Stanley Cup

The Flyers' struggles down the stretch have not dampened the expectations of Philadelphia sports fans, a year after the team's amazing run to the Stanley Cup finals. In a poll as part of the ongoing "Philly Fan Project" with the Daily News and Temple University's Sport Industry Research Center, 44 percent of respondents said they expected the Flyers to reach the Stanley Cup final, with 33 percent saying they expected the team to win. Another 30 percent said they expected the Flyers to lose in the Eastern Conference final, 19 percent said they will lose in the second round and 7 percent predicted a loss in the first round.

A replica of the Stanley Cup made from 6,000 Lego bricks that was stolen from a Las Vegas show earlier this week has been found. Brian Copp, of Tucson, Ariz., told police he was working in Las Vegas when he bought the cup for $50. He contacted police when he saw an article about the stolen model in a newspaper. "He was being a good Samaritan," Tucson police spokeswoman Kathy Wendling said yesterday. "He was being a good kid, doing the right thing. " Copp could not immediately be reached for comment yesterday.

TWO FRANCHISES, rich in history, talent and star power. Two winning teams that know what it takes to bring home the Stanley Cup. Intrigue, in the form of a schedule that kept them away from each other for an entire season. Oh, there's plenty to love about this series. The Stanley Cup finals kick off Wednesday night when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Boston Bruins in the first finals matchup of Original Six franchises since Montreal beat the New York Rangers in five games way back in 1979.

The Red Wings' chances to challenge Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin improved greatly the day before tonight's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals when their battered blue line got good news. Six-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom said he will play in the series opener after missing two games with a lower-body injury, and Detroit coach Mike Babcock declared another defenseman, Jonathan Ericsson, fit to play. Ericsson, though, wasn't 100 percent certain. The rookie can be cut some slack about playing just 3 days after his appendix was removed.

Chris Drury was a history major at Boston University, so the question seemed appropriate. Hey, Chris, do you remember the Colorado Rockies? "The baseball team? Sure," he said with a smile. Drury was a newborn when hockey's Colorado Rockies opened their inaugural 1976-77 NHL season, and he was nearing his 6th birthday when the foundering team was sold and moved to New Jersey in 1982. Nineteen years later, Denver's forgettable hockey past will collide with its vibrant hockey present when the New Jersey Devils face the Colorado Avalanche for the Stanley Cup. Game 1 is Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Twice, somebody has tried to swipe it. So you can appreciate the low profile: white panel van, no markings. Two puck-slapping, thirtysomething guys inside. What they had could've stopped traffic on Broad Street. The Stanley Cup. It's back - but only for a visit. Phil Pritchard and Craig Campbell pulled into a dingy loading area on the north side of 30th Street Station about 6:20 last night. That was nearly 11 hours after they left the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, where the Cup resides between road trips.

Now that he stood at what he said would be the top of the mountain, what would be Bob Johnson's encore? A Stanley Cup? Having upset the two-time defending champion Oilers last night, his Calgary Flames suddenly are the favorites to win it all. Still, Johnson left it to his assistant coaches to hurry the gratified players to the charter flight that would take them home for tomorrow night's opening semifinal game against St. Louis. Johnson had waited and plotted too long - for four years - not to take the time to bask in the greatest triumph of his life.

Except for Gary Bettman, nobody handed the Stanley Cup to the Blackhawks. To the immense credit of the Flyers, Chicago's first championship in 49 years was hard-earned. In time, the Flyers will take solace in the quality of their effort, their tenacity, their persistence despite grim injuries and daunting deficits. They will be able to look back on this series with pride. In the moment, though, as Jonathan Toews lifted the Stanley Cup in celebration, the pain and disappointment were in direct proportion to the heart and soul invested in the attempt to win their own franchise's first title in 35 years.

EVERYBODY HAS A theory, an innovation that will bring the NHL to national prominence. Some big, some small. Designate a weekly hockey night, former Flyers captain Keith Primeau says. That's how his family - like so many others - came to love the game in Canada. Focus on the barely breathing small-market teams, a sports business expert at Temple University says. And why not give the viewer a window into the players' personalities during the broadcast? Rick Tocchet, who has spent 27 years in the NHL as a player and a coach and is now an analyst for Comcast SportsNet, remembers seeing Flyers captain Dave Poulin take seven needles to his ribs before every game of the 1987 Stanley Cup finals.

8 o'clock, United Center, Chicago TV: NBC. Radio: WIP (610-AM) Frank Seravalli's keys to Game 1 1. Battling Byfuglien. What kind of impact will Dustin Byfuglien have in Game 1? Will Joel Quenneville match him up against Chris Pronger? 2. Neutralize speed. The Montreal Canadiens were the Flyers' quickest opponent in the playoffs thus far. Chicago's speed is a different animal. 3. Lights-out Leighton. Goalie Michael Leighton cannot afford a slow start against the Blackhawks, who will likely pound the Flyers in shots.