Home ice advantage has been key in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, with the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks each winning three times in their respective arenas.
Before Game 7 in Vancouver Wednesday night, injured (we think) Boston forward Nathan Horton tried a little hockey voodoo to break the trend:
According to accounts from those at Rogers Arena and in the Boston media, that was "Boston water" Horton sprayed on the ice, shades of Mario Lemieux "blessing" the Consol Energy Center ice with Igloo water.
Gotta love the gamesmanship in the championship game, eh? But was it Dirty Water?
Horton hasn't played for the Boston Bruins since being stretchered off the ice with what the team called a "severe concussion" in Game 3, following a hit to the head by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome.
But his presence was felt in every home game in Boston, from Bobby Orr hoisting his player flag before Game 4 to his in-arena appearances in Games 4 and 6.
Rome was given a four-game suspension (i.e. the rest of the series), based partially on that injury. Horton's presence in Vancouver isn't going to sit well with those who felt the suspension was too harsh.
Ahead of Game 7, Horton was rumored to skate in the warm-up for the Bruins but did not. His coach Claude Julien said Horton would not play in Game 7.
Besides, he's already done his job as the most highly-paid waterboy in the NHL.
UPDATE: Hockey voodoo worked. Boston is your Stanley Cup champion, and Horton was on the ice to celebrate: