49 years later, Blackhawks win Stanley Cup in OT, 4-3

By Brian Cazeneuve
June 10, 2010


Philadelphia, PA — In the end, it was a suspension of disbelief. There was no red light behind the goal, no signal from the closest referee. Blackhawk teammates jumped over the bench and jumped back in uncertainty. Their Flyer foes were jousting for position as if the play was still alive.

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Pronger turns soft as Hawks pummel Philly in Game 5

By Brian Cazeneuve
June 7, 200


Chicago, IL — For Chris Pronger, the futility played out like a horror flick in the Blackhawks' 7-4 victory over the Flyers in Game 5. After Chicago pulled to within one win of its first Stanley Cup since 1961, Pronger was left to explain a game in which he was on the ice for six opposition goals, including one on the power play, and in the penalty box for a seventh. For one rare night, the solid-skating bruiser and worthy Conn Smythe candidate morphed into Bambi.

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Flyers take Blackhawks 5-3, tie series 2-2

By Rich Chere
June 4, 2010


Philadelphia, PA — Now that it’s a three-game mini-series for the Stanley Cup, a lot more people believe the Philadelphia Flyers are a team of destiny.

The best-of-seven finals are even at two games apiece after the Flyers capitalized on several mistakes by the Chicago Blackhawks last night and held on for a 5-3 victory at the Wachovia Center.

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Flyers beat Blackhawks 4-3 in OT in Game 3

By Dan Gelston
June 2, 2010


Philadelphia, PA — Twice, the Philadelphia Flyers needed video replay to decide if a goal counted.

One did, one didn’t.

Claude Giroux didn’t need the officials to check his winner.

Giroux scored 5:59 into overtime to give the Flyers a 4-3 victory over Chicago in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals Wednesday night, cutting the Blackhawks’ series lead to 2-1. Game 4 is Friday night in Philadelphia.

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Chicago punches way to 2-0 series lead

By Jim Litke
June 1, 2010


Chicago, IL — Chicago had to sweat a shaky third period Monday just to post another one-goal decision over the Flyers. Yet they head back to Philadelphia with a 2-0 lead in the series, having won seven straight playoff games, seven straight on the road and their talented young offensive stars — Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane — have yet to contribute a point.

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Stanley Cup Finals: Blackhawks strike first with 6-5 victory over Flyers

By Michael Obernauer
May 30, 2010


CHICAGO, IL — These are the Stanley Cup finalists?

In the opening act of what is supposed to be the NHL's ultimate test of might, Saturday night's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals was all over the place, a 60-minute exercise in finding out whose underbelly was the softest. In the end, it was Philadelphia's, while the Chicago Blackhawks finally seemed to find their stride in the final period and rode it to a wild and unsightly 6-5 victory that Hawks coach Joel Quenneville called a "shootout at the OK Corral."

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2010 Stanley Cup Final preview

By Allan Muir
May 28, 2010


PHILADELPHIA WINS THE STANLEY CUP IF:

1) Michael Leighton continues to channel the spirit of Bernie Parent. There's absolutely nothing on his resume that suggests he's up to this challenge, but his recent body of work (three shutouts and a .954 save percentage against the Habs) gives hope, right?

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Eulogy: Remembering the 2009-10 Montreal Canadiens

By Greg Wyshynski
May 25, 2010

Montreal, QC — Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of the 2009-2010 Montreal Canadiens. I trust that we'll all conduct ourselves with the full measure of reverence and respect owed to a franchise that is the oldest in the entire league, and the second-most popular in Eastern Canada. We'll pause for a moment so you can all dress in black.

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Chicago rallied, beat San Jose Sharks 4-2

Associated Press
May 23, 2010


Chicago, IL — Dustin Byfuglien has emerged as a force for the Chicago Blackhawks and now he is taking his game to the highest level. He and his teammates are headed to the Stanley Cup finals.

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Flyers down Canadiens 3-0, lead series 3-1

Associated Press
May 22, 2010


Montreal, QC — Michael Leighton shut down and shut out the Montreal Canadiens again, leading the Philadelphia Flyers within one win of the Stanley Cup finals.

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All eyes are on Sid The Kid again

By Kostya Kennedy
May 12, 2010


Dear Sidney:

Good luck tonight, Kid! Game 7, home crowd in Pittsburgh, the playoff darling Canadiens coming in to try to spoil a Penguin spring. It's another one of those moments, 87. It's all on you.

As you put it yourself, Sidney, a game like this "is a chance to see what you're made of."

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Halak lifts Canadiens past Capitals 2-1 in Game 7

By Howard Fendrich
April 29,2010


Washington, DC — Hunched over, head bowed, his stick resting across his knees, Alex Ovechkin skated alone down the ice, stung by yet another Game 7 loss by his Washington Capitals.

At the other end of the rink stood Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak, his arms raised in triumph, his teammates pounding him on the helmet, on the back, everywhere.

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Canucks finish Kings 4-2

By Greg Beacham
April 26, 2010


Los Angeles, CA — Of all the breaks that went the Vancouver Canucks’ way in the final three games of their playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings, none was bigger than a fortuitous crack in Mikael Samuelsson’s stick.

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Kings need 'Quick' fix to avoid Canucks

By Greg Beacham
April 25, 2010


Los Angeles, CA — Unless the Los Angeles Kings get a Quick reversal of their recent fortunes on defense, the Vancouver Canucks are headed onward in the playoffs.

Embattled goalie Jonathan Quick and his Kings will attempt to stave off elimination Sunday night when they host the Canucks in Game 6 of their first-round series.

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Canucks to build on late Game 4 comeback

Associated Press
April 22, 2010


Vancouver, BC — The Vancouver Canucks know exactly how the Los Angeles Kings feel after blowing a late lead and a great opportunity.

Vancouver was within 3 minutes of taking a 3-1 series lead against Chicago in the second round of last year’s playoffs, but after a late goal they lost Game 4 in overtime.

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Flames could learn from Leafs, Senators, and Canadiens

By Daniel Sallows
March 31, 2010


Calgary, AB — The Calgary Flames may not be headed to the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that is no reason to not start looking ahead for next season, and taking a dip into the NCAA free-agent pool is something they should seriously consider.

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Freeway Faceoff would tantalize

By Randy Youngman
February 9, 2010


ANAHEIM — The Angels and Dodgers had Southern California baseball fans buzzing about the possibility of playing in the first I-5 World Series a few months ago, before both teams fell one series short of that momentous event.

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Pittsburgh (28-17-1) at Minnesota (22-20-3)

By Brett Huston
January 10, 2010


The Minnesota Wild would love to record a third straight victory and topple the defending Stanley Cup champions, but they’ll be hard-pressed to top their latest feat.

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Penguins remedy Stanley Cup hangover

By The Canadian Press
December 24, 2009


Pittsburgh, Pa — The Stanley Cup celebrations were barely two weeks old when Sidney Crosby started thinking about a remedy for the championship hangover.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain went on vacation with teammate Max Talbot shortly after the Game 7 victory over Detroit and was already looking ahead to this season. Just like that, another long championship pursuit had begun.

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Nothing to feel blue about in St. Louis

By Ross McKeon
September 27, 2009


No one accomplished more while facing as much adversity last season as the St. Louis Blues.

This was a team that wasn’t expected to compete for a playoff spot even before disaster struck for one of its youngest and brightest stars just before the start of training camp. Defenseman Erik Johnson, the first player drafted overall in 2006, tore his ACL and MCL when his right foot got caught between the accelerator and brake of a golf cart he was driving. The resulting knee surgery cost him what would have been the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder’s second season in the league.

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Obama lifts NHL's Stanley Cup

September 10, 2009


WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Thursday lived the dream of young hockey players growing up all over the United States, Canada and eastern Europe: he lifted the Stanley Cup.

Obama welcomed the National Hockey League champion Pittsburgh Penguins to the White House to celebrate their upset Stanley Cup final victory over the Detroit Red Wings in June.

After giving a short speech praising the Penguins, Obama asked to lift the storied silver trophy, and posed for a picture with Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and team great and now part-owner Mario Lemieux.

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Penguins’ youth marches to Stanley Cup

By Dan Wetzel
Jun 13, 2009


DETROIT – He’d given up five Game 5 goals on this same sheet of ice. He was yanked in the second period as catcalls and confidence dropped around him, the Detroit crowd going wild over his failures.

The old questions were returning to his young shoulders – you can’t win a Stanley Cup with Marc-Andre Fleury(notes), the fans kept laughing. Pittsburgh can’t win with all these kids, not yet at least.

Now it was six days later, now everything was on the line, the Stanley Cup shined up and waiting. It was the final, furious seconds of Game 7 and Fleury was back in this red-clad house of horrors, these relentless Red Wings swarming him one last time.

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