doubted to be able to win "the big game."

While the Chicago Blackhawks were the nightmare that seemed to never go away come playoff time, Luongo vanquished them in seven games and since has quietly breezed his way to the Cup Final, four wins away from proving a lot of doubters wrong.

A journeyman turned likely two-time Vezina Trophy

TROPHYVOODOO

Leading up to Wednesday's Game 1, Puck Daddy's Sean Leahy and Greg Wyshynski are previewing every facet of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks— on the ice and off the ice.

You have to please the hockey gods on your way to the Stanley Cup Finals. How else would you explain the fortunate calls, bounces and puck luck that typically go the way of a Cup champion?

That's why you don't plan parades after you win your first-round series or, if you're a certain high-profile golfer, you don't diss the sport of hockey. The gods and karma will come back to bite you in the end.

So as the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks get set for Game 1 Wednesday, which team has the best karma heading into the series opener?

Boston

Stanley Cup runs always develop good stories along the way and there may not be a better story on the Bruins' side than Tim Thomas and his journey for the NHL. It's been well-documented how long it took Thomas to make himself into an elite

WPGPRESS

With the announcement of the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season, it's now time for True North Sports and Entertainment to begin the preparations for the return of NHL hockey.

During this afternoon's press conference, True North president Jim Ludlow announced the team's "Drive to 13,000" ticket sale campaign that the group hopes they can meet before the Board of Governors vote to approve the change of ownership and relocation on June 21.

"True North Sports Entertainment has had a great run of building brands in the City of Winnipeg over the past six years, from the Manitoba Moose to MTS Centre to the recently completed MTS Iceplex," said Jim Ludlow, President & CEO, True North Sports & Entertainment. "This process has led us to today. We have made a commitment to the National Hockey League and to our ownership to sell 13,000 season tickets. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to the support from the Winnipeg community and the successful

MTSCENTRE

The story has been "broken" at least once a day since the end of the regular season, but Tuesday is finally the day that the NHL and True North Sports and Entertainment announced that the sale of the Atlanta Thrashers is complete and that the team will be moving to Winnipeg for next season.

The deal will still need to be rubber stamped by at the Board of Governors when they meet June 21 and a three-fourth majority is needed to approve the change of ownership, while a 50 percent vote must be had to approve the relocation.

Join us as we live blog the formal press conference beginning at 12 p.m. ET.

12:00 p.m. - Apparently things won't be starting until 12:15 p.m ET. Word is commissioner Gary Bettman is running late. In the meantime, if you didn't know already, the Winnipeg team will play in the Eastern Conference next season. There won't be realignment just yet.

12:05 p.m. - How busy is it inside MTS Centre right now for the announcement? Here's a picture from our friends at Illegal

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Leading up to Wednesday's Game 1, Puck Daddy's Sean Leahy and Greg Wyshynski are previewing every facet of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks— on the ice and off the ice.

2011PREEEEEEThere are a lot of similarities between the forwards groups of the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks.

For starters, there's guys on either side that can bring both a physical and offensive game to the table. The likes of Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows can mix it up with the best of them, while putting one past your goalie at the same time.

Both have bottom lines that feature effective checkers who've chipped in offensively at times, as well as dynamic pivots in Henrik Sedin and Patrice Bergeron.

Both teams also added pieces at the trade deadline that have contributed more than they were expected to.

Who has the better group of forwards: Boston or Vancouver?

Boston Bruins

Before this year, Nathan Horton was sitting in Florida with the Panthers and

On Mar. 16, Manny Malhotra was thought to be done for the season after taking a puck to the eye in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. Concerns quickly went from whether or not Malhotra could return during the playoffs to whether or not his career and eyesight was in jeopardy.

A little over two months since he left the Vancouver Canucks lineup, Malhotra has finally been cleared to played as the team prepares for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night against the Boston Bruins.

Malhotra has been skating since May 12 with a full face shield and even after two surgeries late in the regular season, he's still been around the Canucks locker room and was even on the ice when the team was awarded the Presidents' Trophy in April.

Here's Malhotra speaking to the media today about his return:

Canucks GM Mike Gillis said today when the team announced that Malhotra's season was over in March, that wasn't necessarily the case.

From the Vancouver Sun:

"Well, there was a number of

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here is Pittsburgh Penguins blogger Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, fondly recalling the 2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning. Again, this was not written by us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.)

TBLEULOGY

By Seth Rorabaugh

Writing a "eulogy" for the Lightning doesn't seem appropriate.

After three dreadful seasons, the Lightning returned to the postseason and even gave the Capitals the first real threat they've seen for the Southeast Division in two seasons.

We should be celebrating the Lightning's return.

Or fear it.

Frankly, anything that could survive the bumbling ownership of Len Barrie and Oren Koules probably can't be truly killed, at least not without the benefit of a nuclear warhead or

Please recall during the first round of the NHL playoffs when the Montreal Canadiens took on the now-Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins and chain restaurant Boston Pizza got involved in the longtime rivalry by having their 26 Quebec-based stores all change their name to "Montreal Pizza" for the series.

Well, they're back at it again as last night on their website, the British Columbia-based company threw their full support behind the Vancouver Canucks as they head to the Stanley Cup Final.

VANCOUVERPIZZA

Beginning Sunday, the 62 Boston Pizzas in British Columbia will feature this new sign during the Final.

This continues the postseason trend of renaming things in your city that might share the same moniker as the team you're playing. Predator Ridge golf course became Canucks Ridge when they met the Nashville Predators in the second round. Also in Vancouver, the "Shark Club" sports bar has been renamed the "Vancouver Club" through the end of the playoffs.

Is there anything in the city of