Stanley Cup Finals Fun Facts

As I post, I'm currently watching Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  A couple years ago, the NHL officially changed the name to the singular "Stanley Cup FINAL" for some reason, but since that doesn't make any sense (there's more than one game) and I don't like it, I opt to keep the "S" on there.  Anyway, I gave you a collection of random facts for the World Series and Super Bowl, so now I'll do the same for the Stanley Cup Finals.  The predicition will come at the end of the post.

• After going 11 seasons between Finals appearances for Canadian teams (1994 Canucks-2004 Flames), there have now been four different Canadian teams in the last seven Stanley Cup Finals (2004 Flames, 2006 Oilers, 2007 Senators, 2011 Canucks), and the two Canadian teams that didn't make it just happen to be two of the Original Six, with a combined 37 Stanley Cup titles between them (24 Canadiens, 13 Maple Leafs).  Of the three Finals that didn't include Canadian teams, two featured the Red Wings, so those don't really count since Detroit is basically in Canada.
• The Bruins are the slackers of New England.  They're the only Boston-area team that hasn't won a championship this century (2001-03-04 Patriots, 2004-07 Red Sux, 2008 Celtics).  If they win the Cup, Boston will be the first city to have all of its teams win a title in years that start in 20.  Boston is the second city to have all of its teams make the finals since the turn of the century.  The first was Philadelphia (2001 76ers, 2004 Eagles, 2008-09 Phillies, 2010 Flyers), but only the 2008 Phillies won.
• Boston hasn't won the Stanley Cup since the days of the great Bobby Orr--1972 to be exact.  That 39-year drought is a long one, but it's only the fifth-longest active streak in the NHL.  In fact, the Canucks' streak is longer.  They've never won the Cup, and they started play in 1970-71, the season before Boston's last Cup.
• While the Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup, the city of Vancouver has.  Back in the days when the Stanley Cup was a challenge trophy between the winner of the NHL and the winner of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, the Vancouver Millionaires beat the NHL champion Ottawa Senators in 1915.  The Millionaires also lost the Finals in 1918, 1921 and 1922.
• Both goaltenders won medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics (Roberto Luongo won gold with Canada, Tim Thomas was a silver medalist with Team USA).  Since NHL players started playing in the Olympics (1998), there's never been a Finals matchup where both goalies were already Olympic medalists.
• The trip from Vancouver to Boston (3,250 miles) is easily the longest distance between championship participants in the history of any of the four major sports.  Falling out of the top spot in hockey is the 2,929-mile trek from Montreal to Los Angeles in the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals.  Now you're wondering what was the furthest in each of the other sports, aren't you?  Well, here you go: 3,114 miles between Miami and San Francisco (Super Bowl XIX); 2,988 miles between New York and San Francisco (1962 World Series); 3,149 miles between Boston and San Francisco (1964 NBA Finals).
• Speaking of the NBA, which isn't something I normally do, they've got one fun Finals factoid that I just couldn't ignore.  The Heat and Mavericks have both made the Finals twice in history, and they've only played each other (in non-consecutive years).  The only other team that's ever had that happen is the Cincinnati Bengals, who lost both Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XXIII to the San Francisco 49ers.
• I also think this is the first time the NBA Finals started before the Stanley Cup Finals, but it would require a lot more research than I'm willing to do in order to confirm it for sure.

Now for the Stanley Cup Finals pick.  It shouldn't surprise you if you've read this blog at all.  Especially considering where I live, the fact that I love the Olympics, and the fact that the Canucks are the best team in hockey.  The only chance Boston has is to have its defense prevent the Canucks from scoring and hope Luongo has one of those brain farts fans in Vancouver seem to think he has regularly.  Maybe they'll get off his back after he wins a Cup (the year after winning an Olympic gold medal for Canada).  Canucks in six.