Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Preview: New Jersey Devils at Los Angeles Kings, 8 p.m. ET. (Kings lead series 3-2). The Kings will try for a third time to win their first Stanley Cup after dropping Games 4 and 5 while scoring a total of two goals in those games. Both teams will not make any changes to their lineup. Kings captain is quite confident that tonight is the night.

Evening reading

• Today's Marek vs. Wyshynski podcast.

• The Boston Bruins have re-signed Chris Kelly (4 years, $13 million) and Gregory Campbell (3 years, $4.8 million), per Bob McKenzie. [TSN]

• Nick Cotsonika on the Devils taking things game by game. [Y!]

• Michael Farber on the LA Kings: "A championship would make the Kings not a team for the ages but a team for their age, an era when all voices seem to resonate with equal force and the inclusive nature of modern playoffs helps sports regress to the mean. Not every man is a king, of course, but the Kings are everyman, a reminder that the first step in winning a lottery is actually buying a ticket.

• Cam girl Taylor Stevens will be back behind the Devils bench tonight. In case you were looking for some related prop bets: "Will Game 6 finish O-O at the end of regulation time?" [Bet on Hockey]

• The story of how one rec players' death help saved the life of another. [Omaha World Herald]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: "Joel" in response to kids taunting bears with hockey sticks:

"But can you use a hockey stick to shampoo a baby bear?"

Only Jeff Marek would know the answer.

Bold prediction: New Jersey forces Game 7 with a 3-2 victory.

It wasn't in Game 4. It wasn't in Game 5. So, will tonight be the night the Los Angeles Kings capture Lord Stanley's Chalice and celebrate the first Cup in franchise history? Or will the New Jersey Devils push thing to seven games with momentum and Taylor Stevens' gravity on their bench?

Please join your friends from Yahoo! Sports, Puck Daddy, Buzzing The Net and the hockey blogosphere for our Game 6 live chat starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT! You bring the funny; we bring the abrupt changes in tone and Hamburger Women. That's how it works.

This was literally a game-changer in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final: On a brutal sequence between the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings, forward Steve Bernier of New Jersey hit Rob Scuderi from behind into the end boards — cutting him, earning a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Like we said: Game-changer. The Kings scored three power play on the five-minute major — two by Dustin Brown, another by Trevor Lewis — to lead 3-0; leaving Devils coach Peter DeBoer screaming at the officials about the missed call on Jarret Stoll's earlier hit on Stephen Gionta.

[Related: Taylor Stevens can't even cheer up Devils Coach Peter DeBoer in Game 6]

Here's the Bernier hit with the Stoll hit at the end of the clip:

The Kings have had one of the worst power plays in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not tonight.

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In Game 4, New Jersey Devils Coach Pete DeBoer had the best seat in the house: Watching his team win at Staples Center, and standing in front of adult video star (and instant hockey celebrity) Taylor Stevens.

In Game 6, DeBoer watched his team give up three goals on a 5-minute major to Steve Bernier in the first period and … well, let's just say the Devils coach is dreading seeing any kind of Cups on Monday night. Thus, Taylor Stevens' sparkly Los Angeles Kings shirt and other assets are wasted.

#SadDeBoer

By the way: Taylor Stevens is auctioning off her outfits at Game 6 on eBay and donating all proceeds to lymphoma cancer foundation and obesity foundation. Stevens, a hockey fan born in Toronto, battled lymphoma last year.

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In the second period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, Pierre Racicot did what no NHL linesman ever wants to do: Become an impediment for one team, a benefit to the other and influence an eventual scoring play.

Here's Racicot setting a pick on New Jersey Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov, giving the Los Angeles Kings' Dustin Brown a free pass deep into the New Jersey zone moments before Jeff Carter's second goal of the game to make it 4-0 for the Kings.

Along with the unfortunate contact with Volchenkov, Racicot was bloodied by the defenseman's stick as his helmet slammed down on the ice.

This sent the Devils bench, and assistant coach Adam Oates in particular, into a fury. They were already wound up after a controversial first period boarding call on forward Steve Bernier against Rob Scuderi — leading to a 5-minute major penalty and three Los Angeles Kings goals.

[Related: Taylor Stevens can't even cheer up Devils Coach Peter DeBoer in Game 6]

The controversy? There was a potential boarding call on LA's Jarret Stoll against the Devils' Stephen Gionta earlier in the sequence that went unpenalized; in theory, the play would have been blown dead as soon as Scuderi touched the puck, meaning Bernier would have never hit him. Again, in theory.

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The Los Angeles Kings won their first Stanley Cup since the franchise was founded in 1967, eliminating the New Jersey Devils in Game 6, 6-1, on Monday night.

Goalie Jonathan Quick was given the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.

Dustin Brown had a 3-point night, and Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis each had two goals in the Kings' victory, the crowning achievement for one of the most improbable postseason journeys in NHL history.

They're the first No. 8 seed to ever win the Stanley Cup. They tied an NHL record for road wins, going 10-1 away from home before winning the Cup on Staples Center ice. Overall, the Kings were 16-4 in the playoffs -- one of the best records in decades for a Stanley Cup champion.

In the regular season, they fired coach Terry Murray 29 games into the season in favor of Darryl Sutter, who won his first Cup. They made a gutsy, blockbuster trade for Jeff Carter of the Columbus Blue Jackets during near the deadline, and he scored twice in the Cup-clinching game.

The Devils, meanwhile, fell short in their attempt to become the first time since 1942 to rally from an 0-3 deficit to win the Stanley Cup.

It was a game that turned on a brutal boarding penalty — both in timing and result — by Devils forward Steve Bernier on Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi, bloodying the Los Angeles veteran with a hit from behind at the end boards at 10:10 of the first period.

The hit — arriving moments after a non-call on Kings forward Jarret Stoll for a hit from behind on the Devils' Steven Gionta near the benches — resulted in a 5-minute power play for the Kings.

The Kings entered the game with the third-worst power play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (10.6 percent).

They struck three times on that major penalty power play, burying the Devils early in the game.

At 11:03, captain Dustin Brown struck, as Mike Richards deftly moved the puck to Drew Doughty, who found Brown for a perfect deflection through the pads of Devils goalie Marty Brodeur. The team that scored the first goal won each game of the Stanley Cup Final.

At 12:45, it was Jeff Carter of the Kings to make it 2-0, tipping home a Brown shot from in front of Brodeur.

At 15:01, with nine seconds remaining on the power play, Trevor Lewis scored the third goal with a backhand at point blank range against Brodeur:

The Kings would take a 4-0 lead in the second period on another Carter goal, on a strange play that included linesman Pierre Racicot accidentally setting a pick on a Devils defenseman. The Devils cut it to 4-1 with a late second-period goal by Adam Henrique.

Lewis added an empty net goal, and Matt Greene scored another late in the third period to complete the 6-1 rout.

The Devils were undisciplined from the opening whistle, looking disorganized as the Kings peppered Brodeur with 13 shots in the first period. New Jersey entered the game with the third-fewest penalty minutes per game in the playoffs with 8.7; they had 47 PIMs to the Kings' 6.

That allowed the Kings to carry play like they hadn't in consecutive losses tot he Devils. The New Jersey did get their chances, Quick was there, making 15 saves.

Quick was one of the players that helped the Kings dominate on the road. But in Game 6, it was a party in LA for the Kings and their fans -- the famous ones like David Beckham and Matthew Perry, and the long-suffering ones that had waited decades to see this team do what Wayne Gretzky couldn't do in the Kings' only other trip to the Final in 1993: Bring hockey's Holy Grail to Hollywood for the first time in 45 years.

"You carry the weight for your teammates, that's the weight you really carry. That's who you're playing for." — Jonathan Quick during Stanley Cup Media Day.

In the monster that was the 2012 Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, goaltender Jonathan Quick was the spine; keeping the team upright and supporting the weight of a season he had to carry until tonight when the pressure was finally released.

During the regular season, Quick played to a level that moved him into the status of elite goaltender. He earned a Vezina Trophy nomination for the NHL's top goaltender and depending on who you talk to, one could make a case Quick should have been a finalist for the Hart Trophy for league MVP.

On Monday night, as the Kings won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, Quick's monumental season was capped off with the awarding of the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the playoffs. His goals-against average of 1.41 is the best by any Stanley Cup-winning goalie since Jacques Plante's 1.35 GAA in 1960. His save-percentage of .946 is the best by any goaltender in NHL playoff history with at least 10 starts. For as great as Quick was during the regular season, he was even better in the playoffs.

Nine times during the regular season the Kings managed to lose a game after Quick allowed just a single goal. Quick could have easily complained about a lack of goal support from his teammates, but he didn't. He knew in those moments he needed to carry his teammates. Not the biggest talker, or fan of dealing with the media, Quick continued to let his play speak the loudest.

The 26-year old Milford, Conn. native becomes the third American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, following Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers in 1994 and Tim Thomas last year with the Boston Bruins. His 2011-12 season puts him in the drivers' seat to be the No. 1 goaltender for Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia should the NHL and the NHLPA come to an agreement to go in two years time.

Once the days of Wayne Gretzky ended, the Kings were again lost in the shuffle of the Los Angeles sports scene. With the Clippers and Lakers eliminated early in the NBA playoffs this spring, it was the Kings' chance to grab the spotlight. Now with another championship to celebrate, the city of Los Angeles will have a summer-long party with Stanley and a parade that will feature a hockey team for a change.

Hollywood is full of star makers. Tonight, Jonathan Quick just became its latest and brightest one.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

No. 1 Star: Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings

Brown told reporters Monday morning that "tonight is the night" and he sure backed that up. Having not scored since Game 1 against the Phoenix Coyotes, the Kings captain scored the opening goal on the power play and assisted on the second one 1:42 later and Jeff Carter's second of the night early in the second period as the Kings won the Stanley Cup with a 6-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.

Brown finishes tied with Anze Kopitar for the scoring lead with 20 points.

No. 2 Star: Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings

Carter capped off the playoffs with a pair of goals, his third and fourth of the series. He finishes with eight in the playoffs and 13 points.

No. 3 Star: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

With a pair of assists, Doughty finished a huge playoffs with points in 10 of his final 13 games and 16 points to finish fourth overall in scoring.

Honorable mention: Trevor Lewis chipped in two goals ... The Kings power play scored three times on a five-minute major in the first period and finished 3-for-9 in the game ... Los Angeles becomes the first No. 8 seed to ever win the Stanley Cup ... Dustin Brown joins Derien Hatcher (1999, Dallas) as the only American-born captains to win the Cup ... Jonathan Quick is the third American to win the Conn Smythe. Brian Leetch (1994, New York Rangers) and Tim Thomas (2011, Boston) are the other two ... The Kings finish 16-4 in the postseason.

Dishonorable mention: Tough night for Steve Bernier and the referees ... The final penalty minute totals: New Jersey-47, Los Angeles-6 ... This is the last meaningful hockey game until October, we hope.

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After winning the first Stanley Cup in Los Angeles Kings franchise history, and the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, goalie Jonathan Quick took his customary place at the podium for the postgame press conference.

Also in the room: Madison, his 2-year-old daughter, who marched around with a Kings flag, took over the microphone at one point, caused some panic by choking on food and was generally the single most adorable thing we've seen in the NHL postseason.

Watch and enjoy … or knowingly squirm if you're a fellow parent:

Glad the little one was OK after that choking bit. Quick's best save of the game?

Pretty amazing that (a) a 2-year-old probably said more than Quick and Coach Darryl Sutter combined and (b) that Sutter managed to keep it together while an endearing moppet marched with a battle flag behind him.

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Winning the Stanley Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime event. The emotion can overwhelm. It can bring grown men to tears. And it can also lead to swearing on live television. In the elation of that moment, players tend to forget to censor themselves.

Such is the case for Kings' captain Dustin Brown, who briefly forgot that NBC was a family network during his post-championship interview with Pierre McGuire. Warning: NSFW for strong language. Obviously.

"It's why we f****** play."

If he hadn't just captained his team to a Stanley Cup and scored two goals in the process, I'd say slipping an F-bomb past Pierre "quickest mute button in the West" McGuire was his biggest accomplishment of the night.

I like the brief, awkward pause that follows, although McGuire doesn't even blink, because he is a consummate professional (and also an android that manually moistens his eyeballs once every three hours).

But Brown wasn't the only swear bear on the Kings.

Jonathan Quick also seemed to think he had won the Cup on HBO. The same NSFW: Strong Language warning applies:

You're slipping, Pierre. That's two in one night.

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It was the hit that changed the game and the entire series.

Steve Bernier's boarding call on Rob Scuderi midway through the first period gave the Los Angeles Kings a five-minute power play on which they would score three times en route to winning Game 6 6-1 and their first Stanley Cup.

Bernier was also ejected, leaving the Devils with one less forward for the rest of the game as they attempted to dig themselves out of a three-goal hole and force a Game 7.

Moments before Bernier's game misconduct, Kings forward Jarret Stoll hit Stephen Gionta from behind raising the ire of the Devils' bench after no penalty was given. New Jersey was still fuming about the Stoll non-call and Bernier ejection after the game, but head coach Peter DeBoer and captain Zach Parise kept their emotions in check and didn't reveal their feelings.

[Photos: Devils' Stanley Cup comeback falls short against Kings]

"Trust me, I'd love to sound off on that right now, but I'm not gonna," said Parise when asked about the Stoll hit.

"You know what, tonight is about L.A. and letting them celebrate," said DeBoer. "If you want to ask me about that in about a week, I'll give you my honest opinion on it."

A remorseful Bernier said he didn't watch the rest of the game from the locker room. Instead, he listened to the crowd to judge how the game was going. The four-minute span of cheering immediately following his penalty had to have been gut-wrenching as Los Angeles grabbed a 3-0 lead.

"You want to have a strong forecheck," said Bernier. "As the first guy you need to finish your hit. That's exactly what I did."

Bernier also said he didn't see the Stoll hit on Gionta just before his his on Scuderi and as his teammates came back to the locker room after the first period, they were nothing but encouraging.

"You feel for him because in that situation," said Parise. "When you get a five-minute penalty, they score three times on it, of course you're gonna feel like it's your fault, but it's not. We can't fault him for that. It's how he's gotta play. You feel for him."

The Devils' penalty kill -- tops in the NHL during the regular season, but near the bottom of the pack in the playoffs -- allowed the Kings' putrid power play to capitalize and put the game out of reach early. It killed any momentum New Jersey was building and quickly ended any thoughts of a comeback.

"It's no one's fault," said David Clarkson. "There's no fingers pointed anywhere at the refs or anybody.

"We dug ourselves a bit of a hole there and couldn't come out of it."

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Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

The Los Angeles Kings' run to the 2012 Stanley Cup championship put the spotlight on several players; but outside of Jonathan Quick, perhaps no one's stock rose higher than that of Anze Kopitar.

The Kings center had a star-making performance in tying for the playoff lead in points (20) and goals (8), finishing with a plus-16. His overtime goal in Game 1 against the New Jersey Devils set the tone for the series.

So as the Kings skated the Cup in their coronation, Kopitar decided to look the part: Wearing a costume crown as he celebrated with teammates like Mike Richards:

Heavy hangs the head that wears the novelty crown after winning the Stanley Cup.

s/t Erin Nicks for the top image.

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After his boarding penalty led to three Los Angeles Kings power-play goals in the first period, New Jersey Devils forward Steve Bernier was seen by many as the goat of the Devils' Game 6 loss. After the Kings clinched the Cup with a 6-1 win, Bernier was remorseful about his hit on Scuderi and the Devils supported him.

The fans were a bit more critical, as was evident from the edits made to his Wikipedia page following Bernier's hit on Rob Scuderi:

To the surprise of no one, Bernier's page was locked for edits during Game 6.

s/t Kellie Duffy and Dustin Pollack.

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We're thrilled for so many of our Los Angeles Kings fan readers and bloggin' buddies on the occasion of their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. But we hold a special place in our thoughts for actor Wil Wheaton, a Kings die-hard in a sea of celebrity bandwagon jumpers (and someone kind enough to help us with Hockey Guilty Pleasures last August).

Here's Twitter king and geek icon Wil Wheaton celebrating the Cup on Monday night, as only Wil Wheaton would:

1. Sweet friggin' Rogie Vachon jersey, sir.

2. Every fan celebration video should include some sort of kazoo accompaniment. In this case, Europe's "The Final Countdown."

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The LAPD was out in full force in Downtown Los Angeles Monday night, just to manage things if tempers began to flare. Fortunately for them, the Kings won, so the police were dealing with happy drunks, not angry drunks.

Plus the Kings' fanbase has shown their greenness at times this postseason. They probably don't know about the rich history of Stanley Cup riots in the NHL's most dedicated hockey cities. (Granted, they have a rich history of rioting for other reasons, so it's not like they don't know how.)

In any case, the atmosphere was light and, according to the LAPD, the crowd was well-behaved. From the LA Times:

Los Angeles police said Kings fans outside Staples Center were generally well-behaved Monday night as officers continued to clear the streets along Figueroa. Late Monday, police said streets in the area had been cleared.

Earlier, the LAPD credited fans with generally being well-behaved.

"The bottom line is this was a really good crowd, and they celebrated as normal adults do," said Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Andrew Smith as he stood near a wall of officers in riot gear on Figueroa.

Of course, since mobs are never 100% law-abiding, there was a little violence. Six people were arrested, and the LAPD had to fire less-than-lethal rounds at a crowd of people trying to rock a bus. (In their defence, it was the Vengabus.)

A few people were taken in for public drunkenness, and another person was arrested inside Staples Center for battery after he was dancing provacatively and rubbing up against a female security guard." One assumes he was drunk as well.

But if you ask me, this cyclist that just happened to find himself in the path of a happy stampede got the worst of the mob. Warning: NSFW: Graphic Violence:

According to Getty, this cyclist fell into the crowd of people stampeding away from Staples Center.

Yikes. Hope he's okay.

For the most part, the crowd was even somewhat self-regulating. As an example, this guy tries to get into it with a few people, and someone else comes up and clocks him in the back of the head with a skateboard before undercover LAPD officers take him into custody. Warning: NSFW Language.

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The Los Angeles Kings lifted the Stanley Cup on Monday night, bringing an end to the 2011-12 NHL season. It was a great year, and even if the postseason was a little more defensive-minded than some of us wanted, it remained hockey, the greatest sport on earth, and thus, it remained great.

If you need one last reminder that hockey is excellent, look no further than the CBC's final montage of the season? Sure, the whole thing is set to Coldplay, but we'll forgive them that because it's still teeming with fantastic hockey moments from the year that was.

Just jump ahead to about the 10-minute mark and let the CBC play us out:

A pretty good year, in this dude's humble opinion.

Now then. Someone lock Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr in a room until they work out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Or fall in love. I don't really care, just so long as the 2012-13 season begins on time.

s/t to the Pensblog.

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The Los Angeles Kings have captured the Stanley Cup. The 2012 NHL Playoffs are over. Hence, it's time for the annual shaving of the playoff beards, as players and fans lose their postseason foliage until next spring — provided they're again honored with a playoff run to sustain the scruff.

That goes for you too, ladies. Especially if you've been growing a playoff beard for your Luc Robitaille armpit tattoo:

This arrived last night via reader Ryan Malia, who writes:

"I met this woman at the bar tonight watching the game, she had a Luc Robitaille armpit tattoo, and she grew him a playoff beard. Epic."

Because sometimes you need to ink up your armpit to support your favorite player ... Because sometimes playoff tradition trumps the society norms of body grooming ...

Because it's the Cup.

Mere seconds after the Los Angeles Kings were crowned champions on Monday night, waves of Stanley Cup winner swag hit online retailers and stores around LA.

That included the one piece of gear that's our annual obsession here at Puck Daddy: The official Stanley Cup champions hats.

This season's New Era hats ($32) aren't black, which is a understandable from a graphic standpoint but disappointing from a Los Angeles Kings standpoint. One imagines this was going to be a one-template-fits-all design for the New Jersey Devils or Los Angeles Kings, meaning that it would have been the second drab gray hat for a Devils' Cup champion. But thanks to Steve Bernier, that's immaterial now.

For a point of comparison, here are the last two Stanley Cup champs hats from the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks:

At a minimum, the Kings' Cup hats are an improvement over the Bruins lids, which look like rejected designs from a corporate picnic.

Despite not being the slick black hats we pictured in our minds' eye, the 2012 lids are solid. The white threading, the "CHAMPIONS" font, the balance of the whole thing … it's something every Los Angeles fan can wear with pride until the Lakers' next champions hat.

But what say you?

Pass or Fail: The Los Angeles Kings' 2012 Stanley Cup champions official hat.

Bonus question: Do you have a favorite Cup champs hat?

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Zach Parise cut off the questioner after the New Jersey Devils' Game 6 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, who hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time on Monday night. It was the inevitable question about his future with the team as an unrestricted free agent.

"I'm not talking about that," was Parise's response.

But when it comes to the Devils, it's all anyone will want to talk about for the next few weeks — especially with Martin Brodeur sounding very much like he'll be back for another season, draining that situation of lingering doubt.

Parise is the Devils' captain, drafted by the team in 2003 and playing all of his 502 career NHL games with them. Said Brodeur last night:

"They need to try to lock him in and lure him into staying. He's a franchise player and a guy the fans love. As a captain, he's a great leader, and he did a great job first year as a captain to bring a team counted out early in the season to what we accomplished."

But Parise is just one of several question marks for next season facing the Eastern Conference champions.

Among the Devils' mysteries:

Bryce Salvador

The Devils' biggest playoff revelation could be in for a free-agent windfall. Salvador posted 14 points in 24 games and played to a plus-9 — the steadiest blue-liner for New Jersey and one of their best stories, having missed all of last season with an inner ear malady. His playoff point total would have tied his career best for an entire season.

Salvador made $2.9 million last season. He's 36 years old.

The Grunts

The Devils' best line on many nights during the postseason? Their fourth line of Steve Bernier, Ryan Carter and Stephen Gionta. All three are unrestricted free agents. Was this lightning in a bottle for coach Peter DeBoer, or is this a group that can return to give the team a solid energy line?

OK, what we're really asking here: Can Steve Bernier come back to the Devils after doing this in Game 6?

Adam Oates

The Devils' assistant coach, last seen unleashing hell on the Game 6 officials after a linesman picked Anton Volchenkov on the Kings' fourth goal, is considered a dark horse candidate to fill the Washington Capitals' coaching vacancy. His work with the Devils' special teams was outstanding this season, even if they underwhelmed in the playoffs. Losing him from DeBoer's staff could be significant.

Zach Parise

The Parise Derby starts now, with nearly every team in the NHL likely to kick the tires on the 27-year-old winger (28 next month). That includes the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Detroit Red Wings, the Minnesota Wild and even the Los Angeles Kings.

He made a base salary of $6 million last season after arbitration with the Devils, and Larry Brooks of the NY Post opined that he could be in line for a Brad Richards level deal:

Indeed, Parise can expect offers modeled after the nine-year, $60 million contract Brad Richards signed last summer with the Rangers, under which the center is receiving $24 million the first two years, including a $10 million signing bonus last July and an $8 million signing bonus due next month.

While the Devils have ownership issues they're in the process of settling, President/GM/Ruler of All He Surveys Lou Lamoriello has said the team has the finances to bring Parise back. It's just a matter of whether Parise wants to remain a Devil.

The next two years will dramatically change the Devils. One assumes 2012-13 will be Brodeur's last ride. As of right now, the Devils have five players under contract for 2013-14 — creating the opportunity for a massive reconfiguration of their roster. Question is, will Lamoriello be the one to reconfigure it? Or does his time end when Brodeur's does?

As you've no doubt heard, the 2012 Stanley Cup Final will not go down as a ratings blockbuster for NBC and NBC Sports Network, despite the presence of the New York and Los Angeles markets. There are reasons why this happened; there's also the thought that kvetching about the ratings is akin to relieving one's self in a hurricane.

Every game of the 2012 Final trailed the ratings from last year's battle between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks. That is until the Los Angeles Kings' 6-1 blowout win in Game 6 against the New Jersey Devils on Monday night, in which they not only captured their first Stanley Cup but a solid rating for NBC as well.

From Steve Lepore of SB Nation:

Game 6 drew a 4.0/7 overnight rating, up 3% from Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. It was the first game of the series to see bigger numbers than last year's. It was a growth of 35% from Game 5's overnight, which was previously the highest of the series.

The Kings' Stanley Cup clinching drew a 13.6/25 in Los Angeles, meaning one in every four people with a television on in the market was watching the Kings emerge victorious. It was the highest-rated hockey game on record in Los Angeles, surpassing Game 7 of Devils-Ducks in 2003 (10.0/18).

Lepore writes that the game did a 5.0/8 in New York, which was down from a 5.1 for Game 1 but still impressive given that Game 6 was practically over after the opening 20 minutes.

The Kings' victory peaked nationally with a 5.0/8 during the 10:30 p.m. ET hour, a.k.a. Cup time. According to TV Media Insights, that last half hour of the Cup Final (4.22 million viewers) still ranked behind reruns of ABC's "Castle" (4.85 million) and CBS's "Hawaii Five-0" (5.77 million) in total viewership, but its 1.7 rating in the adults 18-49 demo was No. 1 for the timeslot.