April 12th, 1938. Chances are if you’re reading this, you were not alive or old enough to recollect the events of this day. It was the last time the Chicago hockey team by the name of the “Black Hawks” won the Stanley Cup on home ice. Then, the home ice for the Original Six franchise was Chicago Stadium and names like Johnny Gottselig and Carl Voss led the team to glory.
Tonight, the site was United Center, and captain Jonathan Toews along with Patrick Kane and others were looking to lead this group of Blackhawks to their 3rd title since 2010 after winning just one since 1951.
The National Anthem was played before Game 6 of this hard-fought and unbelievably close series(no team has had a two-goal lead) and Jim Corneilson did what he’s been doing for the Blackhawks since 1996 when it started as a part-time job. As part of the tradition, the Madhouse crowd packed beyond capacity was cheering at the top of their lungs, though it seemed louder than ever before with what was at stake.
The first stanza was the series in a nutshell. Fast-paced, great chances, great saves. A Steven Stamkos cross-bar, a sliding pad save by Tampa goaltender Ben Bishop on Toews and another on the young Teuvo Teravainen highlighted the top chances. Chicago received two power play chances but were unable to capitalize. By the end of the first, it was clear the game was going to be the tightest of the series with how Bishop was playing and the dominance Chicago showed in terms of possession and shots, winning 12/17 faceoffs and outshooting Tampa 13-4 after the first 20.
The Lightning came out firing and desperate at the beginning of the 2nd period, with captain Steven Stamkos having a clear cut breakaway that he was able to slow down in on, only to be denied by the pad of Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford. Anton Stralman had an open chance as well with a pass coming his way through the slot, and he fanned on the hot pass.
The chaos didn’t stop there. The Bolts continued to pressure, only to find themselves caught on a 3-on-1. Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw feathered a pass across to lead Andrew Desjardins on a possible mini break on Bishop but in Hasek-like fashion, the Tampa goaltender came out and poked it away. The grit of both teams was evident, with players hitting hard, fast, and causing most to get up very sluggish.
At the halfway point of the period, Chicago had no shots to Tampa’s five in the period. Things quickly picked up for the home team after the 10:00 mark. In a furious flurry, Chicago had about four chances that just zinged wide of Bishop, dominating possession for a good 1:40. Surges for both teams came and went in this game, and Chicago could not capitalize on their latest one.
With just under three minutes left, the man thought to be a super-human broke through for the first goal of the contest. Brad Richards made the play through the neutral zone, and Kane delayed just enough to lead Duncan Keith into the zone to fire a puck from the middle of the point. Bishop got the first chance, but the rebound was there for Keith to fire home for the lead for Chicago.
They were one step closer.
A late power play came for the home team and another defenseman nearly made it 2-0 with under ten seconds left in the second stanza. Brent Seabrook walked the line, fired from the point and hit the left goalpost in behind Ben Bishop so squarely that it came back off of his pad. Shaw batted the puck out of the air and Bishop needed to turn away yet another chance for his 21st save.
He would make one more to close out the period as the Hawks were just 20 minutes away.
After killing the remainder of the penalty, the Lightning came out like any team would fighting for their playoff lives, getting the first four shots of the period. Naturally, the Blackhawks weathered the storm, with the Lightning firing around the net as the first TV timeout came with just under 14 minutes to go. The shots? 26-18. The score? 1-0. The fans witnessing? 22,400+.
Under ten minutes to go. The chant was “Let’s Go Hawks” and the Cup was in the building. The Lightning kept on, while the Hawks were weathering the storm in front of their goaltender Crawford. When the attempts came to Bishop, he gingerly turned them aside as the effects of a nine-month journey were showing for both teams.
The crowd to its feet. “Let’s go Hawks” echoing once again.
A possible chance for Nikita Kucherov, denied by the stick of Andrew Shaw.
Stretch passes from star Tampa Bay blueliner Victor Hedman and Bishop. Snuffed out by the defense. Tampa Bay presses, a chance is created.
Three men up.
Brandon Saad, Brad Richards, Patrick Kane. Saad brought it in over the blueline, dropped it back to Richards, the former Lightning player who won a Cup with the visitors in 2004 and had a lane to the net. Instead of shooting, there was Kane sneaking in to his favorite spot backdoor.
The pass came, he didn’t miss. The two-goal lead was the first of the series.
Kane had his 11th goal of the playoffs and the second goal of the game with under six minutes left, and the Cup, humorously enough, was running late in the midst of severe weather in Chicago.
The rookie Teravainen tried to break away and ice it, and Cedric Paquette made a huge defensive play. Shortly after, Tampa was given a power play with under four minutes to play.
Bishop was called to the bench with 1:20 left on the chance to cut the lead in half.
Then came the cardinal sin for Tampa with icing the puck on the power play with 2:26 left in the game. Bishop goes back into the net. 2:05 to go, he’s back out.
Jon Cooper’s group is on its last legs, and Joel Quenneville’s is ready to party.
“We Want the Cup!” echoes again.
60 seconds.
Desjardins, the man who took the late penalty, hits the post.
The seconds run down.
The crowd counts it down.
“Five!”
“Four!”
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
Confetti.
The Blackhawks had their third Cup in six years, the first one at home since that magical year of 1938. The handshakes followed, with the highlights being the two captains, Stamkos and Toews, the two goalies, Bishop and Crawford, and the two coaches that got their teams there, Cooper and Quenneville.
Then, the prizes.
The Conn Smythe, arriving late along with Lord Stanley, was awarded to Duncan Keith, who scored the winning goal.
The Stanley Cup followed.
Commissioner Gary Bettman proceeded to do what he’s done with Jonathan Toews for the third time.
The captain gracefully accepted, and almost immediately handed it to 40-year old Kimmo Timonen, who was set to retire after the series. After 16 years in the NHL, he finally will get his name put on the Stanley Cup after having blood clots at the start of the season.
The rest of the team followed. Crawford. Kane. Richards. Sharp. Hossa. The rest.
Storylines aplenty for this Blackhawks team.
Scott Darling became the first Blackhawk born in Chicago to get his name on the Cup.
Assistant equipment manager Clint Reif passed in January, with the entire staff wearing the patch “CR” to remember him by. You can bet this one was for him.
Patrick Kane was supposed to be out until the middle of the Conference Final when he was injured in February. He came back for the first game of the playoffs and added 11 more playoff goals to his impressive mark in his career, scoring the insurance marker late in the third.
Corey Crawford posted a shutout in the final game of the 2014-15 NHL season, when in the first round his counterpart Scott Darling stole his job for a few games. Crawford regained it and backstopped the Blackhawks when it counted.
These and more were just highlights in another magical year for the team that cals the Madhouse on Madison home.
Thus concluded yet another memorable NHL regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs. A victor to celebrate the championship being Chicago, and an exciting team in their own right, Tampa Bay, left wondering what could’ve been.
They along with 28 other teams have 86 days to think about their respective journeys until training camp, when a new one begins.
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