National Hockey

OTTAWA — Guy Boucher called the Ottawa Senators' playoff run a "gigantic step" in the right direction, but cautioned the team should be prepared to start "from scratch" next season.

PITTSBURGH — Scotty Bowman won back-to-back Stanley Cups more than once in an illustrious career behind the bench, but the 83-year-old wonders now how feasible it is in today's NHL.

Almost 20 years have passed since a team last won back-to-back Stanley Cups.

PITTSBURGH — Above all else, the Pittsburgh Penguins are here in the Stanley Cup final chasing history because of two long-time organizational pillars: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

It's the grande dame of sports trophies, the oldest contested prize in North American athletics. The Stanley Cup will soon once again be awarded to hockey's top team, extending a tradition that dates back to 1893.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators weren't quite ready to go their separate ways.

The NHL will play an outdoor game at a U.S. service academy for the first time when the Washington Capitals host the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, next season.

Hockey history will be made for American coaches in the Stanley Cup Final. The Cup has been handed out 89 times to the champion of the NHL since 1927.

NASHVILLE — David Poile thought he could squeeze in a quick day off after the exhilarating run by the Nashville Predators to their first Stanley Cup Final. Wrong.

No one is totally healthy this late in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, certainly not the last two teams standing.