Congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks on winning their first Stanley Cup. Now that some of the newer teams in the East have won it I'm okay with California getting a turn with the greatest trophy on the planet. Hockey is stronger in California than most people think it is, and the Ducks' championship will only help the sport grow even more.

Even though I had been pulling for the Senators I'm excited for the Ducks. How can you not be happy for guys like Rob Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne as they lift the Stanley Cup for the first time? And how nice was that moment when Rob took the Cup from his MVP brother.

Speaking of which, I head a feeling Scott Niedermayer was going to win the Hart Trophy. He wasn't the front-runner, but there really wasn't a strong favorite, and in cases like that it ends up going to either the seasoned veteran/captain or the goalie of the winning team. Giguere was solid but the team was so good overall that he didn't really have to steal games for the Ducks. If it was up to me goalies and pitchers wouldn't win playoff MVP awards unless they single-handedly won championships games for their squads. It's a given that they're the most valuable players on their team just by virtue of the positions they play and I think they should have to be absolutely outstanding to win the award. That's why I like Scott Niedermayer's selection as Hart winner. The captain gets credit for leading a balanced squad and keeping the defense together when Pronger was out.

So congratulations to the Ducks and kudos to the Senators for making it this far.

Some other quick thoughts from the post-game celebrations:

• Teemu's tears with his wife were touching. He's a class act and if this is the end of the road for him he has plenty to be proud of.
• Did you notice the plastic wrap on the cameras, all set for the champagne showers in the locker room?
• How idiotic was it of Pierre McGuire to ask Chris Pronger about Edmonton with his wife beside him and his kids in his arms? It was widely speculated that Pronger left Edmonton for family reasons and it was remarkably rude of McGuire to bring those "tribulations" up in front of Pronger's family. Never mind that it was a stupid question to ask as a guy is celebrating a championship.
• The Niedermayers look like twins with their beards, being interviewed side by side. "Just get the puck to Niedermayer. Which one? It doesn't matter!"
• Props to NBC for sticking with the post-game celebrations long enough to see the Cup get passed around and to do some post-game interviews. It should be a no-brainer, but in past years the broadcaster has cut away as soon as the Cup was awarded.