In an era where hockey dynasties were considered extinct thanks to the salary cap, the Chicago Blackhawks defied the odds, winning their third Stanley Cup in six seasons from the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
In a gritty, fluid and evenly-matched tilt, the Lightning and Blackhawks each pushed each other to the max, with tight games, sharp goaltending and two-way defence making the difference. Each game was won by a lone goal, with the Blackhawks finally winning two straight to win to take the title.
It took goals from playoff MVP Duncan Keith and from sharpshooter Patrick Kane to capture the title, with Keith’s rebound goal off a Kane feed in the second period being the game winning goal.ย Corey Crawford shone in net for the Blackhawks, earning the shutout over his counterpart, Ben Bishop, who endured a brutal finalย with multiple injuries, but still was still red-hot in goal.
The Blackhawks, able to win the Cup on home ice for the first time since 1938, boast ten players from four countries that have held the International Hockey Lineal Championship, including captain Jonathan Toews, and assistant captains Keith and Patrick Sharp.
Our congratulations go out to the players, management and fans of the Chicago Blackhawks, with those on the roster that have also held the IHLC highlighted in bold:
๐จ๐ฆ Bryan Bickell, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Scotty Bowman, senior advisor ๐บ๐ธ Stan Bowman, general manager ๐จ๐ฆ Daniel Carcillo, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Corey Crawford, goaltender ๐จ๐ฆ Kyle Cumiskey, defence ๐บ๐ธ Scott Darling, goaltender ๐จ๐ฆ Andrew Desjardins, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Kevin Dineen, assistant coach ๐จ๐ฆ Pierre Gauthier, director ๐ธ๐ช Niklas Hjalmarsson, defence ๐ธ๐ฐ Mariรกn Hossa, forward ๐บ๐ธ Patrick Kane, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Duncan Keith, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Mike Kitchen, assistant coach ๐ธ๐ช Marcus Krรผger, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Al MacIsaac, vice president ๐จ๐ฆ Norm Maciver, assistant GM |
๐ธ๐ช Joakim Nordstrรถm, forward ๐ธ๐ช Johnny Oduya, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Joel Quenneville, head coach ๐จ๐ฆ Brad Richards, forward ๐จ๐ฟย Michal Rozsรญval, defence ๐ธ๐ช David Rundblad, defence ๐บ๐ธ Brandon Saad, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Brent Seabrook, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Patrick Sharp, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Andrew Shaw, forward ๐บ๐ธ Barry Smith, director ๐ซ๐ฎ Teuvo Terรคvรคinen, forward ๐ซ๐ฎ Kimmo Timonen, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Jonathan Toews, forward ๐บ๐ธ Trevor van Riemsdyk, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Antoine Vermette, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Kris Versteeg, forward |