Getty ImagesJonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks won the 2013 Selke Trophy given "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game," as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

Centers Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and Toews were up for the award. Bergeron won the 2012 Selke.

From the NHL, on Toews:

Toews played a leading role in helping the runaway Presidents' Trophy winners rank first overall in team defense (2.02 goals-against per game). He finished third in the NHL in plus-minus with a career-high +28 rating, including a League-leading +21 away from home; shared the overall lead in takeaways with fellow Selke finalist Pavel Datsyuk (56); placed second in the NHL in face-off winning percentage (59.9%, 559-374); and played an average of 1:25 per game on the NHL's third-ranked penalty-killing unit (87.2%). The Blackhawks captain is a Selke finalist for second time, having finished runner-up to Vancouver's Ryan Kesler in 2011.

We cast our ballot for Bergeron, and this was a bit of an upset. Consider Bergeron was on the ice for only 13 goals at even strength this season, and led the NHL in faceoff percentage with a 61.2 winning percent.

Two years later, this remains one of my favourite photos in Canucks history.

With the star power, major market appeal, history, and damn fine hockey that comes pre-loaded in this Stanley Cup Final, you really couldn't ask for a better match-up than the Chicago Blackhawks versus the Boston Bruins.

That is, unless you're a Vancouver Canucks fan (forever at odds with the world, as they tend to be). Truthfully, the only thing that could make it a worse time for our friends on the West Coast would be Mark Messier as guest referee.

For Canuck fans, the NHL's dream Final is more of a torture-porn nightmare series. It's seven games of "The Human Centipede" on ice. Heck, most Vancouverites would prefer that -- yes, they would rather watch a mad scientist sewing faces to anuses than witness, say, Dave Bolland lifting the Stanley Cup again.

It probably goes without saying, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a Vancouverite that doesn't loathe the Blackhawks and Bruins something fierce.

The hatred for Chicago derives from a run of three consecutive playoff meetings, the first two of which were violent and vitriolic battles that saw Chicago advance, and the second of which saw the Blackhawks go on to win the Stanley Cup Final. The third go-round was a heated and hateful series as well, but it had a much happier ending for Vancouver fans: the Canucks finally "slayed the dragon", as it were, although I've never liked that phrase, since "slew the dragon" would have been more grammatically correct. But I digress.

Dragon slain, the Canucks continued, unimpeded, into the Stanley Cup Final, where they ran smack-dab into Boston, who spotted them two games before pummelling and humiliating them the rest of the way, breaking Vancouver's heart and leaving their citizens and city in shambles. (Sure, Vancouver did the rioting, but only because Boston made them.)

Vancouver's meetings with Chicago and Boston left such an impression on everyone involved that, even though they didn't meet again this year, neither the Blackhawks nor the Bruins could refrain from jabbing at the past. When asked about the Bruins' Cup win in 2011, Jonathan Toews said he was happy the Canucks didn't win it. When asked about the Penguins, Brad Marchand said "I think those guys will battle a lot harder than Vancouver did in the finals.”

This fire, unlike this fire, still burns strong. And now, Canuck fans are forced to watch two parties they despise going at it. It's like the Kim Kardashian sex tape, but with more "Chelsea Dagger".

How are Vancouverites feeling? Roberto Luongo, who still a Vancouverite, albeit reluctantly, said it best:

Game 1 was tough, although there was solace to be drawn from the fact that it looked like it might never end. "Good", said Canucks fans, "If no one scores, no one wins."

But here's the thing: when that game finally reached its conclusion, with the Blackhawks completing the comeback and Boston suffering the ignominy of blowing a two-goal lead in the third period, it occurred to me that Vancouverites are looking at this all wrong.

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.

Puck Daddy

• From reader Diana V., do your grocery shopping at a any Jewel-Osco store on a Stanley Cup gameday and you'll get 10-percent off your total. If you're jersey-less, yes, they do sell them.

• After leaving Game 1 early with a shoulder upper-body injury, Nathan Horton was on the ice Friday afternoon with the Bruins. [@ESPNJoeyMac]

• A woman suffered a laceration on her face and two black eyes after getting hit with a puck during Game 1 Wednesday. Adding to her unfortunate situation, she didn't even get to keep the puck. [CBS Chicago]

• Five keys for the Blackhawks heading into Game 2. [Blackhawk Up]

• How multiple overtimes can affect those involved, with memories of Petr Klima's winner from 1990. [National Post]

• Bruins president Cam Neely was having flashbacks to that memorable overtime Stanley Cup game. "“You always look back and think about things you may have been able to do differently, but one of my lines I talk to myself about, and that I’ve said in the past, is 'my rearview mirror is broken.’ There's no point rehashing that because you can't change the past." [CSNNE]

• Down Goes Brown on the 25 things a fan experiences during a multiple overtime playoff hockey game: "16. The sudden development of a deep resentment for people who live on the West Coast. Wait, they get nice weather and they can watch playoff overtime without having to get up in three hours? Seriously, screw those guys." Note from Harrison: at my place, the sun had only been down for an hour when the Blackhawks scored. Nyeh nyeh. [Grantland]

• How history is in the favor of the Bruins heading into Game 2. [Boston Herald]

• "If Phil Esposito hates Boston so much, the Bruins should unretire his number." [TruTV]

• Part 1 of the NHL Awards will take place Friday night at 5pm ET on NHL Network in the U.S. and Canada when the league announces the winners of the Bill Masterton Memorial, Frank J. Selke, King Clancy and Lady Byng trophies, the Jack Adams Award, the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, the NHL Foundation Player Award and the NHL General Manager of the Year Award. The rest will be announced prior to Game 2 on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and CBC. [NHL.com]

LISTEN HERE!

It's a (gettin' down on) Friday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Stars: Joe Haggerty of CSN New England joins us to break down Game 2 of the Boston Bruins/Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final.

• Nathan Horton was hurt in a fight with Jarome Iginla; cue 'stupidity of fighting' outrage.

• The Florida Panthers' cheap tickets.

• The "Boston Strong" controversies.

• The joke of a joke of a joke that is the Phoenix Coyotes' ownership saga.

• GAME SHOW FRIDAY!

Question of the Day: What was the first Stanley Cup Final you remember watching?
Email at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or hit us on Twitter with the hashtag #MvsW to @wyshynski or @jeffmarek.

Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day. Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner.

IEEEWe've documented previously the eventual robot take over of our beloved sport. From desktop-sized prototypes to ones that can stand to machines that can fire 110 mph slap shots, soon the NHL will be only made up of cyborgs ... and Zdeno Chara.

But these robots aren't just stopping at regular old puck-and-stick hockey. No, they are now moving in to dominate air hockey territory.

Researchers at Japan's Chiba University's Namiki Lab have created a robot capable of destroying you in air hockey. Not just because it plays good defense, but because it's smart and changes its style of play depending on what your strategy is.

From IEEE Spectrum:

The robot is tracking the game at an insanely fast rate of 500 frames per second. Which means that, from the robot's point of view, its human opponent is moving at a laughably slow pace. It's like the robot is playing the game in a Matrix-style bullet-time frame.

To keep the game entertaining for human players, the researchers programmed the robot with a three-layer control system. The first layer is responsible for basic motion control at the hardware level. A second layer decides its short-term strategy—whether it should hit the puck, defend the goal, or stay still—to choose which motion can effectively counter the incoming trajectory of the puck. The third layer determines the machine's long-term strategy, and this is where things get interesting.

Basically, the robot observes the speed and position of the player's paddle in relation to the puck. This data can be described by what is known as a Motion Pattern Histogram (MPH). The robot uses this data to estimate whether its opponent is playing aggressively or defensively. Over the course of a game, the robot can detect these MPHs in real-time and compare them with reference patterns to help it figure out what you're doing.

The robot is not only playing against you, it's reading your actions. We are so boned.

So, if you're at the local arcade or your buddy's basement talking trash about your air hockey skills, keep an eye out for any robots in the area. Your undefeated streak may be coming to a quick end.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

Remember this moron? The one who decided to re-purpose the city of Boston’s mantra after the Boston Marathon bombings into cheap heat at a Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game against the Bruins?

The outcry over the “Toronto Stronger” sign was considerable, but it did spark a rather sensitive debate about teams using tragedies and patriotism for the purposes of rallying a fan base or striking an emotional chord during a sporting event. When does “Boston Strong” crossover from being an essential symbol for the city’s healing into something calculated and commercial? Does it matter if it does?

Cubby Tees, via Boston Sports Then & NowCubby Tees is a Chicago-based sports apparel company that makes some awesome gear – seriously, we must possess this Patrick Kane shirt. In honor of the Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins, they decided to tweak the “Boston Strong” slogan on a T-shirt that read “Chicago Stronger,” featuring the team’s iconic Indian feathers. There was another design that incorporated another aspect of the Hawks' logo.

Predictably, there was backlash. Boston Sports Then & Now reported on the shirt, and the controversy spread, writing “I thought most of the people in Chicago were behind Boston after the marathon bombings, well I guess that changes when we the Stanley Cup is involved."

It wasn't just from Boston fans, either. Ted Gruber of Chicago Now wrote:

As for Cubby Tees, if you had an ounce of class or soul you would remove the shirt from your website and stop making a profit off something that could and has happened in any part of the world. Remove the shirt and have an ounce of respect for those people.

The shirt was pulled from Cubby Tees by Friday morning, citing a "good new-fashoned Twitter-lynching" and writing:

Though we: (a) are loathe to take any action that appears to bow to bullying, and; (b) had hoped that residents of the “Cradle Of Liberty” held a greater appreciation for the freedom of expression (we support you venting your opinions, not so much your threats and insistence on censorship)…we’ve nevertheless pulled the shirt in the interest of harmony between two great cities.

It was replaced with a screed about free speech and how criticism of the gear was misguided. Because they weren’t making light of the tragedy’s most recognizable slogan, but rather – and completely ironically, we imagine – those who seek to profit from it.

Getty ImagesTrending Topics is a column that looks at the week in hockey, occasionally according to Twitter. If you're only going to comment to say how stupid Twitter is, why not just go have a good cry for the slow, sad death of your dear internet instead?

The Stanley Cup Final started Wednesday night, but the headlines both immediately before that game and on the day following were in some ways far more intriguing.

There had been a week of questions about what Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero might do, being under the whip from Mario Lemieux as he was, when it comes to making what could potentially be wholesale changes to a team that has been bounced from the playoffs in embarrassing fashion in each of the last three seasons.

And then the answer to all of them, apparently, was, "Nothing."

On Wednesday, just several hours before the puck dropped on Game 1 of the Cup Final between the team that beat his team for the best record in the regular season, and the one that swept it out of the Eastern Conference Finals with a vulgar display of dominance, Shero held a one-hour press conference that reminded the neutral observer of Muhammad al Sahhaf. "Everything in Mighty Pittsburgh is as it should be! The jackals around the league cannot hope to damage the great power of the Penguins!"

Dan Bylsma, rumored to be embattled (though for silly reasons)? Re-signed for another two years.

All his assistants? Riding back into the breach at his side once again.

This seemed more than fair. The idea that the Penguins didn't beat the Bruins — and, again, were humiliated by them — had little to do with his inability to adapt to the chess game Claude Julien was playing with him from the other bench, though it certainly didn't help things. The argument could be made that the Penguins certainly had their chances, particularly in Games 3 and 4, to make the series at least somewhat interesting, but they got more or less zero bounces to go their way over the course of those four games, and that's just how hockey goes sometimes.

Firing a coaching staff whose charges finished second in the league and in the postseason's final four always seemed shortsighted, even if you might have expected an assistant or two to get shuffled out for the sake of someone's head rolling and maybe changing up, well, anything.

What didn't make sense in that press conference was that Shero, like Bylsma days before him, went to the mattresses for a guy who was the culprit in the first two of the apparently unacceptable first-round losses of the previous two postseasons, and would have been one again this year until sanity prevailed and he got his ass hot-glued to the bench in favor of a 36-year-old with limited playoff experience.

That Marc-Andre Fleury has received a vote of confidence from his coach and general manager -- using roughly the same words to describe their deep and abiding and unflagging faith in his abilities despite all evidence hollering that they should do the opposite -- comes off very much as being the talking points of an administration embroiled in scandal.