Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane gave Chicago all the offence they needed as the Blackhawks shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 to win their third Stanley Cup in six years on Monday 20 June.
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 during the match.
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 play-offs
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 tight series that either team held a two-goal lead.
Following cup victories in 2010 and 2013, the win puts this edition of the Blackhawks into the rarefied air of past great teams, particularly considering it comes in an era of a salary cap and frequent player movement.
Its the greatest feeling in the world and once you do it once, you cant wait to do it again, said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville afterwards.
The celebration was made all the 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.
I think as the series progressed we just kept getting better. Its the guys that deserve it. Basically, how they compete and how they push each other, said Quenneville.
