Bruce Boudreau

Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, left, and goalie Frederik Andersen celebrate after their series win against the Calgary Flames in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

(Chris Carlson)

On May 30, 2006, the Hershey Bears and Portland Pirates played a classic Game 7 of their Eastern Conference finals series in the Calder Cup playoffs.

On Saturday night, another May 30, the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks will play Game 7 of their Western Conference finals series in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Remarkable connections tie together two elimination games separated by nine years.

"

I think there's a lot of common denominators in that Game 7 with the people that are involved with it," Bears head coach Troy Mann said Thursday. "You just hope that the good guys win."

Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, Mann's coaching mentor, was Hershey's head coach. Blackhawks assistant coach Kevin Dineen was Portland's head coach.

Anaheim forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry played for Portland against Boudreau and current Ducks teammate Tomas Fleischmann.

Dan Stuck

"

It's crazy," Bears trainer Dan "Beaker" Stuck said. "If you look at their bench, Chicago, you have Dineen. We beat him Game 7 at the Giant Center."

Hershey won 5-4 in overtime on an Eric Fehr goal at 9:07 after Graham Mink had tied it 4-4 for Hershey with 2:09 left in the third period. The Bears went on to beat the Milwaukee Admirals in the Calder Cup Finals.

Game 7 marked the only game of the series for Getzlaf (0-0-0) and Perry (1-0-1), reassigned to Portland after Anaheim was eliminated from the playoffs. Fleischmann had a goal and two assists for Hershey.

"

You get chills thinking about Eric Fehr," Stuck said. "I look back, going down the wing there and taking that shot and winning it.

"

If you think about it, that wasn't even for the Calder Cup. It was a Game 7 to get in the finals. But I still think that game, for me, will go down as one of the best games that I've seen and been a part of."

That championship run marked an end to the AHL playoff frustration Boudreau had endured as head coach of the Manchester Monarchs.

With Anaheim's current postseason run, he is in the process of trying to end a similar spate of NHL playoff frustration.

"

You reflect back and Bruce is in a very, very similar situation," Bears President-GM Doug Yingst said. "Now knowing that it's on the same day, you certainly have to favor Bruce and Anaheim to come through again.

"

To get where he's at now, with the possibility of getting into the Stanley Cup finals, I think is a tribute to him and a tribute to his coaching demeanor and coaching success. He's an outstanding coach. He certainly deserves to be in the finals."

Tomas Fleischmann, shown here playing for Hershey in 2009, had a goal and two assists in Game 7 against Portland. CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News 2009

Mann and Stuck have remained in touch with Boudreau via text messages during the playoffs.

"

I'm sure there are some demons with him that he's been overcoming now that he's been able to get to that conference final," Mann said. "For him, the next step, hopefully, is that he gets into the Stanley Cup Final.

"

He certainly deserves it. I think the stats show that he's, I think, the winningest coach in the NHL in terms of winning percentage since he came into the league."

Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya was a 2001 Washington Capitals draft pick. He never played for Hershey or Washington, but he did participate in Washington's 2005 development camp at Giant Center.

Ducks equipment manager Doug "Sluggo" Shearer , formerly with the Caps, is an Elizabethtown native and the uncle of Bears equipment manager Josh Carter.

"

Now it's a new Game 7 back in Anaheim," Stuck said. "For us, I'm hoping it goes Anaheim's way, for sure. I want to see Bruce win.

"

I sent him a text about as much as he's nervous, we're all nervous for him, too. I told him good things happen to great people. For Bruce's sake, things hopefully will work out for him that way. He's a great guy and the hockey gods will look after him."

Portland was the Eastern Conference's top seed in 2005-06 . But because of building availability issues, Hershey hosted Game 7 in a series that featured a 2-2-2-1 format.

Anaheim, the Western Conference's top seed, will host Game 7 at Honda Center.

Troy Mann

"

You can have your team feed off the energy in the building," Mann said. "The crowds, for me, can create momentum changes throughout the game for you. You have a good power play where you get a number of scoring chances but maybe don't get the goal, just the crowd into it throughout the chances you get for the power play can create maybe another four- or five-minute momentum shift still in your favor 5-on-5 that might create a goal.

"

You just hope that your players can feed off the energy in the crowd and not be the other side of the coin where they come in a little bit tighter, a little bit nervous, because they are at home. I think there's advantages for both sides. I think the way the buildings are nowadays, there's really maybe no true home-ice advantage. But I think every coach would say, if you're going to play a Game 7, then you'd prefer to play it at home."

NOTEBOOK

Boudreau had playoff MVP goalie Frederic Cassivi in net in 2005-06. In Anaheim, he is riding goalie Frederik Andersen in net.