Music: {allcanada} Scenarios: What it would mean if Canucks win, if Bruins win

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

{allcanada} Scenarios: What it would mean if Canucks win, if Bruins win

The Vancouver Canucks host the Boston Bruins in Game 7 Wednesday night (8 ET, NBC) with the Stanley Cup on the line. USA TODAY takes a look at what it would mean if the Canucks win and if the Bruins win:

End of a drought

If the Canucks win: They would cap off their 40th anniversary season with the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

If the Bruins win: The Bruins would win the Cup for the first time in 1972.

History

If the Canucks win: The home team would win every game in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final for the fourth time. The victorious New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks did it last, in 2003. It also happened in 1965 and 1955.

If the Bruins win: They would be the first team to win three Game 7s in a postseason. The Bruins beat the Montreal Canadiens in the first round and Tampa Bay Lightning in the conference final.

Goaltending

If the Canucks win:Roberto Luongo would join the Triple Gold Club: a Stanley Cup, world championship and Olympic gold. He led Canada to Olympic gold in 2010 and won twice at the worlds.

If the Bruins win:Tim Thomas would be the first U.S.-born goaltender to win a Stanley Cup since the New York Rangers' Mike Richter in 1994. Since then, the Cup has been won a Canadian 12 times and a Czech, Russian and Finn once each.

Busting a trend

If the Canucks win: The No. 1 overall team would win for only the eighth time in the 25 years of the Presidents' Trophy. The 2008 Detroit Red Wings were the only team to win the turn of the century.

If the Bruins win: The lower-seeded team would win the Stanley Cup for only the fourth time since 1991. The others: the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, and the New Jersey Devils in 1995.

Celebration

If the Canucks win: Vancouver's arena would be witness to the second huge celebration in two years. Team Canada won Olympic gold there last year, beating the USA in the gold-medal game.

If the Bruins win: The home fans would witness the visitors parade the Stanley Cup around the ice for the fourth year in a row. The Chicago Blackhawks did that in Philadelphia in 2010, the Pittsburgh Penguins in Detroit in 2009 and the Red Wings in Pittsburgh in 2008.

Hardware

If the Canucks win: Boston's Thomas has a chance to walk away with the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Ryan Kesler was the Canucks' front-runner, but he has been slowed by an injury during the Final. Henrik Sedin hasn't produced recently and Luongo was pulled twice in Boston. If he wins under this scenario, Thomas be the first MVP from a losing team since Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003.

If the Bruins win: Thomas almost certainly would win the award. David Krejci has put up points and Mark Recchi has had a strong Final, but the Bruins wouldn't be this far without Thomas.