Just a few things that caught my eye ...
- Who won the Cup for the Kings -- Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick, or the on-ice officiating crew?
- You know you've arrived when David Beckham shows up wearing your name on a jersey. King's Conn Jonathan Quick went 16-4 with 3 SO, a 1.41 GAA and .946 save percentage. That performance ranks as one of the best ever.
- The officials may have been brutal, but there's no way to win if you have just five shots by the mid-point of the game. Justin Williams kicked as many pucks on net as Zach Parise, Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac, Danius Zubrus and Petr Sykora each shot.
- It's about time someone won the Cup. Now Dustin Penner can go back to his offseason job as a Paul Bunyan double ...
- The Stanley Cup really is the most beautiful sports trophy in the world, bar none. And the easiest 35 lbs anyone will ever lift. I might not have been cheering for the Kings, but I always get a lump in my throat watching guys lift that puppy over their heads, especially on home ice.
- Rob Scuderi isn't a faker. And the scenes of him on the bench in the second, head down and holding a bag of ice to his forehead after every shift, proved his mettle. But that wasn't worth a major and a misconduct. Not even close.
- Drew Doughty is just 22, but he controls the game like Scott Niedermayer once did. Too bad he plays three time zones away from most of us.
- Live by the poke, die by the poke. Martin Brodeur doesn't miss often, but when he does it's ugly. Just savor what you just saw of him this postseason -- retirement is probable if there's a labor stoppage. And there's almost a certainty of that.
- Over-under on how long before the Cup ends up beside the Hollywood sign? Sunrise would be sweet, but it'll need a DD. Maybe Taylor Stevens can help.
- There were a lot of great post-game interviews, but Jeff Carter really wasn't one of them.
- Adam Henrique really is the future leader of the Devils. And they'll need him sooner rather than later, won't they.
- Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Drew Doughty, et al, managed to do something that Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille, Dave Taylor, Bernie Nichols and Rob Blake never did, at least while wearing the same jersey. Congratulations to the 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings, Stanley Cup champions.