Chicago Blackhawks beat Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6, Take 3rd Stanley Cup in Six Years
The Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 in a thrilling game six to win the best of seven Stanley Cup finals four games to two. It was the Blackhawks third cup in six years, an unprecedented feat in Hockey's salary cap era. This cup win was made even sweeter by the fact that it was the first time in 77 years the Blackhawks got to lift Lord Stanley's Cup on their home ice. Their previous two wins against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Boston Bruins in 2013 happened on the road.
Blackhawks workhorse defenseman Duncan Keith capped off a magical playoff run by hoisting the Conn Smythe trophy. With a stagger 751 minutes played, The 31 year old Keith became just the fourth skater since 1998 to log 700+ minutes of action in the playoffs. As per ESPN Stats and Information, Keith is just the second defender to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the playoff's most valuable player, and score the game winning goal since Bruins great Bobby Orr did it twice in 1970 and 1972.
Aside from Keith's defensive prowess he also chipped in offensively with 3 goals and 18 assists, becoming just the 11th defenseman in league history to notch at least 21 points.
"It's been really special," Keith said. "You play with the same guys for a long time and you develop a bond, and then when you can win a championship, it just reinforces that. To be able to do it three times, we're all proud of it. We all talked about what it would be like, and we're just super proud to be part of a group like this."
Keith's teammate and fellow Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Toews was ecstatic for the defender's much deserved success:
"It's about time," said captain Jonathan Toews, the 2010 Conn Smythe winner. "We all know he's going to go down as one of the great players to play the game. In our room, we knew that before the playoffs, but he keeps proving it time and time again."