2002 Stanley Cup Final

Lore & Background

The Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to win the Cup after starting the playoffs with two losses at home. After losing the first two games in the Conference Quarterfinals to the Vancouver Canucks, the Red Wings won 16 of their next 21 games en route to win their third Cup since 1997 for coach Scotty Bowman. Bowman won his ninth Cup as a head coach, surpassing the mark he held jointly with Montreal coach Toe Blake. It was his final game as a head coach, as he announced his retirement immediately after the Game 5 victory. It was the last Detroit championship to feature members of the Russian Five, as Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov were still with the team.

Reader's Guide

The Hurricanes finished the regular season with 91 points, clinching the Southeast Division and the third seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, they defeated the New Jersey Devils in six games. In the second round, they dispatched the Montreal Canadiens in six games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games to advance to the Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Red Wings finished with the league's best record at 116 points, clinching the Presidents' Trophy and the overall #1 seed. In the first round, they survived an early scare against the Vancouver Canucks, losing the first two games at home but recovering to win four straight. They then defeated the St. Louis Blues in five games, and in the Western Conference Finals, they defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games, with Dominik Hasek posting two shutouts in Games 6 and 7.

Did You Know?

• The Hurricanes stunned the Red Wings in the first game on the strength of Ron Francis's overtime goal. It was the first time the team had won a game in Detroit since 1989.
• The 25-point differential between the Red Wings (116 points) and the Hurricanes (91 points) was the largest between two teams in a Stanley Cup Final since 1994.
• The Cup win was the first for many veterans on the team, including goaltender Dominik Hasek, forward Luc Robitaille, and defencemen Steve Duchesne and Fredrik Olausson.
• It was the second Cup win for Chris Chelios, sixteen years after he first won the Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in 1986.