"Stanley Cup" Special Edition
"Hawks Win, Two Times in Four Years, Hawks Win"
Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) hoists the Stanley Cup after beating the Boston Bruins 3-2 in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Sports Quote of the Day:
"Hard work pays off." ~ Patrick Kane, NHL Blackhawks Hockey Player, in television interview after Game 6 Stanley Cup victory.
Blackhawks stage late rally to win Stanley Cup.
By
An NHL-record unbeaten streak to start the lockout-shortened season.
Three straight victories to clinch the title.
From beginning to end, the Chicago Blackhawks skated away from the rest of the league.
Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland scored 17 seconds apart in the final minutes and the Blackhawks rallied to win Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final 3-2 on Monday night to clinch their second NHL championship in four seasons.
Jonathan Toews returned from injury to add a goal, and Corey Crawford made 23 saves for Chicago. But Crawford was off for an extra skater for the most important goal of the season, when Jonathan Toews fed it in front and Bickell scored from the edge of the crease to tie it 2-2.
Perhaps the Bruins expected it to go to overtime, as three of the first four games in the series did, because they seemed to be caught off-guard on the ensuing faceoff. A shot deflected by Michael Frolik went off the post right to Bolland, who put it in the net and started the Chicago celebration with 59 seconds left in the game.
''It's huge,'' Bolland said. ''Just seeing that puck bounce around there, I knew I just had to tap it in. So it was a huge goal.''
The Blackhawks on the ice gathered in the corner, while the Blackhawks bench began jumping up and down. It was only a minute later, when Boston's Tuukka Rask was off for an extra man, that the Hawks withstood Boston's final push and surged over the boards, throwing their sticks and gloves across the ice.
''I still can't believe that finish,'' Crawford said. ''Oh my God, we never quit.''
The Bruins got 28 saves from Rask, who was hoping to contribute to an NHL title after serving as Tim Thomas' backup when Boston won it all two years ago. The sold-out TD Garden began chanting ''We want the Cup!'' after Milan Lucic's goal put the Bruins up 2-1 with eight minutes left, but it fell silent after their team coughed up the lead.
The arena was almost empty - except for a few hundred fans in red Blackhawks sweaters who filtered down to the front rows - when the Chicago players passed the 35-pound Cup around the ice.
Patrick Kane, whose overtime goal in Game 6 beat Philadelphia to win the 2010 championship, was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoffs MVP.
''It was the best year of my life, just playing with these guys,'' Kane said.
Toews scored his third goal of the playoffs to tie it for the Blackawks at 4:24 of the second of Game 6 - exactly two minutes after teammate Andrew Shaw was penalized for roughing.
''In 2010, we didn't really know what we were doing,'' Toews said. ''We just, we played great hockey and we were kind of oblivious to how good we were playing.
'' This time around, we know definitely how much work it takes and how much sacrifice it takes to get back here and this is an unbelievable group. We've been through a lot together this year and this is a sweet way to finish it off.''
Boston, needing a win to extend the series to a deciding Game 7, came out aggressively and led 1-0 after one period on Chris Kelly's second goal of the playoffs.
The Bruins outshot the Blackhawks 12-6 in the first period but the margin dropped to 18-15 through 40 minutes.
Each team got one of its best players back when Toews and Boston alternate captain Patrice Bergeron returned to the lineup after leaving the Blackhawks' 3-1 win with injuries on Saturday.
Toews scored when he got past Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara along the boards in the neutral zone. Chicago's captain skated up the right side and fired a hard shot from the right faceoff dot that beat Rask between his pads.
It was Toews' second goal in three games. Of Chicago's last 10 goals, Chara was on the ice for nine.
Boston right wing Jaromir Jagr was shaken up in the first period. He returned for the second but left the bench, and Tyler Seguin replaced him on the second line with left wing Brad Marchand and center Bergeron.
The play that led to Kelly's goal began after a faceoff that rookie defenseman Torey Krug rushed in to tip toward a teammate. The puck went to Daniel Paille, standing about 40 feet on the left. He passed to Seguin, who caught the puck with his right glove in the slot and dropped it.
Seguin then passed to Kelly, who scored his second goal of the playoffs 7:19 into the game.
It came just seven seconds after a whistle stopped a scrum in front of the net that followed an extended period of pressure by the Bruins.
Just two minutes after the goal, Chicago had one of its best chances of the period when Frolik skated in with the puck behind the defense and fired a 15-foot drive from the left, but Rask made the save.
Boston had another solid chance at 12:24 when Lucic took a 15-foot shot from the slot that Crawford stopped.
After having no power plays in Game 5, the Bruins had four failed advantages in the first two periods.
With 4:01 left in the first, Shaw was struck in the face by a puck when it deflected off the shaft of his stick after Boston's Shawn Thornton shot it. He lay on the ice before getting up and skating off slowly.
Toews was on Chicago's first shift of the game. Bergeron had left Game 5 with an undisclosed injury after playing just 49 seconds in the second period.
Five of the last nine Cup finals have gone seven games, including in 2011 when the Bruins overcame a 3-2 series deficit and won their first championship since 1972 by winning Game 6 in Boston and Game 7 in Vancouver.
In 2010, Chicago won its first NHL title since 1961 on Kane's overtime goal. As they did this year, the Blackhawks won Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead.
This year's finals have been extremely tight, with three of the first five games going to overtime. Chicago won the opener in three overtimes, then Boston won 2-1 in one extra period and 2-0. The Blackhawks regained home-ice advantage with a 6-5 overtime win in a wild Game 4 in Boston before returning home for Saturday night's win.
Teams that have won Game 5 after splitting the first four have won the Cup 15 of 22 times since the best-of-seven format began in 1939. But the loser of Game 5 the past six times has won four championships, including the Bruins against the Canucks.
Last season, the Los Angeles Kings beat the New Jersey Devils in six games. This season, the Blackhawks beat the Kings in five games to reach the Cup finals, clinching the series on Kane's goal in overtime.
The Chicago Blackhawks pose with the Stanley Cup after beating the Boston Bruins 3-2 in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Patrick Kane wins the 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy, keeps USA’s streak alive.
The Chicago Blackhawks are the 2013 Stanley Cup champions. And Patrick Kane is the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Kane won the Conn Smythe trophy, his first (and the fourth by a Patrick, if you're into history), by virtue of his strong finish in this postseason.
The Blackhawks winger started the NHL's second season slowly. While he picked up a handful of assists versus Minnesota, he didn't score his first goal of the playoffs until Game 2 versus Detroit -- seven games in. He'd score another in the following game, but then he went cold again. After 15 games, Kane had just two.
But Kane, like Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, serves as evidence that it's not about the start. The finish is what matters, and his mirrored his team's stunning, late game turnaround in the way he poured it on at the end.
Kane scored 7 times in his final 8 games. He helped the Blackhawks over the Los Angeles Kings by scoring 4 times in the last two games of the Western Conference Final, including a hat trick in an elimination Game 5.
Versus Boston, he came up big in a pivotal Game 4, with a goal and an assist on the overtime winner as the Blackhawks tied the series. In Game 5, he scored twice, sending the Blackhawks back to Boston with a chance to hoist the Cup.
That they did, and Kane's contributions along the way were a major reason why.
That they did, and Kane's contributions along the way were a major reason why.
A little more history before we go: Kane became just the fourth American ever to win Conn Smythe -- and the third in a row -- joining Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas & Brian Leetch.
Will Canada ever win one of these again?
Will Canada ever win one of these again?
Kane is also the shortest Conn Smythe winner since Mike Vernon, which had to make a presenting Gary Bettman happy.
Stanley Cup Champions
By
2013 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Boston Bruins, 4-2
2012 -- Los Angeles Kings def. New Jersey Devils, 4-2
2011 -- Boston Bruins def. Vancouver Canucks, 4-3
2010 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2
2009 -- Pittsburgh Penguins def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3
2008 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2
2007 -- Anaheim Ducks def. Ottawa Senators, 4-1
2006 -- Carolina Hurricanes def. Edmonton Oilers, 4-3
2005 -- Lockout
2004 -- Tampa Bay Lightning def. Calgary Flames, 4-3
2003 -- New Jersey Devils def. Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 4-3
2002 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1
2001 -- Colorado Avalanche def. New Jersey Devils, 4-3
2000 -- New Jersey Devils def. Dallas Stars, 4-2
1999 -- Dallas Stars def. Buffalo Sabres, 4-2
1998 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Washington Capitals, 4-0
1997 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-0
1996 -- Colorado Avalanche def. Florida Panthers, 4-0
1995 -- New Jersey Devils def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-0
1994 -- New York Rangers def. Vancouver Canucks, 4-3
1993 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Los Angeles Kings, 4-1
1992 -- Pittsburgh Penguins def. Chicago Blackhawks, 4-0
1991 -- Pittsburgh Penguins def. Minnesota North Stars, 4-2
1990 -- Edmonton Oilers def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1989 -- Calgary Flames def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-2
1988 -- Edmonton Oilers def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1987 -- Edmonton Oilers def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3
1986 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Calgary Flames, 4-1
1985 -- Edmonton Oilers def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1
1984 -- Edmonton Oilers def. New York Islanders, 4-1
1983 -- New York Islanders def. Edmonton Oilers, 4-0
1982 -- New York Islanders def. Vancouver Canucks, 4-0
1981 -- New York Islanders def. Minnesota North Stars, 4-1
1980 -- New York Islanders def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2
1979 -- Montreal Canadiens def. New York Rangers, 4-1
1978 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-2
1977 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-0
1976 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-0
1975 -- Philadelphia Flyers def. Buffalo Sabres, 4-2
1974 -- Philadelphia Flyers def. Boston Bruins, 4-2
1973 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-2
1972 -- Boston Bruins def. New York Rangers, 4-2
1971 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-3
1970 -- Boston Bruins def. St. Louis Blues, 4-0
1969 -- Montreal Canadiens def. St. Louis Blues, 4-0
1968 -- Montreal Canadiens def. St. Louis Blues, 4-0
1967 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-2
1966 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-2
1965 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-3
1964 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3
1963 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-1
1962 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-2
1961 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-2
1960 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-0
1959 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1
1958 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-2
1957 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1956 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-1
1955 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-3
1954 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-3
1953 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1952 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-0
1951 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-1
1950 -- Detroit Red Wings def. New York Rangers, 4-3
1949 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-0
1948 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-0
1947 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-2
1946 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1945 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3
1944 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-0
1943 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Boston Bruins, 4-0
1942 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3
1941 -- Boston Bruins def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-0
1940 -- New York Rangers def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2
1939 -- Boston Bruins def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1
1938 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1
1937 -- Detroit Red Wings def. New York Rangers, 3-2
1936 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1
1935 -- Montreal Maroons def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0
1934 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Detroit Red Wings, 3-1
1933 -- New York Rangers def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1
1932 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. New York Rangers, 3-0
1931 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 3-2
1930 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 2-0
1929 -- Boston Bruins def. New York Rangers, 2-0
1928 -- New York Rangers def. Montreal Maroons, 3-2
1927 -- Ottawa Senators def. Boston Bruins, 2-1-1
1926 -- Montreal Maroons def. Victoria Cougars, 3-1
1925 -- Victoria Cougars def. Montreal Canadiens, 3-2
1924 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Vancouver Maroons, 3-2
1923 -- Ottawa Senators def. Vancouver Maroons, 3-1
1922 -- Toronto St. Patricks def Vancouver Millionaires, 3-2
1921 -- Ottawa Senators def. Vancouver Millionaires, 3-2
1920 -- Ottawa Senators def. Seattle Metropolitans, 3-2
1919 -- No decision, flu epidemic
1918 -- Toronto Arenas def. Vancouver Millionaires, 3-2
2012 -- Los Angeles Kings def. New Jersey Devils, 4-2
2011 -- Boston Bruins def. Vancouver Canucks, 4-3
2010 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2
2009 -- Pittsburgh Penguins def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3
2008 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2
2007 -- Anaheim Ducks def. Ottawa Senators, 4-1
2006 -- Carolina Hurricanes def. Edmonton Oilers, 4-3
2005 -- Lockout
2004 -- Tampa Bay Lightning def. Calgary Flames, 4-3
2003 -- New Jersey Devils def. Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 4-3
2002 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1
2001 -- Colorado Avalanche def. New Jersey Devils, 4-3
2000 -- New Jersey Devils def. Dallas Stars, 4-2
1999 -- Dallas Stars def. Buffalo Sabres, 4-2
1998 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Washington Capitals, 4-0
1997 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-0
1996 -- Colorado Avalanche def. Florida Panthers, 4-0
1995 -- New Jersey Devils def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-0
1994 -- New York Rangers def. Vancouver Canucks, 4-3
1993 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Los Angeles Kings, 4-1
1992 -- Pittsburgh Penguins def. Chicago Blackhawks, 4-0
1991 -- Pittsburgh Penguins def. Minnesota North Stars, 4-2
1990 -- Edmonton Oilers def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1989 -- Calgary Flames def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-2
1988 -- Edmonton Oilers def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1987 -- Edmonton Oilers def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3
1986 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Calgary Flames, 4-1
1985 -- Edmonton Oilers def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1
1984 -- Edmonton Oilers def. New York Islanders, 4-1
1983 -- New York Islanders def. Edmonton Oilers, 4-0
1982 -- New York Islanders def. Vancouver Canucks, 4-0
1981 -- New York Islanders def. Minnesota North Stars, 4-1
1980 -- New York Islanders def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2
1979 -- Montreal Canadiens def. New York Rangers, 4-1
1978 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-2
1977 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-0
1976 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Philadelphia Flyers, 4-0
1975 -- Philadelphia Flyers def. Buffalo Sabres, 4-2
1974 -- Philadelphia Flyers def. Boston Bruins, 4-2
1973 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-2
1972 -- Boston Bruins def. New York Rangers, 4-2
1971 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-3
1970 -- Boston Bruins def. St. Louis Blues, 4-0
1969 -- Montreal Canadiens def. St. Louis Blues, 4-0
1968 -- Montreal Canadiens def. St. Louis Blues, 4-0
1967 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-2
1966 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-2
1965 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-3
1964 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3
1963 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-1
1962 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-2
1961 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-2
1960 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-0
1959 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1
1958 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-2
1957 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1956 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-1
1955 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-3
1954 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-3
1953 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1952 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-0
1951 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-1
1950 -- Detroit Red Wings def. New York Rangers, 4-3
1949 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-0
1948 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-0
1947 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Montreal Canadiens, 4-2
1946 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 4-1
1945 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3
1944 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4-0
1943 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Boston Bruins, 4-0
1942 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-3
1941 -- Boston Bruins def. Detroit Red Wings, 4-0
1940 -- New York Rangers def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2
1939 -- Boston Bruins def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1
1938 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1
1937 -- Detroit Red Wings def. New York Rangers, 3-2
1936 -- Detroit Red Wings def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1
1935 -- Montreal Maroons def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0
1934 -- Chicago Blackhawks def. Detroit Red Wings, 3-1
1933 -- New York Rangers def. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1
1932 -- Toronto Maple Leafs def. New York Rangers, 3-0
1931 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 3-2
1930 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Boston Bruins, 2-0
1929 -- Boston Bruins def. New York Rangers, 2-0
1928 -- New York Rangers def. Montreal Maroons, 3-2
1927 -- Ottawa Senators def. Boston Bruins, 2-1-1
1926 -- Montreal Maroons def. Victoria Cougars, 3-1
1925 -- Victoria Cougars def. Montreal Canadiens, 3-2
1924 -- Montreal Canadiens def. Vancouver Maroons, 3-2
1923 -- Ottawa Senators def. Vancouver Maroons, 3-1
1922 -- Toronto St. Patricks def Vancouver Millionaires, 3-2
1921 -- Ottawa Senators def. Vancouver Millionaires, 3-2
1920 -- Ottawa Senators def. Seattle Metropolitans, 3-2
1919 -- No decision, flu epidemic
1918 -- Toronto Arenas def. Vancouver Millionaires, 3-2
The Associated Press Photo By Charles Krupa
A look at the frantic final finish of Game 6.
A look at the final 89 seconds of Chicago's dramatic 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night that clinched the championship for the Blackhawks:
1:29 - With Chicago trailing 2-1, goalie Corey Crawford goes to the bench to give the Blackhawks an extra skater on the ice.
1:16 - After a scrum along the boards, Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith makes a nice pass to center Jonathan Toews, who skates toward the left side of the net. He sends a pass to Bryan Bickell in the middle of the ice, and the big forward beats goalie Tuukka Rask with a shot to tie it 2-2.
1:16 - Boston center David Krejci wins the ensuing faceoff against Chicago center Dave Bolland, but the Blackhawks quickly get the puck.
0:59 - Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival takes a long slap shot that goes off the left post, and Bolland is there to poke the puck in, giving Chicago a 3-2 lead. Bolland finishes with three goals in the playoffs, all in the final series.
0:10 - Krejci gets off one last unsuccessful shot for the Bruins. Toews helps the Blackhawks run out the clock at the other end of the ice.
Factbox: Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Reuters; Compiled by Steve Keating; Editing by Frank Pingue
The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup championship on Monday by beating the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League's (NHL) best-of-seven championship final.
* Founded in 1926, the Blackhawks are one of the "Original Six" teams that made up the league before the first expansion in 1967. The others were the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
* The Blackhawks currently play in the Central division of the Western Conference.
* They have won 15 divisional titles and three conference championships (1992, 2010 and 2013).
* Chicago have won the Stanley Cup five times (1934, 1938, 1961, 2010 and 2013).
* After winning the championship in 1961, the Blackhawks lost five Stanley Cup Finals (1962, 1965, 1971, 1973 and 1992) until their triumph in 2010.
* The Blackhawks (36-7-5) won the Central this season and were ranked first overall in the Western Conference. The also won the Presidents' Trophy for scoring the most points in the NHL.
* After cruising by the Minnesota Wild 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs, Chicago faced elimination in the conference semi-finals before winning three straight over Detroit to prevail in overtime of the decisive seventh game. In the conference final, they beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings with a double overtime win in Game Five.
* The Blackhawks' head coach is 54-year-old Canadian Joel Quenneville, a former NHL defenseman who joined the team in 2008 after coaching St. Louis and Colorado.
* The captain is Canadian center Jonathan Toews. He has been selected to the NHL All Star Game twice. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs when the Blackhawks won their last title. He has also won Olympic gold and world championship gold medals.
Stanley Cup Final: Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman wisely kept core, rebuilt the rest after 2010 title.
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika
He saw it for the first time in September 2010, when the Chicago Blackhawks held their ring ceremony at a steakhouse. There it was, engraved in silver, “STAN BOWMAN” on the Stanley Cup.
Think about what that meant. His first name came from the Cup. His last name came from his father, Scotty Bowman, whose name was on the Cup a dozen times – a record nine as a coach, three more as an executive.
When Scotty won his first Cup in 1973, his Montreal Canadiens beat the Blackhawks.
He and his expectant wife, Suella, decided if they had a son, his name would be Stanley. Now here were father and son, senior advisor and general manager, for the Blackhawks of all teams, on the trophy together.
“It was pretty cool to see his name and my name right there,” Stan said then. “It certainly makes you want to do it again.”
He and his expectant wife, Suella, decided if they had a son, his name would be Stanley. Now here were father and son, senior advisor and general manager, for the Blackhawks of all teams, on the trophy together.
“It was pretty cool to see his name and my name right there,” Stan said then. “It certainly makes you want to do it again.”
They will if the Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins in Game 6 or 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and think about what that would mean. Though Stan Bowman has already made his own name for himself and his own mark on this team, this engraving would be deeper. This Cup would have more of his fingerprints.
Bowman earned his spot on the 2010 Cup. He helped build the roster as he rose in the front office. After sending a letter to Blackhawks executive Bob Pulford, trying to go from a Chicago consulting job to the NHL without his father’s help, he worked as special assistant to the GM, director of hockey operations, assistant GM and GM. But because Bowman took over as GM in July 2009, it is fair to say the 2009-10 Blackhawks were mostly Dale Tallon’s team.
These Blackhawks are Bowman’s. He committed to the core – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, David Bolland, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson. He rebuilt the supporting cast after chopping half the Cup team in a salary-cap crunch in the summer of 2010. He stuck with coach Joel Quenneville despite two first-round playoff losses, not to mention a nine-game losing streak last season that had the headhunters banging their drums. Instead of panicking and bowing to pressure to make more major moves, Bowman stayed patient, made subtle changes and let the team gel.
Bowman earned his spot on the 2010 Cup. He helped build the roster as he rose in the front office. After sending a letter to Blackhawks executive Bob Pulford, trying to go from a Chicago consulting job to the NHL without his father’s help, he worked as special assistant to the GM, director of hockey operations, assistant GM and GM. But because Bowman took over as GM in July 2009, it is fair to say the 2009-10 Blackhawks were mostly Dale Tallon’s team.
These Blackhawks are Bowman’s. He committed to the core – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, David Bolland, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson. He rebuilt the supporting cast after chopping half the Cup team in a salary-cap crunch in the summer of 2010. He stuck with coach Joel Quenneville despite two first-round playoff losses, not to mention a nine-game losing streak last season that had the headhunters banging their drums. Instead of panicking and bowing to pressure to make more major moves, Bowman stayed patient, made subtle changes and let the team gel.
This is the result: The Blackhawks started 21-0-3, setting an NHL record with points in each of their first 24 games, and won the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season team. The team that was torn apart because of the salary cap is one win away from becoming the first club to win two Cups in the salary-cap era.
“Credit to the stars for having great individual seasons, but we’re here because of our depth,” Sharp said. “We’ve got a great goaltender. We’ve got seven ‘D’ than can play, and then we get scoring from all four lines.”
Credit Bowman for that.
“There was a lot of tough decisions to be made right after the end of the Cup series there,” Sharp said. “It’s easy to second-guess what Stan has done. But it looks like he made some right decisions.”
Bowman signed Toews, Kane and Keith to extensions in 2009-10, knowing the cap would force major changes that offseason whether the Blackhawks won the Cup or not. His goal was to contend over the long term, and he decided his best chance was to keep his special, irreplaceable players and try to find new complementary parts.
Only eight men who dressed for the Blackhawks in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final are expected to dress for them in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.
“Yeah, I thought it was going to be tough to maybe get as far as we did that year,” Hjalmarsson said. “But I think Stan has been doing a great job to find new players, and this year everything has been going pretty good.”
Bowman believed in goaltender Corey Crawford. A big reason he kept Hjalmarsson and let go of Niemi in the summer of 2010 – matching an offer sheet Hjalmarsson had signed with the San Jose Sharks, walking away from an arbitration award to Niemi – was because he thought Crawford would develop. He supported Crawford despite a poor playoff performance last year. Now look: The ’Hawks still have Hjalmarsson on their second defensive pair, and Crawford has 15 wins this year with a 1.83 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.
Some of Bowman’s moves were under-the-radar or underwhelming at the time but turned out well – the signing of Ray Emery in 2011, the deadline deal for Johnny Oduya last year, the signing of Michal Rozsival last September, the deadline deal for Michal Handzus this year. Emery went 17-1-0 as Crawford’s backup this season.
Oduya and Rozsival move the puck from the back end, and the Blackhawks need that to play their speedy, skilled style and make the most of their star power. Handzus was slow in San Jose, but the veteran once played for Quenneville in St. Louis, wins faceoffs and has patched a hole at second-line center.
“Yeah, I thought it was going to be tough to maybe get as far as we did that year,” Hjalmarsson said. “But I think Stan has been doing a great job to find new players, and this year everything has been going pretty good.”
Bowman believed in goaltender Corey Crawford. A big reason he kept Hjalmarsson and let go of Niemi in the summer of 2010 – matching an offer sheet Hjalmarsson had signed with the San Jose Sharks, walking away from an arbitration award to Niemi – was because he thought Crawford would develop. He supported Crawford despite a poor playoff performance last year. Now look: The ’Hawks still have Hjalmarsson on their second defensive pair, and Crawford has 15 wins this year with a 1.83 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.
Some of Bowman’s moves were under-the-radar or underwhelming at the time but turned out well – the signing of Ray Emery in 2011, the deadline deal for Johnny Oduya last year, the signing of Michal Rozsival last September, the deadline deal for Michal Handzus this year. Emery went 17-1-0 as Crawford’s backup this season.
Oduya and Rozsival move the puck from the back end, and the Blackhawks need that to play their speedy, skilled style and make the most of their star power. Handzus was slow in San Jose, but the veteran once played for Quenneville in St. Louis, wins faceoffs and has patched a hole at second-line center.
Bowman traded for Michael Frolik, Nick Leddy and Viktor Stalberg. They have developed and found roles along with draft picks Bryan Bickell, Marcus Kruger, Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw. Frolik, a 21-goal scorer his first two NHL seasons with the Florida Panthers, could complain about not playing in the top six but has accepted being part of an outstanding penalty-killing tandem with Kruger. Bickell has eight goals. Shaw has five.
The new supporting cast is not an exact copy of the old one. It was never going to be the same. That was the challenge, to find a new mix, a new chemistry. But it has made about the exact same impact – from Crawford’s goaltending, to Frolik and Kruger’s penalty killing, to offensive production. If you include Bickell, who had no goals in four playoff appearances in 2010 and did not get his name on the Cup, the newcomers have accounted for 42.6 percent of the Blackhawks’ goals in these playoffs. The non-core players accounted for 41 percent of the Blackhawks’ goals when they won the Cup last time.
“I think the balance of our team gives us that depth that you look for, because you don’t look for one group or one guy to get the production done for you, the job done,” said Quenneville, who has gotten only two goals from Toews, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player in 2010. “It looks like everybody is contributing, and that’s what teams are all about.”
“Back in 2010, you had some guys who were probably unknown names that made names for themselves throughout that year and in the playoffs, and you’re seeing that happen again this year,” Kane said. “But I think it’s a credit to the management and the coaching staff, obviously drafting well and developing those players to come along. For us to be in this situation again three years down the road, especially after the breakup we had from that 2010 team, I think it’s a great success.”
The new supporting cast is not an exact copy of the old one. It was never going to be the same. That was the challenge, to find a new mix, a new chemistry. But it has made about the exact same impact – from Crawford’s goaltending, to Frolik and Kruger’s penalty killing, to offensive production. If you include Bickell, who had no goals in four playoff appearances in 2010 and did not get his name on the Cup, the newcomers have accounted for 42.6 percent of the Blackhawks’ goals in these playoffs. The non-core players accounted for 41 percent of the Blackhawks’ goals when they won the Cup last time.
“I think the balance of our team gives us that depth that you look for, because you don’t look for one group or one guy to get the production done for you, the job done,” said Quenneville, who has gotten only two goals from Toews, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player in 2010. “It looks like everybody is contributing, and that’s what teams are all about.”
“Back in 2010, you had some guys who were probably unknown names that made names for themselves throughout that year and in the playoffs, and you’re seeing that happen again this year,” Kane said. “But I think it’s a credit to the management and the coaching staff, obviously drafting well and developing those players to come along. For us to be in this situation again three years down the road, especially after the breakup we had from that 2010 team, I think it’s a great success.”
The best part? Bowman will not have to break up the team the way he did in 2010. He will have to make changes, especially with the salary cap coming down next season.
But he has learned from experience and planned for this, and the Blackhawks will not need an overhaul. If anything, they will be trying to find opportunities for more up-and-coming players.
But he has learned from experience and planned for this, and the Blackhawks will not need an overhaul. If anything, they will be trying to find opportunities for more up-and-coming players.
Bowman – low-key and calm, unlike his high-profile, volatile father – deflects attention. He has the personality of a GM, not a coach. He points out the cap forces you to keep a core and shuffle around it, that he has a strong foundation of players and a solid staff, that he couldn’t have patience without them.
“We haven’t had the playoff success the last two years, but we still had very good teams,” Bowman said. “This year it’s nice to see some of that come together, whether it’s acquisitions we make or players we draft and develop. It’s a little bit of everything, not just my decision-making.”
But it is a reflection on Bowman, the namesake of the greatest trophy and the son of the greatest coach in hockey. One more win, and Bowman will be able to see his reflection in that shiny silver Cup again, his name next to his father’s again, his name, his own name, dug in good.
Factbox: Stanley Cup playoffs' MVP Patrick Kane.
Reuters; Compiled by Julian Linden; Editing by Frank Pingue
Brief profile of Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the National Hockey League's 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs.
* Born November 19, 1988
* Was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2008 as the NHL's top rookie.
* In 2010, he helped the United States win a silver medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica thanks and salutes the "Chicago Blackhawks", the 2012-2013 Best Team in the NHL from start to finish. It can't and doesn't get any better than that!!!!!
* Born November 19, 1988
* An outstanding junior player, Kane was selected by Chicago as the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft.
* Was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2008 as the NHL's top rookie.
* In 2010, he helped the United States win a silver medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
* Later that year, he scored the championship-clinching goal in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers when Chicago won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years.
* During the 2013 playoffs, he led Chicago with 19 points in 23 games, including nine goals. His goal tally included two game-winning scores.
* A native of Buffalo, New York, Kane became the first Blackhawks player to score nine or more goals in three postseasons.
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Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica thanks and salutes the "Chicago Blackhawks", the 2012-2013 Best Team in the NHL from start to finish. It can't and doesn't get any better than that!!!!!
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