Unlike having to win their 2020 title in front of an empty arena 4,500 kilometres from home, the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight repeated as Stanley Cup champions, defeating the Montréal Canadiens 1-0 to win their third Stanley Cup in Game Five of the Finals in front of a packed Tampa crowd.

After the Canadiens avoided a sweep on the backs of a Josh Anderson overtime winner in Game Four, Andrei Vasilevski pitched his fourth shutout of the playoffs, stopping all 22 shots faced to send the Lightning to victory. It was rookie Ross Colton who scored the game’s only tally in the second period, serving as the game winner that denied the likes of veterans Shea Weber and Carey Price of their elusive first Stanley Cup, and denied Canada its first Stanley Cup since 1993.

The win marks the Lightning’s third Stanley Cup, following their titles in 2004 and 2020. The Lightning saw 20 IHLC champions from six countries on their roster hoist the Cup, including captain Steven Stamkos, returning from injury after being held to one period of play in 2020; forward Brayden Point, who nearly set an NHL record with a nine game playoff goal streak; sniper Nikita Kucherov, who notched 32 playoff points after missing the entire regular season; and Vasilevski, who posted a .935 save percentage and 1.99 goals against average en route to the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Our congratulations go out to the players, management and fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning, with those on the roster that have also held the IHLC highlighted in bold:

Photo Credit: Sportsnet – IIHF – HHOF – IOC