Bearded Ice – June 4

MiHockey’s Stefan Kubus here with you to start your work week off on the right foot.

Quick Hits

Davison native Tim Thomas put rumors to rest yesterday, confirming he is indeed taking a year-long sabbatical that will see him sit out the 2012-13 NHL season.

Former MSU Spartan Trevor Nill – son of former NHL player and current Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill – will be attending the St. Louis Blues training camp. The Novi native was drafted 190th overall by the Blues in 2007.

As the Los Angeles Kings went up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night, see why Rochester Hills native Alec Martinez was our Michi-gamer of the night.

Highlight Reel

Courtesy of NHL.com and TSN, here’s a Top-5 countdown of Stanley Cup Final heroes to get you ready for tonight’s game.

Outside the Mitten

The Kings made it 10-0 on the road in Game 2, tying an NHL record for most road playoff wins. New Jersey did it in ’95, and Kings’ coach Darryl Sutter did it previously behind the bench of the ’04 Calgary Flames.

Jonathan Quick improved to 14-2 in the postseason, with a sparkling 1.44 GAA and .947 SP. He has a pair of shutouts to go along with that. You have to think he’s a favorite, if not the favorite, for the Conn Smythe.

Check it out

In case you missed it, check out Kings defenseman Drew Doughty go end-to-end for a spectacular goal that opened up the scoring in Game 2. Looked like the 1980s for a minute there.

Next up

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final kicks off tonight at 8pm between the Kings and Devils. The Kings look to take a commanding 3-0 lead at home, while former Plymouth Whalers coach and current New Jersey bench boss Peter DeBoer will try to stymie the Kings’ physical style.