The Chronicles of Stanley is an occasional series this summer that tracks the Boston Bruins as they each get their special alone time with the Stanley Cup.

The circle is complete for the Boston Bruins and Steven Tyler.

Please recall back in Oct. 2010 when Tyler delivered the National Anthem before a Bruins' home game with a "hideous shrieking" performance that we likened to "an alley cat with strep throat after a Novocain injection."

Or, in summary, it sounded like Steven Tyler in 2010.

But seeing as how the Bruins themselves went from an underwhelming regular season to clutching the Stanley Cup, it's only appropriate that Mr. American Idol Judge himself had a chance to do the same last week.

From the Aerosmith fan site Aero Force One:

One of the most prestigious trophies of all of sports, The Stanley Cup made its second visit to Aerosmith's studio, "Pandora's Box," on Friday. The band's producer, Jack Douglas, arranged to have the Cup there with some of the Bruins training staff. The boys took about an hour off from recording while they posed for pictures with Lord Stanley's bowl.  As you may remember back in 2003, Boston native Jay Pandolfo of the champion New Jersey Devils brought the loving Cup to the same studio when the band was recording "Honkin' on Bobo" with Jack. Déjà vu all over again!

Of course, this sort of dignitary visiting Aerosmith is the same old story, same old song and dance my friends:

Joe told me they used to rehearse in the visiting teams locker room. He said it was very common to see the likes of Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino and George the Animal Steele walking by as well as Bruins greats Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito or fashion plate of the day Derek Sanderson.  Also, 1972 was the last year the Bruins won the Cup.

If we could fire up the DeLorean and arrange a conversation between Phil Esposito and George "The Animal" Steele ?

Check out this link for more images, including the Stanley Cup becoming infinitely cooler when Joe Perry allowed it to hydrate him.

(Coming Up: The Cup invades New Hampshire; meets cute old ladies and Brutus Beefcake; and try to hold back the tears during a children's hospital visit.)

The Cup Hits The Tiki Deck

When people find out about the Cup coming to town, especially in a place like Tewksbury, Mass., you can expect one or two or a thousand people to suddenly flash mob the Chalice:

You know your event is big time when Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake (a huge B's fan, incidentally) is on the scene. Here's more from the club:

Boston Bruins equipment manager and New Hampshire resident Keith Robinson was the guy who took the Cup to Tewksbury, and he was determined to make his visit to Newburyport a little more low-key. He brought the Grail to Michael's Harborside, a restaurant; from The Eagle Tribune and Kris Summit, the joint's manager:

About 200 people were able to get up close and personal with the Cup after it was placed outside on the restaurant's tiki deck shortly before 11 p.m. The lower-level deck offered plenty of room for fans waiting in line for their chance to touch it as well as great vantage points for the folks taking in the scene from the deck above.

Summit said the Cup's appearance was kept quiet, per Robinson's request, to avoid a duplication of its appearance in Tewksbury, a fundraiser that drew thousands of people in a short time. "It was absolutely awesome. Customers were amazingly gracious and organized. Nobody got out of hand; they were so ecstatic to see it," Summit said.

Here's the Cup's arrival at the Harborside:

Robinson also had a chance to bring the Cup back to his native New Hampshire, as you'll see in this news report. Cute old lady and Stanley Cup tattoo alert! (Though not a combination of both.)

The Cup in Rochester

On Sunday, Rochester-native Derek Repucci, an assistant trainer and massage therapist, arranged to have the Cup on display at the Rochester Arena where it drew a solid crowd and a police escort on the way out:

Fans started lining up at 4:30 a.m. for the Cup, and the crowd totaled around 2,000 people. From Fosters:

Mayor T.J. Jean read a proclamation naming July 10, 2011, as Derek Repucci Day in Rochester.

"An amazing day," said the mayor, lauding the many people who made the day a success on very short notice, naming volunteers from Rochester Youth Hockey, the arena staff and the local police department, among others.

Repucci called the championship and ensuing days some of the most unbelievable moments in his life.

"Since I was 19 years old and a freshman at Springfield College, my goal was to be involved in the National Hockey League," said Repucci, who holds a master's degree in exercise science.

His brother Kyle, principal of Epping Junior/Senior High School, stood proudly by, commenting he knew his brother could do anything he set his mind to, "and here he is proving it."

Damn good massaging in the playoffs, Mr. Repucci. Damn good.

We Need The Stanley Cup, Stat!

Some of the best Stanley Cup visits are the surprise visits. Like when Bruins trainer Scott Waugh spend some of his day with the Cup on Monday to bring it around to South Shore Hospital.

From The Patriot Ledger:

Rita McSweeney of Weymouth (pictured above) said she hopes the Cup would make her get better soon after Waugh placed the trophy beside her. "It is absolutely unbelievable," McSweeney's daughter Karen Hunter said. "I was in the cafeteria and I heard it (Cup) was coming and I hurried back."

The Cup's presence left Robert Catyb awestruck when Waugh placed it on his bed. "This is fantastic," said Catyb after he touched the trophy. "I can't believe it. I've seen some great trophies before, but this is the best.  The Bruins deserve to have it. I can't believe I touched the Stanley Cup."

Awesome stuff. See more images here.

And now, please adjust your tissue boxes accordingly and Waugh takes the Stanley Cup to Massachusetts General Hospital and MassGeneral Hospital for Children.

Hockey rules.

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For the second straight week, legal teams representing the owners and players got together in a Manhattan law firm on Monday and Tuesday to hash out and eliminate the smaller details standing in the way of a new collective bargaining agreement. And for the second straight week, those owners and players are set to begin talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and later in the week if necessary. Last week, the two sides made significant (if contentious) progress toward ending the lockout that's been in place since March 11, to the point that the ruling from the Eighth Circuit Court last Friday slowed things up more from a procedural perspective (both sides had to stop to read and interpret the decision) than any sort of new leverage stand.

Both sides are close to an agreement, and everyone senses it. The plaintiffs in the Brady v. NFL lawsuit released the following statement Wednesday morning: "We believe the overall proposal made by the players is fair for both sides and it is time to get this deal done. This is the time of year we as players turn our attention to the game on the field. We hope the owners feel the same way."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello weighed in with the league's inevitable response: "We share the view that now is the time to reach an agreement so we can all get back to football and a full 2011 season. We are working hard with the players' negotiating team every day to complete an agreement as soon as possible."

Wednesday morning's roster includes six owners as opposed to the usual four or five ? Carolina Panthers owner and labor committee chair Jerry Richardson, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, New York Giants owner John Mara and Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will also be part of the process. The players' side will be represented by, among others, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth.

The primary issue on the table, as we have detailed before, is the new rookie wage scale and how it will be implemented. The players' side has agreed to basically cut the first-year pay scale in half, but asks for concessions in return regarding the number of years in each rookie contract and the ability to negotiate earlier in those rookie deals based on performance. Just as nobody wants a situation where JaMarcus Russell waddles away with $39 million of Al Davis' money for doing nothing, it's not any better for the league if Chris Johnson has to hold out because he's set to make a $550,000 base the year after he rushes for over 2,000 yards. The secondary issue is what to do with the estimated player costs siphoned off that pay scale; estimated to be anywhere from $200 million to $300 million. Both sides want a large percentage to go to retired players, but the number is still a point of contention.

Both sides also have a series of deadlines to consider. The long-held "drop-dead" date of July 15 for a deal to be at least agreed upon in principle still holds; the two parties will meet with mediator Judge Arthur Boylan on July 19, and the hope is that a new CBA will be ready to be ratified at the next owners meetings in Atlanta on July 21. If those dates were to hold, the transition dates put in place to facilitate the process would most likely hold, and a full preseason (possibly minus the Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams on August 7) would be in place.

If the talks go any longer and preseason games are lost, there's far less incentive for the owners to negotiate and compromise ? they'll be losing at least $200 million per week in revenue, the preseason being the enormous money-grab that it is ? and they might be more inclined to see how far they can take the stalemate to break the union once and for all. Right now, everyone has dollar signs in their eyes, and as long as it stays that way, there's serious hope of a full season.

That's why the next few days are so critical to the process. As always, we'll keep you posted as events dictate.

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Jacques Lemaire would be, in several ways, the perfect coach for the 2011-12 New Jersey Devils.

He commands respect, both as a Hall of Fame player and as a coach with the Stanley Cup ring. He knows the organization and the tenets of Lou Lamoriello hockey. He managed to turn this ill-fitting collection of high-priced veterans and talented young players into a winning hockey team during the second half of last season.

Most of all, he's a short-term solution for a win-now team, whose legendary goaltender is in the last year of his contract.

All of these reasons factor into why Devils fans had been hounding Bergen Record beat writer Tom Gulitti with questions about Lemaire and the potential for him to come back for one more season with the Devils.

Gulitti went to the source, and got a definitive answer from the former New Jersey coach:

With the general manager Lou Lamoriello dragging out the decision to hire Lemaire's successor, some viewed that as an indication that Lamoriello might be trying to convince Lemaire to return again.

Lemaire says that is not the case. "I'm waiting for Lou to make his decision," Lemaire told me via phone this afternoon. "I'm excited like the fans, I guess, to find out who it's going to be."

Lemaire said he has no idea who it will be, but knows for certain who it won't be. "It's not going to be me," he said.

Oh well.

The Devils could announce a coach next week, and one has to believe it's down to Lou Lamoriello's Montreal Canadiens fetish vs. his appreciation for nostalgia.

The Habs Fetish options are Guy Carbonneau and Michel Therrien, both of whom have been linked to the Devils vacancy.

The nostalgia option might be Larry Robinson, the former Devils head and assistant coach who ran the team's developmental camp this week and another short-term solution. Because when pressed for a solution, Lamoriello has been known to go with what he knows.

Just ask Lemaire.

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On Thursday, two strange tweets showed up on the Twitter page of New York Rangers center Brad Richards that made it seemed like yet another professional athlete had their account hacked.

We suspected either someone was either framing Tommy Lee of Motley Crue or the drummer best known for documenting his, ahem, exploits with Pam Anderson had become a super hacker.

Turns out Richards was still logged into his account from his New York City hotel and with the Crue on tour in the Northeast, Lee just happened to hop on the right computer and played Good Samaritan by informing the Rangers' star of his goof, while signing him out at the same time.

Richards later found out it really was Lee and told him he was definitely coming to a Rangers game at some point this season.

So next time you forget to sign out of your Twitter account in a big city hotel, rest assured that some member of a 1980s hair band will rescue you.

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco gets to hang out under center and tell other people what to do, and the bride gets stuck at center? Seems like she should at least be at a skill position.

Also, the discipline on the right side of the line is far greater than on the left side.

Flacco married his longtime girlfriend, Dana Grady, in Philadelphia, according to the quarterback's father. The wedding also took place in the same church where Flacco's parents tied the knot.

Flacco and Grady have been dating for nine years after they started going out at the end of his senior year of Audubon (N.J.) High School.

See more of the couple's beautiful wedding photos here.

Gracias, Deadspin.

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Talk about a tease.

At 4:39 p.m. on July 13, Aaron Portzline of Puck-rakers reported that Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kristian Huselius was healthy following surgery to repair "his abdominal-groin-hip region," writing that "all indications are that Huselius will be 100 percent for the start of training camp as he enters the final year of his contract with the Blue Jackets."

At 6:57 p.m. on July 13, Portzline had a follow-up post: "New, Serious Injury For Huselius."

Uh-oh. From the Columbus Dispatch:

Blue Jackets left winger Kristian Huselius has suffered a torn pectoral muscle while lifting weights last weekend in Sweden, and will have surgery on Thursday in Columbus. He's expected to miss 4 to 6 months.

"It's a tough, tough injury for Kristian," Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson said. "He was still rehabilitating the hip (surgery in April) but was going to ready to go for training camp. This is a pretty significant setback. ?We're looking at November at the earliest, and maybe January. It's a pretty serious injury with a long recovery."

Huselius makes $4.75 million against the cap, so LTIR will offer even more space with the Jackets currently $8.77 million under it. But that's little solace for a team that just lost a top six forward to injury in the offseason, and a player who could have been the third component of a top line featuring Jeff Carter and Rick Nash.

It's also a team already a little light on the wings, prompting Howson to tell Puck-rakers that the injury forces him to look at "a free agent winger who can play in the top six."

Among the free agents available on left wing, if that's where Howson's looking: Sergei Samsonov, Chris Drury, Vinny Prospal and Cory Stillman.

A couple of those are intriguing, at the right price. Prospal is the kind of supporting cast member that would seem to fit the Jackets' needs; he made $2.48 million against the cap last season with the Rangers. Samsonov might be the most exiting name, but his offensive numbers have declined; could he hit 45 points in the Jackets' top six?

Oh, hell, might as well list him too: Nikolay Zherdev, a player Blue Jackets fans know fairly well. As does Scott Howson, as a diplomat and as the man who shipped him out of town. Now this would be interesting (if likely implausible) ?

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The Cleveland Browns are entertaining the notion of spending a supplemental draft pick on Terrelle Pryor, according to the intrepid Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Colt McCoy, Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme are the quarterbacks currently on the Browns roster, and no disrespect to those gentlemen, but you could understand why the Browns might want to do their homework on Pryor. Or, given that depth chart, anyone else who has ever touched a football, really.

I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to believe that Pryor could be a worthwhile investment, too. In fact, I wonder if he didn't make a mistake by not waiting another year to enter the draft. Even if he didn't want to return to Ohio State, maybe he should've considered spending a year in the UFL or Canada, or even just working out with a private quarterback coach, and then rolling the dice in the 2012 draft.

My reasoning is this: Is Pryor not the kind of fellow who could seduce a team with mind-blowing individual workouts and insane combine numbers? By all accounts, physically, he's a beast -- more on that in a minute -- and aren't there always teams who can't resist spending a high draft pick on a beast, regardless of character or maturity concerns?

On that front, here are some reviews from people who have witnessed Pryor's workouts in person. First, Chad Ochocinco:

"Dude's arm strength [and] timing was unbelievable. I don't care what ESPN said, I don't care what they report, I saw with my own eyes. I've seen every NFL quarterback play. Dude, it was unbelievable. With the right coaching, he can become a great NFL quarterback because he has all the tools. He has all the tools that these scouts look for in a quarterback."

And ESPN's Jon Gruden:

"This is a freak of nature. This guy is really something with the ball in his hands. Terrelle Pryor can run and he can throw and he's a hell of a competitor. You might have to cater your offense, to a degree, towards his strengths, but I think this guy can develop his passing."

And right now, the consensus on this guy is that he's worth about a fourth-rounder? I think he could do better. I'm not sure I'd want my team to spend a high draft pick on him, I'm just saying, in the past, guys have been drafted highly based on solely their physical attributes.

As far as Pryor's character concerns, I think we should be careful not to confuse NCAA violations with actual immorality. Maybe maturity's a concern (as it is for nearly every other 22-year-old on the planet), but character? It may be a little rash to assume that that's a problem.

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The least you need to know about Conference USA in 2011. Part of Mid-Major Week.

? Long in the tooth. According to the venerable Phil Steele, three of the five most experienced teams in the nation reside in C-USA's West Division: SMU, Tulsa and Rice all bring back at least 75 percent of their 2010 letterwinners, at least 80 percent of their total yards, at least 70 percent of their total tackles and at least 100 career starts on the offensive line. By Steele's count, SMU begins the season as the most battle-tested team in college football.

? Bombs over Greenville. It's a truth universally acknowledged that nobody in Conference USA plays defense ? last year, two-thirds of the league averaged at least 400 yards in conference games ? but no one embraced the offensive ethos quite as exuberantly in 2010 as East Carolina. On offense, the Pirates put the ball in the air more often than any other team in the country and cracked 35 points in all but three games; at the same time, they finished dead last nationally in total defense and yielded at least 40 points in all but three games, including an incredible stretch in which opponents rang up 49, 76, 42, 62, 45 and 51 points over the last six games.

The resulting gap between scoring offense (16th nationally) and scoring defense (119th) was as wide as any I-A/FBS team has managed in at least a decade.

This year, the Pirates bring back quarterback Dominique Davis and three receivers (out of five) who brought in at least 40 catches, but forget the pawns: As long as ex-Mike Leach protégé Lincoln Riley is running the board as offensive coordinator, it's full speed ahead.

? Almost-perfect storm. On paper, the true nightmare offense resides in Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane wound up leading C-USA last year in total and scoring offense, and bring back just about everybody who had a hand in it ? namely, prolific quarterback Gary Joe Kinne, the top four rushers from the league's No. 1 ground attack, the entire starting five on the offensive line and receiver Damaris Johnson, who happens to have more all-purpose yards to his name than any other player in NCAA history after incinerating Hawaii for a career-high 324 yards in the bowl game.

There are two things, though, the 2010 'Canes had that the 2011 edition will not have: a) Offensive coordinator Chad Morris, who called all the plays and left for Clemson even before head coach Todd Graham set off for Pittsburgh in January, and b) The second-best turnover margin in the nation, without which the generous Tulsa D might find it difficult to hold opposing offenses to "just" 30 per points per game again.

? The Knight Defense. One C-USA outfit that played a little defense in 2010: Reigning conference champ Central Florida, which held six of nine conference opponents to 17 points or less, kept Georgia out of the end zone entirely in a 10-6 Liberty Bowl upset and finished in the top 20 nationally in both yards and points allowed. (No other C-USA defense finished anywhere near the top 40 on either count.) The good news for 2011: The Knights return three starters who were voted first or second-team All-C-USA. The bad news: All but one other 2010 starter is out of eligibility.

? Catch a Tiger by the woe. Last year was a "How can it possibly get any worse?" kind of a season for Memphis in its first year under head coach Larry Porter, but in fact the Tigers may not have hit bottom just yet: The offense is breaking in a brand new quarterback and four new offensive linemen in a revamped, spread-friendly scheme, opposite five new starters in the back seven on defense, which finished 2010 as the worst pass efficiency defense in the country. By year's end, they may be considered the worst team, period.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Part of Mid-Major Week.

When the Pac-12 and Big Ten started the expansion craze last year, BYU could feel the tectonic plates of college football begin to shift. There were "personality" clashes in the Pac-10, which meant a place in that league wasn't guaranteed. The Big 12 had several teams rumored to be moving elsewhere and at one point, the entire conference almost ceased to exist, so that wasn't an option either.

But BYU had different plans and wanted to embrace expansion on its own terms. As other schools started shift, it was the perfect time for BYU to make its move.

The pieces for independence have been in place for some time for BYU. It had a TV station that was implementing high definition. It had a good relationship with ESPN. It had a brand that was marketable all over the world. And it had a proven track record of winning even though the program hadn't played in a BCS bowl like a couple of its Mountain West counterparts.

It just needed the right time and the right motivation to make the move.

The Mountain West wasn't getting any closer to an automatic BCS bid and with Utah, the Cougars most hated rival, moving on to a better conference, BYU had to do something to appease its constituents.

Fight or flight; it chose both.

When BYU formally declared its football independence on Sept. 1, it was a monumental day for the program. BYU had played in a conference since its football program began in 1922. Striking out on its own was a risky venture, but one that gained traction and support as soon as it was announced.

As the Cougars started adding stellar opponents to its slate -- opponents they would have never added while in the Mountain West -- the excitement and support grew, especially with ESPN television backing their every move. BYU's first independent schedule features Ole Miss, Texas, Utah and Conference USA champion UCF. Future schedule include games against Notre Dame, Texas, West Virginia, Oregon State, Boise State and Utah.

BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said the key to BYU going independent was scheduling attractive teams and then going out and beating those teams on a regular basis.

The ultimate goal is becoming the Notre Dame of the West.

"We could get our bell rung a few times -- big time," Holmoe said. "And maybe even this year. But it's either take the chance or not. This was too good of a chance. We're optimistic, but it's a long road.

"Independence could be an incredible shot in the arm. Does it help and push us forward? Yes. Now if we are good -- only one thing that means good and that means winning games -- that could be a great push and momentum and who knows where we go."

While there are risks, the rewards are too great to ignore. The television exposure, the recruiting advantage, and of course, an opportunity to play for a BCS bowl. The Cougars had that opportunity as a member of a conference, but now they can dictate it on their own terms. No longer will they be held back because of a perceived weak schedule or looked down upon for not playing tougher teams during the nonconference. No longer is BYU's season defined by games against Utah and TCU. With it's schedule, which will only get better as the years go on, BYU will be treated more like a "Big Six" conference school than a non-AQ that must go undefeated to have a sniff at a BCS bowl.

Initially, BYU will be treated like fellow independents Army and Navy in terms of consideration for BCS bowl status. The Cougars must win nine games and rank in the top 14 of the BCS standings to be considered for an at-large selection. The ultimate goal is to achieve Notre Dame's BCS status, which stipulates the Irish can earn an automatic BCS berth if it finishes in the top eight.

But BYU knows it has to prove itself on a consistent basis to earn that right.

In the past five seasons, BYU has won 10 or more games four times, but it has never done enough to play in a BCS bowl like Utah, Hawaii, TCU and Boise State.

"You have to start winning games," Holmoe said. "TCU, Boise State and Utah -- as hard as it is for me to say that -- they've earned respect of the nation by going to BCS [bowl] games and winning.

"I think if we play well -- we're going to have a better schedule now than in the Mountain West -- if we can be undefeated with our schedule, we'll be in a BCS bowl game."

Last year's 7-6 finish was BYU's worst season since going 6-6 in 2005. But what's impressive about 2010 campaign is that the Cougars started 2-5 and dug themselves out to finish the year on a 5-1 run. It's that kind of will and determination that gives BYU the confidence that it could be successful as an independent.

"I'm anxious for this to be a defining moment in the institution's history to move forward," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "Whether I'm capable of helping this program do it or not, [I know] somebody will. I hope I'm able to. To not take the risk would not be right."

Curtsy (female version of the hat tip) to Brett McMurphy
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Graham Watson is on Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham.

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