2008 Stanley Cup Final

Paths to the Finals

The Detroit Red Wings entered the Finals as the Presidents' Trophy winner for the best regular-season record. Led by forwards Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Johan Franzen, the team scored 55 goals in the first three playoff rounds. After goaltender Dominik Hasek struggled, Chris Osgood replaced him mid-series, and Detroit defeated the Nashville Predators in six games in the Western Conference quarterfinals. The Red Wings then swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference semifinals, with Franzen scoring nine goals—tying the entire Avalanche squad's output.

Detroit won the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl by defeating the Dallas Stars in six games. The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the Finals after winning the Atlantic Division and posting the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Captain Sidney Crosby, who missed 29 regular-season games with an ankle injury, led the first three rounds in assists and tied for the points lead entering the Final. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury recorded three playoff shutouts.

Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa each had nine goals and ten assists in the playoffs. Pittsburgh swept the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, then beat the New York Rangers in five games in the semifinals. The Penguins won the Prince of Wales Trophy by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in five games.

Game summaries

The 2008 Stanley Cup Final was the first postseason meeting between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The teams had not played each other during the regular season. In game one, a goal by Nicklas Lidstrom was waved off due to goaltender interference, and Pittsburgh failed to score on four consecutive power plays. Mikael Samuelsson scored two unassisted goals, Dan Cleary added a shorthanded goal, and Henrik Zetterberg scored on the power play.

Chris Osgood recorded a shutout as Detroit won 4–0, outshooting Pittsburgh 36–19. For game two, Pittsburgh inserted Gary Roberts into the lineup, and Detroit returned Johan Franzen. Brad Stuart opened the scoring on a slap shot, Tomas Holmstrom added a goal, and Valtteri Filppula scored in the third period. Osgood earned his second consecutive shutout, stopping all 22 shots in a 3–0 victory. Pittsburgh failed to get a shot on goal for the first twelve minutes of game two.

Television

In the United States, Versus aired games one and two, while NBC televised the remainder of the series. Game one drew a 1.8 rating and 2.3 million viewers, a 157% increase over the previous Finals opener. Game two had a 1.9 rating and 2.5 million viewers, the highest-rated and most-watched cable telecast of the Finals in six years. Game three earned a 2.8 rating, an 87% increase over the previous year's game three, and in Detroit it outrated game five of the 2008 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

Game four had a 2.3 rating, up 21% from the previous year. Game five drew a 4.3 rating, a 79% increase and the highest for a game five since 2002. Game six posted a 4.4 rating, the best for a game six since 2000 and a 100% increase over 2006. On CBC in Canada, this was Bob Cole's last Stanley Cup Final as play-by-play announcer, and game six was the final CBC broadcast using 'The Hockey Theme' after 40 years.

Stanley Cup engraving

The Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman after Detroit's 4–2 win in game six. The following players and staff had their names engraved: Derek Meech, who played 32 regular-season games but was a healthy scratch for the playoffs, received an exemption. Chris Chelios became the oldest player to win the Cup at age 46. Five players won their fourth Cup with Detroit in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008: Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby, and Darren McCarty.

Chris Osgood missed only the 2002 title. Steve Yzerman also won his fourth Cup with Detroit as vice president. Nineteen non-players won four Cups with the team, including Mike Ilitch Sr., Marian Ilitch, Ken Holland, and Scotty Bowman. A record twelve European-born players won the Cup: Dominik Hasek and Jiri Hudler (Czech Republic); Tomas Kopecky (Slovakia); Valtteri Filppula (Finland); Pavel Datsyuk (Russia); and Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Andreas Lilja, Nicklas Lidstrom, Mikael Samuelsson, and Henrik Zetterberg (Sweden).

Seven players on the Final roster were left off the engraving for not qualifying, including Mark Hartigan, who played in four playoff games.