You don't have to believe that legend, but Henry Plantagenet, later Henry II of England, husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the father of Lionhearted, did, and he came here to pray to the Black Madonna that still looks down on those who come to the little chapel by the tomb where the hermit's body was found.

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So as the final months of their 40th season in the NHL come to a close and as their fans hope and pray that a Stanley Cup parade will be rolling down Robson Street towards Rogers Arena in mid-June, one thing should be very clear to all.

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They pray and pray. (Sometimes you wonder how they manage to hold down jobs.) Their progress is slow and halting.

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