It only took a few thousand games.

After 18 seasons, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their careers.

The San Jose Sharks clinched their first appearance in the final in their history Wednesday night, ending two long droughts for the Canadian veterans. Marleau played 1,411 regular-season games before reaching the final, while Thornton played 1,367.

"I can't imagine the crap that's been written about them," head coach Peter DeBoer said after his team's big win, according to Yahoo Sports' Josh Cooper.

Patrick Marleau has played more playoff games (165) than anyone in NHL history before their 1st Stanley Cup Final. pic.twitter.com/IE2qusEhw9

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 26, 2016

Marleau and Thornton played a combined 3,093 regular-season and playoff games before being one of the final two teams standing in the spring.

"These guys have been waiting 25 years for this," Thornton said of the organization and fans. "Obviously I've been waiting a long time, too. It's pretty sweet."

Worth the wait, we're sure everyone involved would say.

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A win for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs, courtesy of the San Jose Sharks.

With the Sharks advancing to the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, a conditional 2018 fourth-round draft pick San Jose traded to Toronto for James Reimer becomes a 2018 third-round pick.

With #SJSharks win, #Leafs now receive 2018 SJS 3 instead of 2018 SJS 4 in Reimer deal.https://t.co/RjYR8ekVms pic.twitter.com/lMW5zvJbNa

— General Fanager (@generalfanager) May 26, 2016

The Maple Leafs knew. The Maple Leafs believed in the Sharks.

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Joe Thornton and his beard are going to the Stanley Cup Final. Say it out loud.

And "Jumbo Joe" couldn't care less which team comes out of the Eastern Conference.

"I'll play 'em both, if they want to dress 40 guys," Thornton said.

The Stanley Cup Final begins Monday, in Pittsburgh if the Penguins win, and in San Jose if the Tampa Bay Lightning win.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. - Captain Joe Pavelski scored an early goal, Joel Ward added two of his own and the San Jose Sharks advanced to their first Stanley Cup final in franchise history by beating the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Wednesday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.

Joonas Donskoi also scored, Logan Couture had an empty-netter and Martin Jones made 24 saves as a Sharks team notorious for postseason letdowns will now play for the championship that has eluded stars like Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau for so long.

Thornton assisted on Pavelski's goal to set the tone and Marleau had two assists in the third period that set off chants of ''We Want The Cup! We Want The Cup!''

The Stanley Cup Final starts Monday night.

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The New York Rangers could be in for a major offseason overhaul.

The club is prepared to listen to offers for everyone except Henrik Lundqvist, defensive prospect Brady Skjei, and 21-year-old forward Pavel Buchnevich, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports.

The list of available players includes Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh, as well as forwards Derek Stepan, Derick Brassard, Chris Kreider, and Kevin Hayes, and keeping in mind the expected return, Brooks writes that "nothing is off the table."

Dan Girardi might not be on the untouchable list, but he's unlikely to be moved.

The Rangers reportedly don't plan to buy out the four years and $22 million left on the veteran defenseman's deal. Management hasn't asked him to waive his no-movement clause, and no request from the team is expected.

Girardi played through a cracked kneecap that never truly healed after he suffered it in December, and his play reflected that.

The 32-year-old recorded only 17 points and had the third-worst Corsi For percentage (41.70 at 5-on-5, according to Corsica Hockey) among Rangers skaters in 2015-16.

General Fanager estimates the Rangers will have less than $200,000 in cap space at season's end.

New York had the third-oldest team by average age last season, according to NHL Numbers. The Rangers were eliminated in five games by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs.

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Ward has a pair, and things are looking pretty good for the @SanJoseSharks. #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/wgLisrATGc

— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) May 26, 2016

Joel Ward is taking a page out of Joe Pavelski's book Wednesday night.

Related: DeBoer marvels at Pavelski's hand-eye, commitment to scoring

The San Jose Sharks forward picked up his second goal of the game and sixth of the postseason by redirecting a Logan Couture pass past St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott.

Ward also showed off his hand-eye coordination on his first of the contest.

What a tip by Joel Ward to put the @SanJoseSharks up 2. #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/3zTiwL7Rhd

— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) May 26, 2016

Ward's efforts have helped the Sharks hold the lead in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final, with a win sending them to play for the Cup.

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TORONTO - Zach Sill and Jakub Vrana had two goals apiece as the Hershey Bears routed the Toronto Marlies 8-2 on Wednesday in Game 3 of the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference final. Chris Bourque, Ryan Bourque and Christian Djoos also...

As Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill takes in the Western Conference Final, he feels his team should be there - and he thinks their postseason would have turned out differently with a healthy Tyler Seguin in the lineup.

"I think it definitely would. Tyler Seguin is an elite player, he is close to a point-a-game guy," Nill said Wednesday on Sirius XM'S "The Power Play," according to NHL.com's Mark Stepneski, while addressing whether the star forward's presence could have changed the Stars' playoff result.

"I am watching the San Jose-St. Louis series right now and you see what Joe Pavelski has done on their power play. Our power play against St. Louis struggled and if Tyler Seguin got one or two goals at the right time that might have made the difference."

The 24-year-old was limited to just one game during the postseason after suffering a calf injury in the opening round against the Minnesota Wild.

The Stars came within a win of advancing to the Western Conference Final without Seguin, but were crushed by the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the second round.

"That's easy to sit there now and say that, but when you lose an elite player, it is tough," said Nill. "In saying that, we still went to Game 7 of the second round, so it was a pretty good run."

Seguin collected his third straight 30-goal campaign this season, finishing with 73 points in 72 games.

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One Jared McCann, three birds.

Florida Panthers general manager Tom Rowe spoke to the media after trading defenseman Erik Gudbranson and a fifth-round draft pick to the Vancouver Canucks for Jared McCann and second- and fourth-round picks. He said that while it was a tough decision, the emergence of Mike Matheson on the blue line and the options McCann gives the club made it a deal he had to pull the trigger on.

.@FlaPanthers Tom Rowe: We needed more skill, more options...Jared McCann fits perfect; can play C, wing; gives us options

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) May 26, 2016

Matheson was a first-round pick in 2012 and is only 22 years old. He took regular shifts during the playoffs, when the Panthers lost in the first round in six games to the New York Islanders.

Rowe also added that the Panthers are negotiating a contract with Ian McCoshen, a second-round pick, 31st overall, in 2013, who is playing in the NCAA with Boston College. In other words, the Panthers have replacements for Gudbranson, who will be a restricted free agent after next season.

#CapFriendly can confirm that #Panthers will have a bonus overage of roughly $1.42M next season. Trading Gudbranson also saves FLA cap space

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 26, 2016

The Panthers may need both Matheson and McCoshen to step up and contribute, as Brian Campbell is an unrestricted free agent who "sounds like" he'll test the market, The Miami Herald's George Richards added, citing Rowe.

.@FlaPanthers GM Tom Rowe says team has made Brian Campbell aware they want to resign; as a free agent, he has right to test market.

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) May 26, 2016

The Panthers have six draft picks heading into the 2016 draft, according to CapFriendly. A first, a second (Vancouver's), and two picks each in the fourth and sixth rounds.

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Willie Mitchell's feelings about Wednesday night's trade can be summed up with an emoji and a three-letter acronym.

The Florida Panthers captain was likely reacting to the fact that teammate Erik Gudbranson was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for Jared McCann.

Related: Canucks trade McCann to Panthers for Gudbranson

Despite Mitchell's frustration, he can be somewhat placated in knowing the Panthers landed one of the Canucks' top prospects as well as a second- and fourth-round pick in next month's draft. The only pick Florida surrendered was a fifth-rounder.

Twenty-two-year-old Panthers defenseman Michael Matheson will likely get more playing time next season in Gudbranson's absence, whether Mitchell can bare to look or not.

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