The NHL has released the Stanley Cup Conference Finals schedule, beginning with game one between the Bruins and Lightning on Saturday night.
For now, the Western Final has two possible schedules, depending on the result of the riveting showdown between the Red Wings and Sharks, and whether Detroit can become the second team in two years to complete the ultimate comeback.
The winner gets two days to recover before game one in Vancouver on Sunday night.
(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Our Stanley Cup Photo Gallery offers a guided tour of the legends, customs, and unforgettable moments in the life of the world's greatest trophy.
Your tour includes:
...and much more.
See also:
Photo: The Carolina Hurricanes take hockey's ultimate victory parade. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images).
No surprise to see Daniel Sedin among the Hart Trophy finalists, and Martin St. Louis has been there before.
But who named Corey Perry back when the preseason predictions were made?
He wasn't on anyone's radar until he finished the season with the hottest stick in hockey.
Scoring 19 times in his final 16 games, the Dirty Duck - as opposing fans occasionally know him - became the only NHL player to hit the 50-goal mark this season.
He finished third in points, too.
Perry has been a scorer at every level, from junior hockey to the Olympic Gold Medal game.
But is he really this year's MVP?
If fantasy hockey managers could vote for the Hart Trophy, the result would never be in doubt.
That's according to Jim Cerny, About.com's man on the fantasy beat.
In Jim's latest update, he makes the case for Corey Perry as the fantasy hockey MVP of 2010-11.
(Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
History can dwarf a sports event.
Think of Howard Cosell announcing John Lennon's murder during Monday Night Football, making the game suddenly irrelevant to many viewers.
But sometimes history heightens the drama and broadens the perspective of a big game.
Consider the Miracle on Ice, which drew much of its considerable impact from Cold War tensions.
Or Czechoslovakia's win over the Soviets at the 1969 World Hockey Championship, when joyous Czechs poured into the streets, some bearing signs with messages like, "This time you can't count on your tanks."
For most of us, Sunday's big news didn't involve any link between sports and world affairs.
But when Washington Capitals' fans look back, that link will be there.
Not long after the Caps' critical overtime loss to Tampa Bay, President Obama's announcement of bin Laden's death had hockey fans joining the wild celebration outside the White House.
"My heart was broken two hours ago, and now I hobbled my ass on crutches all the way from Falls Church to the White House,"" said one fan, quoted by Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times.
Our Hockey During Wartime article takes a closer look at how wars and international tensions have influenced the game, even provoking rule changes and helping create unlikely heroes.
Photo: The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate an overtime win in game two of their series against Washington (Greg Fiume/Getty Images).
