The Vancouver Canucks visit the Hub on Saturday, providing Bruins fans with an opportunity to relive all the incredible moments of last season’s run to the Stanley Cup championship.
The details don’t need retelling. Who can forget the saves by Tim Thomas and Michael Ryder, Alex Burrows biting Patrice Bergeron‘s finger, or Roberto Luongo skating toward the bench after giving up another flurry of goals?
The Bruins’ run to the Cup, which included three seven-game series, will go down as one of the greatest in Boston sports history. It already belongs in the pantheon of great recent title runs, beginning with the Patriots’ improbable Super Bowl in 2002.
The Patriots had an unknown second-year quarterback in Tom Brady and a coach in Bill Belichick who was better known for spurning the New York Jets than for any on-field accomplishments. Still, they drove to the Super Bowl, where they took down the powerhouse Rams on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri.
The Patriots’ run was improbable, but for generations of Red Sox fans, a championship seemed impossible. The Red Sox relieved 86 years’ worth of frustration by sweeping the Cardinals in 2004, but not before overcoming a 3-0 deficit to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. David Ortiz‘s heroics, Dave Roberts‘ steal and Curt Schilling‘s blood sock are now permanent parts of every montage of Red Sox history.
Unlike the other three major Boston teams, the Celtics have a tradition of excellence, not disappointment, and when Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce teamed up for the 2007-08 season, it seemed like the world returned to its rightful axis when the Celtics earned their 17th championship banner and Garnett yelled, “Anything is possible!”
Nobody will complain about a championship run not being exciting, but which one set itself apart?
