Boston Barons Win the IFHL Stanley Cup!
April 22nd, 2013
When IFHL Commissioner Bill Johnson handed Lord Stanley over to Boston’s captain Teemu Selanne, you got a sense this was just the beginning of a Boston-style party that would last long into the night.
After taking the Cup, Selanne let loose with a loud yell before smacking three kisses on the coveted trophy. He skated for approximately 20 seconds with the Cup high above his head before handing it over to his brother Jordan.
“This is certainly something special,” Selanne said. “You dream of winning the Cup, and you know what, I’m glad to know I was the first Baron to ever lift it.”
Selanne eventually handed the Cup over to Ovechkin. The procession continued as players such as Seguin, Hossa, Koivu, Hiller all received a twirl with the Cup.
And GM/Coach Lucas Main would also have a chance to raise the Cup.
“Amazing,” Main said at his postgame press conference. “I had plans about this and had dreams about it. I wanted this to happen and I worked hard every day and took action, day-to-day decisions, running practices, everything. It’s also the players in our room. They’ve been tremendous all year. You can’t say enough about this group and how hard they worked.”
The pregame video just before the Boston Barons took the ice at their home ice arena during the IFHL Stanley Cup Playoffs was accompanied by multicolored spotlights, a laser show and images projected onto the playing surface. The heart of the video, though, goes to the soul of this sport. There are pictures of the Barons in their youth, boys wearing over-sized hockey equipment who dreamed of reaching the pinnacle of the sport they loved.
The boys in those faded photos arrived there Sunday night.
Boston, on the strength of their dominating offense, finished off the Goodyear Dusters with a 10-3 victory in the Stanley Cup Final, earning the franchise’s first championship in its two-year history.
“I don’t know, I can’t even describe it,” Alex Ovechkin said after winning the Cup for the first time. “Everyone played road hockey as a kid. We had a green garbage can that everyone would go around and pose with it. We just did it for real, baby. This is awesome. It has been a great journey.”
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Barons fans hoping to carry on their Stanley Cup celebrations will have another chance Thursday at a parade and rally scheduled in downtown Boston. The parade is to start at 12 noon.
Players and their families, coaches and others are expected to ride in double-decker buses and other vehicles during the 30 to 45 minute parade.
An hour-long “championship rally” is scheduled to begin at the Barons home ice arena at 2:30 p.m., featuring video highlights, presentations and speeches from several players, the team said.
Tickets are required, but are free. They will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis and are available online. Officials said season-ticket holders and suite and premier seat owners would be given first priority, with the remaining tickets made available to the public at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
There is a limit of four tickets per order, officials said.
IFHL Playoffs: Dusters Face Ravens In Start Of Stanley Cup Defense
April 1st, 2013
The Goodyear Dusters still have stars such as Kopitar, Gaborik, Benn, and they’ve added something they think might be even more important as they try to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
“It’s called experience,” coach Jason Henley said of the lessons the Dusters learned in their title run last year. “Once you’ve got that experience, it makes the team better, and the experience these guys gained last year, I certainly hope they’re able to utilize to their advantage this year.”
The Dusters won the first ever IFHL Stanley Cup last year, thanks largely to Sidney Crosby and some young players who emerged during the postseason. Those players have another year of experience and the confidence of knowing they can win it all.
“I feel good about our team,” Henley said on Sunday. “I think we have more skill, because I think our skill has matured from last year. It’s so tight, I mean you’ve got to get some luck along the way, but I think we’ve got as good a chance as any to get back to the Finals.”
The defending Stanley Cup champions earned the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. They will begin their title defense against the Toronto Ravens this week.
“Going into the playoffs you know what’s at stake, and I mean every game is going to be a battle,” forward Marian Gaborik said. “We have the experience from that last year and we just need to worry about ourselves and just make sure we are ready for a tough series.”
The Dusters went into the season concerned about a Stanley Cup hangover, and the team tried to build in a defense against complacency and exhaustion. Earning the No. 4 seed was a sign that they handled the challenges well.
“We got through the season and I’m satisfied,” Jamie Benn said. “I’m satisfied that we got through it and we are where we are now.”
Henley said the Dusters’ experience should help them avoid panic if they fall behind in the playoffs.
“The confidence you get from having won will be important,” Henley said. “You can never underestimate the value of the experience. I’ve seen that grow with this group. They gained a lot from winning the Cup. Having said all that, it’s real tough to repeat so it’s going to be a challenge.”
Henley said forward Sidney Crosby is a “long shot” to return from a broken jaw before the playoffs are over. Ryan Kesler may be ready to return sooner, but he is still a week or so away from a return.