Hawks Win Stanley Cup on Sneaky OT Goal
The Chicago Blackhawks are Stanley Cup Champions, ending a drought of 49 years since the last time Chicago owned the cup of Lord Stanley. Patrick Kane knocked in a rocket shot between the legs of Michael Leighton in overtime, a sneaky goal that wasn’t actually ruled a goal until moments later. Eddie Olczyk said it best after the goal: “Patrick Kane was the only person in this building that knew the puck crossed the goal line.” Regardless of how the goal was scored, the Chicago Blackhawks end their season as Stanley Cup Champions, and Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Toews, a gold medal winner with Team Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics 3 ½ months ago now has more hardware to add to his collection. For Kane, a silver medalist with Team USA, can now replace the bitter taste of defeat left over from the Olympics with the sense of pride and accomplishment of being a Stanley Cup Champion. Talk of the Stanley Cup Finals cannot truly be complete without mention of Marian Hossa. After losing in the cup finals the past two seasons, Hossa has finally earned his cup victory after signing a big-time deal with Chicago in the offseason. Had he lost yet again, I think maybe Chicago would be rethinking their contract negotiations with the Slovakian powerhouse.
The Chicago Blackhawks have finally met their expectations of themselves and of their fans. A team considered too young to be champions two years ago has now proven to the world that they have the right group of talent to win, a group that is destined to be together for a long time to come. The Philadelphia Flyers played with a lot of heart and pure determination, but ultimately their final rally came up short. Philadelphia will still be able to hold their heads up high as they were a team most didn’t consider making it out of the first round. They have persevered throughout the postseason and can look onto next season with no regrets. The deciding Game 6, much like the entire series, was an incredibly fast-paced exciting game from start to finish. For hockey fans, this has been an inspiring and memorable finals series that will ultimately go down in history a testament of speed, youth, perseverance and desire. For Flyers fans, this will go down as one of the most unexpected and great playoff runs their team has completed.
As for Blackhawks fans, this series will ultimately go down as the first great run of many at the cup. Chicago fans will be proud to know that with this experience, their team will be a top-notch team in the Western Conference and the NHL for years to come. I am saddened to see another NHL season come to an end, but I am glad that it ended in such an exciting fashion. Look for the offseason to be a thrill-ride as well, with plenty of top-level talent entering the draft and the free agency season beginning July 1. A great season for the NHL, and I look forward to another in October. See you then!
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