2015 Stanley Cup

Lore & Background

The Blackhawks, as the club with the better regular-season record (102 points vs 98), held home-ice advantage in the series. The best-of-seven series was played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, with Chicago hosting games 1, 2, and 5; and Tampa Bay hosting games 3, 4, and 6. Amalie Arena in Tampa would have hosted game 7 had it been necessary. The series started June 3 and ended on June 15. Tyler Johnson and Patrick Kane led the Stanley Cup playoffs in points scored with 23 points each.

In Their Own Story

The arena hummed with electric tension as the final seconds ticked away on Game Six. Ice chips flew from skates under the bright lights, marking the end of a grueling series. When the horn sounded, players rushed to center ice, their red and black jerseys stained with sweat and effort. Jonathan Toews lifted the silver trophy high above his head while confetti rained down onto the frozen surface below.

Reader's Guide

This series marked Chicago's third Final appearance in six seasons; having won the Cup in both 2010 and 2013. This was the team's 13th appearance overall, and they were seeking their sixth overall Cup championship. The Blackhawks entered the 2014 offseason after being eliminated in the Western Conference finals in seven games by the eventual 2014 Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. On July 1 they signed free agent centre Brad Richards who had won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe in 2004 with Tampa. Approaching the NHL trade deadline in early March, Chicago traded for defenseman Kimmo Timonen from the Philadelphia Flyers, centre Antoine Vermette from the Arizona Coyotes, and centre Andrew Desjardins from the San Jose Sharks. Chicago finished in third place in the Central Division, earning 102 points (48–28–6). Goalie Corey Crawford tied the Canadiens' Carey Price as the William M. Jennings Trophy recipient for allowing a league-low 189 goals during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Blackhawks eliminated the Nashville Predators in the first round in six games, swept the Minnesota Wild in the second round, and defeated the top seeded and Presidents' Trophy runner-up Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference finals in seven games. They became the only team in NHL history to face a post-1990 expansion team at every stage of the playoffs.

Did You Know?

• The 2015 Stanley Cup Final was the first time since 1968 that the first four games were all decided by one goal.
• For the second time in Final history and the first since 1951, all games through game 5 were decided by one goal, with neither team leading by more than one goal.
• Teuvo Teravainen became one of the youngest players in NHL history to have a multi-point game in the Stanley Cup Final.
• Andrei Vasilevskiy became the first goalie to win a Stanley Cup Final game in relief of an injured starter since the NHL began tracking the stat.