With a six combined championships won by the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and New England Patriots in the past 10 years, the Boston Bruins were stuck at the bottom of the totem pole in the hearts of Boston sports fans. The Bruins repeatedly broke fans' hearts, especially for the past 3 years, when they were eliminated from the playoffs each year in a decisive Game 7. They could not be trusted to win a big game.

Those days are now over. When Bruins defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara hoisted the Stanley Cup over his head June 16 in Vancouver, a 39-year title drought ended for the Bruins. The pain and agony of an organization, a state and a region vanished. Just like that, the Bruins became kings of the hockey world.

The Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals to capture the sixth championship in the team's 87-year history with 37 saves from goalie Tim Thomas and 2 goals apiece from center Patrice Bergeron and forward Brad Marchand.

The clinching game was the first time in Bruins history that the team won a Game 7 on the road. They also became the first team in National Hockey League History to win three Game 7s in one postseason.

Once Game 7 ended, Thomas became the oldest Conn Smyth Trophy winner, given to the most valuable player of the playoffs, in NHL history. Thomas set records for the most saves in the playoffs with 798 and in the Stanley Cup Finals with 238, not bad for a 37-year-old goalie who did not start one playoff game last year for the Bruins.

Thomas also beat out Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo, who criticized Thomas' playing style during the series, for the Vezina Trophy, given to the league's best goalie during the regular season.

With the Stanley Cup back in the Hub of Hockey, hundreds of thousands of Bruins fans attended the team's June 18 victory parade, which stretched across the streets of Boston from the TD Garden to Copley Square. Bruins players, coaches and management rode in Boston Duck Tour duck boats and thanked the loyal Bruins fan base that waited so long for a title.

Books, magazine articles and DVDs have all been made over the last several months chronicling the Bruins' Stanley Cup season, but Boston sports fans aren't satisfied, and are already looking forward to adding to their Bruins collections next season. It all starts Oct. 1, when the Bruins raise the banner celebrating last season to the TD Garden rafters in their regular season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. For the second year in a row, the Justice will have the inside scoop on all the action. Be sure to check back as the season progresses for weekly updates from our reporters at the games.

Hockey is back in Boston. See you in October.