|
 Keith banged in his own rebound late in the second period, giving
goalie Corey Crawford all he would need for the win, and spoiling a
fabulous effort by Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop, who turned aside 30
Chicago shots.
A workhorse in a series where the scoring stars were largely held in
check, Keith was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable
player during the playoffs.
Kane salted the win with just over 5 minutes left, taking a no-look
pass from Brandon Saad to put Chicago up by a pair, and marking the
first time in the razor-tight series that either team has held a
two-goal lead.
"There were a few games that could have gone either way, and we
found a way," Keith said in an on-ice interview.
Following Cup victories in 2010 and 2013, the win puts this edition
of the Blackhawks into the rarified air of past great teams,
particularly coming in an era of a salary cap and frequent player
movement.
"That's three Cups in six seasons. I'd say you have a dynasty," NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman told a delirious Chicago crowd moments
before presenting the Cup, which was delayed in arriving at the
arena by weather and needed a police escort.
The celebration was made more special by it being the first since
1938 that the Blackhawks had clinched in Chicago.
Following a trend of past series, Chicago finished stronger than it
started, going down two games to one against Tampa Bay before
storming back with three straight wins.
[to top of second column] |
For Tampa Bay, for whom the appearance in the final was their first
since winning in 2004, the series was notable for the ascendancy of
young star defenseman Victor Hedman, and the strong play of Bishop
in coming back from a groin injury that sidelined him in Game Four.
Asked about injuries, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper instead pointed to
the Lightning's difficulty scoring during the series, particularly
after leading the league in goals during the regular season.
"We were only giving up two goals a game, and when this team only
gives up two, we win the majority of those games," he told
reporters. "The pucks just didn't go in for us."
Chicago goalie Crawford, who despite team success rarely gets
billing among the NHL's top goalies, was steady throughout the
series, and with the Game Six win tied Hall of Famer Tony Esposito
for most playoff wins in franchise history with 45.
(Writing by Cameron French; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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