tions he made.Kane scored two goals in the Blackhawks’ first 15 postseason games this spring and questions began to be asked about his slump. Then,Anze Kopitar Jersey, just like that -- with the stakes at their highest -- Kane found his scoring groove.In the final two games of the Western Conference Final against the defending champion Los Angeles Kings, Kane scored four goals. His hat trick in Game 5 put that series to bed.In the Final, he managed one assist in the first three games as Chicago fell into a 2-1 hole. In a wild Game 4, after being reunited with Jonathan Toews and Bickell, he had a goal and an assist when Chicago took a 6-5 overtime decision to even the series. In Game 5, a 3-1 victory at United Center, Kane finished with two goals, including the game-winner.What, exactly, caused the turnaround?"I don't really have a specific answer," Kane said. "I think it was Game 4 in L.A., I knew I needed to get the puck and start moving with it and try to create some chances. It ended up working out. I mean, you're playing with two great players with Toews and Bickell. They made hockey really easy the past couple weeks for me.BLACKHAWKS STANLEY CUP CHAMPS"We actually came up with a name for myself this morning, calling me the 'Benefish',Brandon Dubinsky Jersey, for the beneficiary of all their hard work. I had a couple chances to finish and ended up doing that,Marian Hossa Authentic Jersey, so got to give them the credit."Certainly, Kane had help in waking up his game, but he was the one who converted on the opportunities that were suddenly coming against what had been a stingy Boston defense, using his speed to devastate a Bruins blue line that preferred to play a physical game.As a reward, he became the third straight American to win the Conn Smythe, joining Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick (2012) and Boston netminder Tim Thomas (2011). New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch is the other American to win it, doing so in 1994.Kane finished the postseason with nine goals and 19 points, second to Boston Bruins forward David Krejci (27 points)."I’m sure it will be something looking back that no one can take away from you," Kane said. "Someone said it is the fourth American to win the award. I’m blessed. I play with great players all playoffs and wouldn’t have been capable of this without my teammates. There were other guys who could have won too. You look at [goalie Corey] Crawford, maybe he got snubbed a little bit. [Bickell] and [forward Patrick Sharp] -- but it is a great feeling."
BOSTON - The Bruins fell painfully at the last hurdle in their Stanley Cup run, but their battered and bruised players proved to be truly Boston Strong.Forward Tyler Seguin said he had no regrets after what he called a long, short year. But plenty of pain."It's going to take a little while before we can realize the accomplishment that we had in making it to the finals again, but right now it doesn't feel good," coach Claude Julien said in the wake of Chicago's Cup-clinching 3-2 comeback win on Monday night.Added Seguin: "I've never felt anything like this. I've never cried for as long as I've known until tonight."The city of Boston began looking forward instead of back Tuesday. The moving makeshift memorial to the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings was slated for removal from Copley Square to be moved to the city archives for cleaning and archiving.Like the rest of the city, the Bruins were rocked by the devastation of the attacks. On a sports level, their schedule was disrupted. On a personal level, they saw their home and neighbours under duress.A tightly knit team felt the pain of its city. "We had more reasons than just ourselves to win a Cup,Sidney Crosby Authentic Jersey," said Julien.They came close in a series that saw three overtime games. Chicago outscored Boston 17-15, with four games decided by one goal and the other two separated by two goals.The Bruins got off to a great start to the season, going 13-4 through January and February. But they only won two of their last nine games as the season wound down, their schedule and psyche disrupted by the bombings.The