2008 Stanley Cup Final

Paths to the Finals

The Detroit Red Wings entered the Finals as the Presidents' Trophy winners, having compiled 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. Goaltender Dominik Hasek was replaced mid-series by Chris Osgood. Detroit defeated the Nashville Predators in six games in the Western Conference quarterfinals, swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference semifinals (with Franzen scoring nine goals, tying the entire Avalanche team), and then beat the Dallas Stars in six games to win the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered 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 playoff rounds in assists and tied for the points lead. 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, defeated the New York Rangers in five games in the semifinals, and beat the Philadelphia Flyers in five games to win the Prince of Wales Trophy.

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. 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; 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; it was NBC's highest-rated game since reacquiring NHL rights in 2004. On CBC, 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

Commissioner Gary Bettman handed the Stanley Cup to Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom after Detroit beat the Penguins 4-2 in game six. Derek Meech, who suited up for 32 regular-season games but sat out the entire playoffs as a healthy scratch, got an exemption to have his name engraved. At age 46, Chris Chelios became the oldest player ever to win the Cup. Five players—Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby, and Darren McCarty—each earned their fourth Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008.

Chris Osgood missed only the 2002 title. Steve Yzerman also won his fourth Cup with the team, serving as captain in 1997, 1998, and 2002, and as vice president in 2008. Nineteen non-players, including Mike Ilitch Sr., Marian Ilitch, Ken Holland, and Scotty Bowman, also won four Cups with the franchise. A record twelve European-born players were on 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 because they didn't qualify, including Mark Hartigan, who appeared in four playoff games.