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Tampa Bay Lightning: It's hard to forget all those bad Tampa Bay teams when watching the Lightning sweep away the most storied franchise in the NHL, the Canadiens, in the second round. But those bad memories make the Lightning's first trip to the Eastern Conference finals sweeter. "There are a lot of guys who have been here through the bad times. Those are the guys who are really making a difference now," defenseman Brad Lukowich said told the St. Petersburg Times.

Montreal Canadiens: A strong regular season, a comeback from 3-1 to eliminate the Bruins in seven games and a hard-fought series against the conference's top team aren't enough consolation for Montreal after it was swept by Tampa Bay. "There's no tomorrow for us, and right now you don't have too many positive things in your mind," Canadiens captain Saku Koivu told the Toronto Sun.

San Jose Sharks: Slowly the Sharks have earned respect for their impressive season that was surprising to many hockey observers around the continent. But it's taken a bit longer for the core of their defense -- Brad Stuart, Scott Hannan, Kyle McLaren, and Mike Rathje -- to gain attention as some folks would have trouble picking them out of a police lineup.

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