When the Boston Bruins fell behind the Vancouver Canucks, 2-0, in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, it felt like the Stanley Cup drought in Boston was going to reach a 40th season. The good news as that the series was going back to Boston, but the Black and Gold needed to win four of the final five games to lift the Cup.
The Bruins won three of the next four games to force a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Vancouver on June 15, 2011. It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since the unforgetful night that still lives in Boston Bruins lore.
Revisiting Bruins Game 7 2011 Stanley Cup Final win 15 years later
Nobody envisioned what was about to happen in Game 7 that happened. Not even the biggest diehard Boston Bruins fan. Game 7. Winner take all. All hands on deck. Every shot counts. Every shift counts. Every save counts.
When the dust settled, the Bruins, which won eight less games in the regular season than the Canucks, won the game, 4-0, thanks to several heroes. Patrice Bergeron scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the first period on an assist from Brad Marchand. As it turned out, it was just the beginning for Marchand.
He would double the Boston lead in the second period before a shorthanded goal from Patrice Bergeron made it 3-0 through 40 minutes. Marchand sealed the Stanley Cup-clinching win with an empty-net goal with just under three minutes remaining. For those of you keeping score at home, that was two goals and an assist from Marchand.
While his teammates were scoring at one end, goalie Tim Thomas had a performance that kids dream of playing in youth hockey. He turned back 37 Canucks shots to record the shutout in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. It was a performance on a big stage that will be tough to duplicate again by anyone. A Game 7 shutout with 37 saves.
It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since that unforgettable night in Western Canada. Boston has come close in the Stanley Cup Final since that night, but hasn't been able to hoist it again. Fifteen years later, it's still something incredible to look back on.
