Tim Thomas had improbable route to Cup stardom

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The Bruins celebrated on the ice in Vancouver after winning the 2011 Stanley Cup in seven games.

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As the series began, signs of support -- such as the ducklings statues dressed in Bruins garb -- popped up around Boston. Chloe Schouela, 2, took in the statues.

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In Vancouver, fans displayed similar team spirit with a statue at the Lions Gate Bridge wearing a Canucks jersey.

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The Canucks' Daniel Sedin sits on Bruins goalie Tim Thomas after a collision in Game 1 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

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The Canucks exploded in celebration when Raffi Torres clinched the game-winner in Game 1 with 19 seconds left. It was the only goal of the game.

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Milan Lucic celebrated after scoring against Vancouver during the second period of Game 2.

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Daniel Sedin sailed over Thomas during a collision in the third period of Game 2.

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The net cam captured Thomas diving into his net during the first period of Game 2.

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Vancouver's Maxim Lapierre battled Andrew Ference for the puck in front of Thomas during Game 2.

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The Bruins again left disappointed when Alex Burrows notched the game-winning goal just 11 seconds into overtime for a 3-2 victory.

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The series seemed to turn in Game 3 when Aaron Rome knocked Boston's Nathan Horton out of the series with a head injury. Horton was carted off the ice.

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The Bruins seemed to intensify after Horton's injury, and Dennis Seidenberg fought with Vancouver's Ryan Kesler fight in the third period.

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David Krejci and the Bruins had an offensive explosion in Game 3, with an 8-1 win, with all goals coming in the final two periods.

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The Bruins continued to be aggressive in Game 4, with Patrice Bergeron sending Kesler flying with a hit in the first period.

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Tyler Seguin then sent Henrik Sedin to the ice after a collision, while the Bruins coasted to a 4-0 win.

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The Canucks seized the momentum back in Game 5, when they returned home for a 1-0 win powered by a third-period goal by Lapierre.

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Bruins fans got revved up for Game 6, when Stephen Doran and his son, James, drove their Bruins-themed 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme around the streets of Boston.

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While the series went back to Boston, fans still turned out in Vancouver to celebrate a potential Cup-clinching win. There, a Canucks fan playfully grabbed a Bruins fan.

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Tom Gannon of Dorchester brought a good-luck charm to Game 6 -- a piece of the net from the game-winning goal that Bobby Orr scored during the 1970 Stanley Cup Final. Gannon's father was a Boston Police officer and got a piece of the net.

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The Bruins set an early tone in Game 6, with Brad Marchand scoring one of four first-period goals in a 5-2 win.

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Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo let this puck slip past him before getting pulled for Cory Schneider.

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Bruins fans packed the TD Garden for the final series game in Boston.

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Boston's Daniel Paille took down Vancouver's Chris Tanev during Game 6.

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The Bruins kept up the pressure on the Canucks, with Shawn Thornton and Seguin sandwiching Kevin Bieksa during the third period in Game 6.

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Stanley Cup fever heated up in Boston and Vancouver after the Bruins forced a Game 7. GaIan Henry took a picture of himself in front of the Bobby Orr statue at the TD Garden.

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Fans wore their team colors before games in Vancouver, June 15 and June 10, respectively.

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A statue of Lord Stanley was draped in a Canucks sweater holding a replica of the Stanley Cup the day before Game 7.

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Canucks fans waved Canadian flags prior to Game 7.

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Canucks fans taunted Lucic as he sat in the penalty box in the third period of Game 7.

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Bieksa fell after taking one of the Canucks' 37 shots in Game 7.

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Brad Marchand put the Bruins up 2-0 with a wraparound goal in the second period.

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Zdeno Chara leveled Kessler in front of the Bruins net in Game 7.

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Marchand's second goal of the game in the third period put the Bruins up 4-0. That drew a celebration among Bergeron, Mark Recchi and him (left to right) along the bench.

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Chara became the first member of the Bruins to hoist the Stanley Cup in 39 yards after the team closed out a 4-0 win.

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The Bruins gathered for a group photo with the Cup after becoming the first team to win the title while claiming victories in three Games 7.

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After Game 7, people in Vancouver turned over a car as part of an ugly display of rioting.

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Fights broke out in the aftermath of the Canucks' loss.

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Angry fans ran wild, set cars and garbage cans ablaze and smashed windows in the hours following the game.

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Fans watched police cars burn in the aftermath.

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Back in Boston, Bruins fans celebrated the team's first championship in 39 years.

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The scene at sports bars was raucous as fans savored Boston's seventh pro sports title since 2002.

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Alejandro Garbalosa and Kelley Ryan shared a celebratory kiss as the Bruins completed the win.

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Three days after the game, the Bruins became the latest Boston team feted with a Duck Boat parade.

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Lucic hoisted the Stanley Cup to the delight of the cheering fans during the parade.

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Dylan Carvalno, 9, of Fall River, had the Bruins "B" logo shaved into his hair for the occasion.

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The parade snaked through the streets of Boston in front of tens of thousands of fans.

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One fan brought a giant picture of Chara to help fuel the celebration.