The last time the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup was in 1972, 39 years ago.

The Vancouver Canucks, with home ice advantage and the support of the home crowd, were so certain that they would win, especially after the Bruins were defeated in the three previous games in their arena. The Canucks’ goalie, Roberto Luongo, made the claim that he could have stopped the shot that Tim Thomas could not, the shot that won game five for Vancouver. But the Canucks were beaten in game seven by a team with lots of heart, determination and excellent coaching. Thomas proved Luongo wrong by winning the Most Valuable Player award.

Legendary player Bobby Orr was in the stands waving a banner with the number 18, reminding the fans of the injury to Nathan Horton that kept him out for the rest of the series. Despite his injury, he managed to show up in the dressing room that night and was in the stands, waving a towel in support of his team.

It was an uphill battle all year for the courageous Bruins, who lost several key players to injuries. But they are the champions, who returned the Stanley Cup back to Boston by setting a club record, winning three times in the playoffs in a seventh game.

Congratulations to the players, coaches and the entire Bruins organization. In my opinion, the fourth line, led by Shawn Thornton (and Thomas) were the ones who won game seven.

Robert Lacombe, Sabattus