Calgary Buries San Jose to Rule the West

The Calgary Flames did not take the easy path to the Stanley Cup Final. The sixth-place Flames knocked off three division champs to win the 2004 Western Conference title, finishing the job Wednesday with a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.

Goaltender Miikaa Kirpusoff was strong; Jarome Iginla's goal put him atop the playoff scoring race; Craig Conroy had a pair of assists, tying him for the NHL lead. But the real story, again, was the Calgary defense, which held the Sharks to a combined 38 shots in the last two games of the series. The Flames meet Tampa Bay or Philadelphia in the Stanley Cup Final, which begins Tuesday. Read more...