And that will do it
They say the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win. I’m not much for such declarations, because, well, they are sort of provincial and silly.
However, I will say this, the Cup is very very hard to win, and the engine that drives these players, many of which grow up worshipping the trophy, pushes them hard for a long long time. So, it’s definitely up there.
Now a season that began in in the chill of October is finally over, just in time for summer.
Thank you for joining our coverage of the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals - I encourage you to read all about the Blackhawks third title in six seasons right here.
Until next year, thanks for reading.
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That funny music
Some kind of bizarre larger than life soundtrack to the celebration greets the Cup as it hits the ice. Bettman makes the Blackhawks dynasty official by declaring it publicly.
The captain, Jonathan Toews has the Stanley Cup first - he hoists it to the sky and shows the delighted fans. Now Timonen, the 40-year-old retiring defenseman takes control and skates the Cup around - a career satisfied and concluded with silver.
“We are the Champions” replaces the funny Cup song, and fans sing along. NBC go to break, and commercials selling merchandise roll out, right on cue.
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Here comes the Conn Smythe first, behind it is the 122-year-old Stanley Cup, being held, confidently by the Keeper of the Cup, who is Philip Pritchard, who maybe has the best gig in all of sports.
But first, who is the MVP of the playoffs?
Commissioner Gary Bettman, awkward as ever, says it’s Duncan Keith, who scored the first and winning goal tonight, and was phenomenal throughout this crazy marathon of a post-season.
It’s been a lot of fun, what a great team, I can’t say enough about it...the boys all stuck it out, got together and wanted to do it again. We gave it all we had.
-Brent Seabrook
Head coaches Jon Cooper and Joel Quenneville exchange wordsbefore the Lightning exit. On the ice, more hugs per capita that we will see all year, in any walk of life, that according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Every time you do it it gets better and better....We keep growing, we keep maturing, we keep wanting it more and more. I mean this is what it’s all about, this is why we play the game.
-Jonathan Toews
Celebrations
The Blackhawks pile on as the Chicago crowd celebrate this 2-0 shutout Stanley Cup victory. Now the Hawks and Lightning are shaking hands in the old NHL playoff tradition. Did the Cup make it?
Lightning 0-2 Blackhawks, GAME OVER! SEASON OVER!
The CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS HAVE WON THE STANLEY CUP FOR THE FIRST TIME ON HOME ICE SINCE 1938, AND FOR THE THIRD TIME IN SIX SEASONS!
Lightning 0-2 Blackhawks, 0:17 3rd period
Icing stops play with just second remaining....
Lightning 0-2 Blackhawks, 0:30 3rd period
Desjardins hit the post!
Lightning 0-2 Blackhawks, 0:53 3rd period
It’s 5-on-4 again as Desjardins has served his tripping penalty. Chicgago fires into the TB zone and that’s icing - face-off in the Chicago zone.
Won by TB, but Chicago clear the zone - under a minute to go!
Lightning 0-2 Blackhawks, 1:27 3rd period
Loose puck - Palat has it, but loses control in front of the net. Toews sends it down the ice wide of the empty net before a hand-pass stops play.
Lightning 0-2 Blackhawks, 2:36 3rd period
Anton Stralman was tripped by Desjardins, TB on the power play.
Palat has a chance right away and is denied by Crawford, whose glove swoops up and denies the left winger. Tremendous grab!
Bishop is out of the net - it’s a 6-on-4 right now.
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Lightning 0-2 Blackhawks, 3:39 3rd period
The Cup is heading to the United Center, apparently under police escort, delayed thanks to heavy rain and tornado warnings.
Bishop will leave the net shortly to give Tampa Bay an extra skater.
Chicagoans chant “WE WANT THE CUP!” and they just might get it.
GOAL! Lightning 0-2 Blackhawks, 5:14 3rd period
Saad, leaves it for Richards, who no-looks it to Kane to fires past Bishop who never had a chance!
Kane has returned to the scoresheet at just the right time!!! It’s a madhouse near Madison in Chicago, and the Blackhawks are minutes away from a Stanley Cup title!
Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 6:12 3rd period
Tampa - a little surge here. Callahan is wide from above the near circle. Palat a shot, sticked away by Crawford.
Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 8:12 3rd period
Sharp has the puck in front of the net after a Chicago face-off win but Bishop calmly covers up.
Another face-off, and Seabrook has it - he fires high and wide as the puck whistles past the TB net.
Tampa must find a way to the Chicago end, but the Hawks are controlling play as time keeps on ticking.
Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 9:34 3rd period
Bolt bodies are flying around now - hitting, skating, this is the intensity needed for the moment. But time is ticking, and we are more than halfway through the third period. A large chunk of time expires in-between stoppages...
Finally a hand-pass stops the clock.
Doc Emerick asks “How you doing out there?” knowing that hearts are beating hard up north and down south.
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Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 12:12 3rd period
Niklas Hjalmarsson a shot from point - Bishop knoocks it down - scramble in front of the net! Hossa is poking at the puck but can’t get it free and Bishop covers up and looks a bit shaken up on the play!
Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 13:35 3rd period
Kane, in the corner, skating, knocks the puck around the boards for Seabrook, who pokes it back, down around for the boards for Kane - now Richards a shot from the far corner that’s deflected by Brandon Saad that is picked up by Bishop - his 25th save of the evening!
We’re not seeing the intensity required right now from Tampa - where is the desperation?
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Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 16:01 3rd period
Ryan Callahan has been quiet - he shoots on net from the near circle, kick save Crawford.
Then Corbin lifts a softball that is easier for Crawford.
Now we see that Toews took a little bit of a skate to the face from Valtteri Filppula, but he’s alright and pretends he’s not in pain.
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Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 17:56 3rd period
TB kill the penalty and are pushing in Chicago’s zone - Boyle with a shot on goal - pushed aside by Crawford! The Blackhawks goaltender doesn’t ever seem to get his due even though he is minutes from lifting another Cup.
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Puck drops - the third period is underway in Chicago!
Will Tampa Bay go home for another game, or go home to eat grouper on Treasure Island?
Scary stat...
...that is, if you’re a fan of the Lightning - Chicago are 32-0-0 when taking a lead into the third period this season, says NBC TV here in the US.
Gulp.
Chicago have held the high-flying Lightning to just 11 shots, which was the plan all along. The Hawks have 23 if you’re keeping score at home.
Is this the goal...
That brought the silverware to Chicago, again?
Kimmo Timonen
One period - that’s all that stands in the way of an elusive Stanley Cup title for the Blackhawks’ 40-year-old Finnish defenseman. Timonen was on the losing end agaist these same Blackhawks in 2010 while with the Philadelphia Flyers, and now, here he is on the verge of finishing his career on the highest of highs.
Kimmo Timonen risked everything for this moment: Kimmo Timonen risked everything for this moment http://t.co/0yjHfgljqV
— Score! (@KeenSportsFan) June 14, 2015
Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, end of second period
Seabrook - a rifle of a shot that beats everybody and everything....except the post!! That was a laser of a knock from the Hawks defenseman and the result was very nearly 2-0.
Instead, a huge period for the home team comes to a close - Chicagoans are 20 minutes away from seeing the Stanley Cup lifted on home ice for the first time since, we believe, 1934.
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Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 0:41 2nd period
So now it’s le gut check time for Tampa Bay, down a goal in a Stanley Cup Finals elimination game. And you start to wonder about the almosts for the Lightning, the hit posts, the Samkos breakaway that wasn’t....all the missed chances.
Hold that thought - Chicago want more - another surge ends in a penalty on Palat who hit Oduya in a rough way. The third power play coming up for the Hawks, not what TB needed there, with the period set to expire shortly.
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GOAL! Lightning 0-1 Blackhawks, 2:47 2nd period
Pressure from TB - little wrist shot from Alex Kilorn bounces off the shoulder of Crawford. Stamkos, works for possession behind the net but the puck is cleared.
Now Chicago in the Tampa zone - Kane feeds Keith at the point - he skates and drives - save Bishop - the rebound is loose - Keith has it and shoots high over the glove of Bishop and into the back of the net!
Chicago have scored and taken a second period lead!!
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 5:32 2nd period
Now Kane bounces the puck off the boards - Keith is there and fires on net and Bishop makes a pad save and covers up in traffic! The Blackhawks surge continues!
I feel like Ben Bishop is a human robot being piloted by a mouse who suffers from panic attacks
— SeasonsDeadRyanDunn (@NotDeadRyanDunn) June 16, 2015
Yah, what he said....
And I quote...
That’s the way this game has gone - both teams have had great chances.
TB head coach Jon Cooper states the obvious.
Meanwhile Trevor van Riemsdyk winds up from point and fires a blistering shot that’s misdirected by Versteeg - Bishop finds a way to keep it out of the Tampa net! What a period of hockey!
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 8:20 2nd period
A flurry for the home team - a series of surges that has the crowd roaring.
Patrick Sharp, a trickey bouncer that Bishop saves - then he turns away Oduya! Three shots, several chances in just seconds, but Tampa somehow survive!
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks 9:51 2nd period
Another Lightning chance - Stralman a shot, Crawford is screened but the puck hits his thigh and stays out of the net. The Blackhawks are being outshot in the second period 5-0.
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks 11:52 2nd period
Hossa a drive! It’s wide but the rebound bounces off the boards and nearly goes into the net off the back of Bishop’s skate! Wild play right there and the Lightning catch a break on a bad bounce.
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks 13:35 2nd period
Three-on-one for Chicago - Desjardins has the puck but here comes Bishop who is carrying a big stick and using it, coming out from in front of the net and poking it away from the Ontario-born center - that’s another chance here in an action packed second period!
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks 15:29 2nd period
All TB early on here - Stamkos actually had a second shot at Crawford on that breakaway but it hit the post...again!
Now Anton Stralman whiffs on a chance with lots of room in front of the net , and I mean lots of room and lots of net to work with - another major opportunity for TB.
Then Boyle has the puck down low and tries to shove it past Crawford to no avail - the Chicago goalie is being tested here early and often. This is a totally different Lightning team, skating, shooting, creating opportunities.
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Puck drops!
We’re back, and here comes Stamkos, all alone with time, he dekes once, twice and tries to jame it past Crawford but he makes the save!!!! I’ve never seen a player with so much time but Crawford would not be beaten!!!
When the Cup was NOT in the house, really
Doc Emrick has been telling viewers in the USA about the time the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup at home and the actual Cup wasn’t present at Chicago StadiumSo . Why?
1. The last time the #Blackhawks won the Cup at home, the Cup wasn't even in town, as the #NHL president didn't believe they'd win.
— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) June 15, 2015
Oops.
So I guess you have to go back to 1934 when they beat Detroit 1-0 in Game 4 in double OT for Chicago fans to have seen the Cup lifted in town.
Intermission
Chicago had the puck and the shots but Bishop was up to it. Kane looked good - a positive for Chicago. But TB weathered the storm (actually, considering conditions outside the arena, everyone inside technically is weathering the storm) and Stamkos nearly scored, hitting the iron - that’ll make those grouper eating puckheads smile.
So, nothing is happening and everything is happening.
Shot tally:
- Chicago 13
- Tampa Bay 4
Meanwhile, outside...
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
Incredible storm photos from chopper --> http://t.co/V0teTFG8l7 Stay Safe Chicago!!! pic.twitter.com/Wc7gspJtke
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) June 15, 2015
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, end of 1st period
Kane and Kucherov exchange words after Antoine Vermette pushed the Hawks star right winger in the back as time expired. That will do it for the first period, one that was more or less all Chicago - but it matters not, no score at the United Center.
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 32.8 1st period
Jason Garrison has a lane and he fires and Hossa blocks it, keeping it out of an open net - progress from Tampa momentarily before the puck is back int he TB zone - Andrew Desjardins wraps around but the puck slides off his stick!
PENALTY! Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 2:26 1st period
Meanwhile, Chicago are back on the power play after Brian Boyle punches Patrick Kane in the back of the head! That’s not allowed so the Hawks have a man advantage.
Then a series of scrambles in front of the net - Kane with a wrister that’s saved by Bishop!! Now Toews - Bishop is down - pad save! A series of chances but no goal, and the Lightning have killed off their second penalty of the night!
Now Paquette is alone in the far corner for Tampa but he whiffs on an opportunity to pepper Crawford!! Oh my...
End to end action in Chicago but no goals!
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And I quote...
Anything you’d like to see different so far Pierre Mcguire of NBC asks the Hawks head coach Joel Quenneville
Just a little quicker you know, maybe a little nervous at the start here. But I still like the way we’re playing here, I think we should be getting better.
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 6:47 1st period
FYI - Teuvo Teravainen really should of scored on that power play but it went off his stick and just wide of the net.
Back live now - Crawford covers up a weak but dangerous shot off deflected off his man Niklas Hjalmarsson and play is halted.
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 7:48 1st period
A series of chances for the Hawks as they pepper Bishop with the man advantage - Seabrook with a speedy wrist shot that is saved by the huge TB goalie - the rebound goes wide!!! Big action for Chicago but there is no goal - Paquette is out of the box and the power play is over.
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PENALTY! Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 12:10 1st period
Like Apollo Creed said, “ding.”
Steven Stamkos fires a wrist shot that bounces off the iron!! Then Matthew Carle is in front of the net and nearly misses a deflection off the stick of Stamkos!
Signs of life from TB, but...and there is a but, Cedric Paquette trips the Blackhawks captain as Toews draws a penalty. Hawks on the power play!
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Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 12:28 1st period
They’re hitting, really following through - that sort of physicality is good for the Hawks’ game but the Lightning can also bring it and get their shots in - big Brian Boyle, all 6’7” of him, puts a hit on Brent Seabrook as both offenses fail to have any scare the life out of you chances thus far - the Hawks lead the shots on goal tally early on 4-1.
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Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 14:05 1st period
Andrej Sustr hits Kris Versteeg at the Lightning blue line as the crowd boooooos - Sustr was lucky to get away with a cross check right there but the refs let them play and we continue with 5 on 5 hockey.
Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 16:23 1st period
The puck is in the Lightning zone for much of the opening two minutes - then Kucherov skates away and has the puck for Tampa Bay - rushing towards the net is the 21-year old Russian but here comes Johnny Oduya to poke the puck away just as he neared the crease! Oh my!! Great work there to thwart that rush.
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Lightning 0-0 Blackhawks, 19:23 1st period
Toews fires from the near circle right into the chest of Ben Bishop and there’s no rebound - that, as always is key to slowing down any attack.
Puck drops!!
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks are off and skating in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals!
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When the lights, go down, in the city
As Doc Emrick insists, one more time, that the Cup is NOT in the building, the rink is dark, introductions are being made and that means we are going to have Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals really really soon, I swear.
In the meantime, please enjoy Jim Cornelison singing a rendition of the national anthem, just as he is right now at this very moment in Chi-town.
Where is that damn Cup?
These guys say it is in the house (and that Conn Smythe thingy)....now I don’t know who to believe?
THE CUP IS IN UNITED CENTER AND IT WILL STAY IN UNITED CENTER!! pic.twitter.com/Fgord717nS
— Chicago Sports News (@ChiSportUpdates) June 15, 2015
How did we get here?
Good question - for a look at Game 5 action, please look out below.....
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Five straight one-goal games
And they’ve been tight, eh? Chicago did what the Rangers wished they could of done against Tampa - slowed down a team they can’t skate with, no way, no how.
What about tonight? Can the Hawks muddle the waters like the Cavs did to the Warriors in Game 3 (apologies for the bad inter-sport reference)?
My prediction is.....
NO!
We will have a Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 I say, and it’s because Tampa will skate, rattle and roll off the back of a revitalized Steven Stamkos.
Your final tonight, 5-2 (last goal is of the empty net variety).
What say you? There’s still time - hurry!
Puck drops soon, please stand by....
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The Doctor is in...
...but the Cup is not. Doc Emrick of NBC Sports here in the United States says the Cup is not actually in the house, but that it can be driven here very quickly - about five minutes he says.
That kind of narrows it down a bit. Anyone who can pinpoint the exact location wins an autographed piece of the United Center ice surface.
Cojones
I’ve been pumping up the Hawks, but the Lightning are (obviously) no shrinking violets. Is it too much to win on the road, in a raucous United Center, in Game 6? Well, considering they beat the fancy Rangers three times in New York, turning Madison Square Garden into a giant city morgue with room for over 18,000 lifeless bodies, yes, they can win. They also beat Detroit, on the road, in the same situation in the first round, and held off a Canadiens team that rallied from 3-0 down to force a Game 6 before ending the Habs season
So yes, they are battle tested, but they could really use Stamkos to be Stamkos tonight to help send this baby back to glorious Tampa Bay for the Game 7 that all of us non-Blackhawks fans really want to see.
I mean, how could you not, really, right?
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Patrick Kane
A beautiful player, but like Stamkos, he’s struggled to find the net. What’s with this Rick Nash disease says the bitter Rangers fan? Here’s some hope for Hawks fans looking for their man to put the biscuit in the bask ...net.
“In five elimination games this postseason, Kane has scored three goals, one in each series, and piled up nine points. Last year, he scored three times and registered 11 points in five such games.”
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The core
Captain Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith are among the core of Blackhawks that management have managed to keep together through their title runs.
Joel Quenneville has had fantastic troops to work with, including Brent Seabrook, arguably the best defenseman in the league. The last time the Hawks won the Stanley Cup, 2013, Seabrook was credited with helping his slumping captain rise up in the second round vs Detroit, and I can’t think of any singular moment which exemplifies the sort of character players (which they are dripping with) their fans have been lucky enough to watch.
Will they win their third title in six seasons tonight?
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All shook up
We know that Lightning goalie Ben Bishop has been dealing with an “undisclosed injury”, one that forced him out of Game 4 - Andrei Vasilevskiy and his 16 games of NHL experience filled in and lost. Well, the good news is that Bishop will be in net again tonight after nearly helping Tampa Bay pull off a win in Game 5.
The other big injury news is that it looks like the “Triplets line” will remain intact - Nikita Kucherov, who slammed awkwardly into Hawks goalie last game and suffered an “upper body injury”, skated earlier and has been listed as probable. So, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, who with the 21-year-old Russian can crack open any team at any time, will have a chance to light lamps tonight in the biggest game of their lives.
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Spare a moment...
On such a big day in Chi-town, there’s also some sad news regarding the medical condition of Stan Makita, Blackhawks hall-of-fame legend who has has lost his memory as a result of dementia. Read all about it here.
Good friend, golf buddy and @NHLBlackhawks legend Stan Makita slipping away. @ChrisKuc http://t.co/GaC8Joq9is pic.twitter.com/0tI75oMiFi
— Tom Dore (@TomDore) June 15, 2015
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The case of the missing Stamkos
So, just where was the Lightning franchise cornerstone for huge chunks of time with his team down a goal down the stretch in Game 5? On the bench of course, where else?
Oh, I know what your thinking - he hasn’t been scoring like his old self - just .28 goals a game over 25 playoff contests. Stick’em on the pine you say!
Well, that makes you certifiably crazy, you and the Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who is working his first Stanley Cup Finals and looked like it when they went down without their best man on the ice for some big moments - valuable seconds, around 30-40 of them late in the 3rd in the 2-1 defeat.
Heck, he’s only ranked first or second in scoring in five of the last six seasons, who needs him?
Stamkos was as bewildered as all of us regarding his absence.
I mean, I’m not the coach. You’ll have to ask him that.
Eesh. A little bit of advice for Cooper, and coming from someone who has never coached a second of hockey in his life, I suggest he takes it.
Keep the man on the ice when it counts. OK? Do we have a deal?
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Opening remarks
Hello everybody - it’s great to be here, and on such a festive occasion to boot.
Fans filing in to the United Center are hoping that this is the very last night of the long NHL season, one that ends with the Blackhawks lifting the Lord Stanley Cup.
Oh, that’s right, the Cup made it through security, and is in the house. The keeper of the Cup failed to follow my recommended airport protocol, which is of course opting out of going through that bizarre 28th century NSA sponsored x-ray machine in exchange for an erotic pat-down. Here is the proof.
Xray of the #StanleyCup enroute through security. #BecauseItsTheCup @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/ZvWYIMp0tk
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) June 15, 2015
Blackhawks fans are seeking to celebrate a championship on home ice for the first time since 1938, and since that was smack dab in the middle of the great depression, really, how much celebrating could they have possibly done?
The Hawks have a little bit of a Red Sox thing going. When they won the World Series at Fenway back in 2013, it was the first time they won at home since 1918. They are also looking to win their third title in a reasonably short span, just as Boston were....but never mind that, we’re in hockey mode here.
Stand by for more....
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David will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how Chicago moved to the brink of another Stanley Cup trophy:
Chicago forward Antoine Vermette – a late-season Blackhawks’ acquisition from Phoenix – has developed a knack in these playoffs for scoring game-winning goals. With just under two minutes past in the third, Vermette’s line-mate, Chris Versteeg, broke away into the Tampa zone. His first shot attempt died when Garrison, on the back-check lifted his stick niftily, but Versteeg’s second shot – from a worse angle – forced Bishop to cough up a rebound.
Following the play, and standing on the doorstep as the puck bounced off Bishop’s right pad, was Vermette, who put away the garbage to make it 2-1. It would, again, prove to be the game-winner – his third of the playoffs.
