Stanley Cup

From Philadelphia Patrick Kane sprinted from one end of the ice to the other with fists pumping but more hope than conviction, believing he had scored the goal that won the Stanley Cup for the Chicago Blackhawks but not entirely sure because of the puzzled silence surrounding him. "I tried to sell the celebration a bit," said Kane, whose shot from deep on the left side went under Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton and got...

For Willie Mitchell , it has been nine years since he just missed out on the chance to play in the Stanley Cup Final, and two years since his hockey-playing future was in serious doubt because of a lingering concussion. So what's another week of waiting for the Cup puck to drop? That may seem like an interminable amount of time for some of his younger Kings teammates, but not for the 35-year-old defenseman. Rest is embraced, not rejected, by the team's "over-35 crowd," Mitchell said.

Reporting from Philadelphia -- The three Chicago Blackhawks who have won the Stanley Cup played it cool on the eve of their chance to win again. But Coach Joel Quenneville , who got his name on the Cup as an assistant coach with Colorado in 1996, wasn't sure his players would be calm enough to get restful sleep Tuesday night. "We hope so," said Quenneville, whose team will carry a 3-2 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers into Game 6 Wednesday at the Wachovia Center. Blackhawks center John Madden is two for three in his previous Cup finals, all with New Jersey, having won in 2000 and 2003 and lost in 2001.

Hint No. 1 that this was something big. Text messages. "It's one of those signs you've done something unusual," he said. Hint No. 2 that this was something extra big. An outpouring of fan support, post-midnight, adjacent to LAX after the Kings' flight had landed. "It was like driving down a hallway lined with human flesh," he said. "You couldn't see anything except people screaming and Kings jerseys. It was a feeling that not anyone will forget ever, I think on the Kings team.

Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo put on a hoodie and headphones and went for a walk along Vancouver's scenic seawall Friday afternoon. He had gone down that path before he faced the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh game of the first round of the playoffs, but this trip was different. He had yielded 12 goals in Boston while the Bruins tied the Stanley Cup finals at two games each, rekindling questions about his big-game credentials. Burrowed into that hoodie, oblivious to everything around him, he took a stroll after the team's pregame meal.

EASTERN CONFERENCE TEAM PREVIEWS In predicted order of rankings (division leaders are 1-2-3) Washington Capitals 2009-10 record: 54-15-13, 121 points. Power play: 25.2% (first). Penalty killing: 78.8% (25th). Team goals-against average: 2.72 (16th). Leading scorer: Alex Ovechkin 50-59?109. Outlook: They squandered a 3-1 series lead and were upset by the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, which should fire them up this season.

WESTERN CONFERENCE TEAM PREVIEWS In predicted order of rankings (division leaders are 1-2-3) San Jose Sharks 2009-10 record: 51-20-11, 113 points. Power play: 21.0% (fourth). Penalty killing: 85% (fifth). Team goals-against average: 2.51 (eighth). Leading scorer: Joe Thornton 20-69?89. Outlook: Another strong regular-season performance ended short of the Cup, in a conference-final sweep by the Blackhawks. Will it ever be their year?

Gretzky's streak of scoring points in Stanley Cup finals ended at 17 games. Gretzky got off only one shot, coming during the first period, and did not assist on either goal.

Chris Pronger has taken command of the Stanley Cup finals as firmly as he has wrapped his long arms around Blackhawks forward Dustin Byfuglien, stamping his imprint on the Flyers' success as defiantly as he applies his stick to the backs and shoulders of anyone brave enough to invade Philadelphia's crease. The towering defenseman has averaged a league-high 29 minutes 2 seconds of ice time in the playoffs while leading the Flyers back from a 3-0 series deficit in the second round and now to solid ground as the finals resume Sunday at the United Center even at 2-2. Playing in his third finals in five seasons — he lost with Edmonton in 2006 but won with Anaheim in 2007 — Pronger has delivered 17 hits in four games, blocked 13 shots and compiled a plus-7 defensive rating to raise his playoff plus/minus to plus-9.

The voice on the phone was animated, a Kings fan talking about the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final with the passion typical of their loyal, long-suffering audience. "It's been unreal what they've done and what they've accomplished so far," Wayne Gretzky said Wednesday. "It's been unreal for the organization and it's been great for hockey in California and L.A. We live in L.A., so we're seeing it first-hand how fans are rallying around the Kings and hoping that they bring home the Stanley Cup. "It's been fun to watch.

The Kings got to the Stanley Cup finals by doing what they have done best the last six weeks -- winning on the road. Dustin Penner's goal with 2 minutes 18 seconds left in the first overtime gave the Kings a 4-3 victory Tuesday. It gave the Kings eight consecutive road wins during the playoffs, an NHL record. "We like being the underdog, being in the other guy's barn, getting booed. We love that," defenseman Drew Doughty said. As to why the Kings have had such success on the road, defenseman Rob Scuderi said, "I think we just play simple, play smart, play our game.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The NHL announced the dates for the Stanley Cup finals, starting a week from Wednesday at the home of the Eastern Conference champion. Either the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, who are competing for the East title, would have home ice because they compiled better regular-season point totals than the Kings or the Phoenix Coyotes. The Kings need one more victory over the Coyotes to earn the West title and the teams will meet Tuesday night at Jobing.

GLENDALE, Ariz.--Greetings from Glendale, where it’s 97 degrees and expected to climb as the day goes on. Advice from locals if you’re visiting is to stay hydrated, so be careful. The Kings, who will have a second chance Tuesday night to win the Western Conference title and clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup finals, had a full morning skate at Jobing.com Arena. A few of their Manchester callups joined the session.

Special-teams play is considered crucial to playoff success, but the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup a year ago with a so-so power play and the Kings reached the Western Conference finals this spring without getting significant production with a man advantage. The Kings also won their first three games against the Phoenix Coyotes despite scoring only two power-play goals, each generated during a two-man edge in Game 2. But their power play's failings were magnified Sunday when they had a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup finals but were stymied six times in a 2-0 loss that sent the series back to Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on Tuesday.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - There was the celebratory group hug taking place by the glass, followed by a loud chorus of boos and then objects being tossed on the ice by some fans. Yes, the Kings' long strange journey to the Stanley Cup finals - returning there again for the first time in 19 years - ended with one long thrilling night of hockey and in somewhat surreal fashion. Weren't they supposed to be showered with champagne, not debris? The final step of the journey back to the finals came courtesy of the man who received more criticism since he arrived in Los Angeles a little more than a year ago than any other Kings player in recent memory.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Clarence Campbell bowl, awarded to the champion of the NHL's Western Conference, is not what the Kings dreamed of lifting or kissing or winning this season. Always, their goal was to win the Stanley Cup, as preposterous as it seemed while their offense went stale and they struggled to score goals and went through the turmoil of a midseason coaching change. Sometimes it seemed that they alone believed, that they alone saw what they could become with the right tweaks and right coach and right approach.

If success had dulled the Kings' memory of what it felt like to lose, if eliminating the Vancouver Canucks in five games, sweeping the St. Louis Blues and taking the first three games of the Western Conference finals against the Phoenix Coyotes had made them forget how deeply a defeat can sting, it all came back to them Sunday afternoon. On the day they could have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup finals, they instead had to pack for another trip to the desert to face a team that rediscovered its identity in a scrappy 2-0 victory at Staples Center.