NHL 2013 Draft - Round 2 Picks

Rnd	Pick	Overall	Team	Player	Pos	Country	Height	Weight	Amateur League	Amateur Team
2	1	31	FLA	IAN MCCOSHEN	D	USA	6' 2"	205	USHL	WATERLOO
2	2	32	COL	CHRIS BIGRAS	D	CAN	6' 0"	186	OHL	OWEN SOUND
2	3	33	TBL	ADAM ERNE	LW	USA	6' 0"	210	QMJHL	QUEBEC
2	4	34	MTL	JACOB DE LA ROSE	LW	SWE	6' 2"	190	SWEDEN-2	LEKSAND
2	5	35	BUF	J.T. COMPHER	LW	USA	5' 10"	184	USHL	USA U-18
2	6	36	MTL	ZACHARY FUCALE	G	CAN	6' 1"	181	QMJHL	HALIFAX
2	7	37	LAK	VALENTIN ZYKOV	LW	RUS	5' 11"	209	QMJHL	BAIE-COMEAU
2	8	38	BUF	CONNOR HURLEY	C	USA	6' 1"	174	HIGH-MN	EDINA HIGH
2	9	39	PHX	LAURENT DAUPHIN	C	CAN	6' 0"	165	QMJHL	CHICOUTIMI
2	10	40	DAL	REMI ELIE	LW	CAN	6' 0"	203	OHL	LONDON
2	11	41	PHI	ROBERT HAGG	D	SWE	6' 2"	204	SWEDEN-JR.	MODO JR.
2	12	42	NJD	STEVEN SANTINI	D	USA	6' 1"	207	USHL	USA U-18
2	13	43	WPG	NICOLAS PETAN	C	CAN	5' 8"	165	WHL	PORTLAND
2	14	44	PIT	TRISTAN JARRY	G	CAN	6' 1"	183	WHL	EDMONTON
2	15	45	ANA	NICK SORENSEN	RW	DNK	6' 0"	174	QMJHL	QUEBEC
2	16	46	MIN	GUSTAV OLOFSSON	D	SWE	6' 2"	185	USHL	GREEN BAY
2	17	47	STL	THOMAS VANNELLI	D	USA	6' 2"	165	HIGH-MN	MINNETONKA
2	18	48	DET	ZACH NASTASIUK	RW	CAN	6' 1"	190	OHL	OWEN SOUND
2	19	49	SJS	GABRYEL PAQUIN-BOUDREAU	LW	CAN	5' 11"	167	QMJHL	BAIE-COMEAU
2	20	50	CBJ	DILLON HEATHERINGTON	D	CAN	6' 3"	196	WHL	SWIFT CURRENT
2	21	51	CHI	CARL DAHLSTROM	D	SWE	6' 3"	211	SWEDEN-JR.	LINKOPING JR.
2	22	52	BUF	JUSTIN BAILEY	RW	USA	6' 3"	186	OHL	KITCHENER
2	23	53	WSH	MADISON BOWEY	D	CAN	6' 0"	195	WHL	KELOWNA
2	24	54	DAL	PHILIPPE DESROSIERS	G	CAN	6' 1"	182	QMJHL	RIMOUSKI
2	25	55	MTL	ARTTURI LEHKONEN	LW	FIN	5' 11"	163	FINLAND	KALPA
2	26	56	EDM	MARC-OLIVIER ROY	C	CAN	6' 0"	175	QMJHL	BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND
2	27	57	STL	WILLIAM CARRIER	LW	CAN	6' 1"	198	QMJHL	CAPE BRETON
2	28	58	DET	TYLER BERTUZZI	LW	CAN	6' 0"	178	OHL	GUELPH
2	29	59	WPG	ERIC COMRIE	G	CAN	6' 0"	167	WHL	TRI-CITY
2	30	60	BOS	LINUS ARNESSON	D	SWE	6' 2"	187	SWEDEN-2	DJURGARDEN
2	31	61	WSH	ZACHARY SANFORD	LW	USA	6' 3"	185	EJHL	ISLANDERS

Cory Schneider leaves Vancouver

The New Jersey Devils electrified the Prudential Center crowd at the 2013 NHL Draft on Sunday when they dealt their first-round pick (No. 9) to the Vancouver Canucks for goaltender Cory Schneider. The Canucks used the choice to select Bo Horvat, a center from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. The trade leaves Roberto Luongo as the No. 1 goaltender in Vancouver after a season in which he backed up Schneider, who signed a three-year, $12 million contract last summer. Schneider, 27, was 17-9-4 for the Canucks in 2012-13 with a 2.11 goals-against average, a save percentage of .927 and five shutouts, helping Vancouver win the Northwest Division title.

"Today's decision was made after a thorough review of our options and in the interest of improving this team long-term through the draft and development of players," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement. "We appreciate the high level of professionalism and conduct both Cory and Roberto have shown while continuing to help this team be competitive. I would like to personally thank Cory for his contributions to our team and wish him the very best and a bright future."

Gillis told TSN getting into the top 10 in the draft was a key. "We explored every option we possibly could with our goaltending situation, and we felt strongly enough to make this move to get a great young player like Bo."

Martin Brodeur, who's 41, has one season remaining on his contract with New Jersey. His backup, 40-year-old Johan Hedberg, also has one year remaining. Luongo, 34, has nine years remaining with an annual salary-cap charge of $5.33 million. At the NHL Trade Deadline, he admitted he would be difficult to trade because of that contract. He was 9-6-3 with a 2.56 GAA and .907 save percentage in 2012-13. He now returns to the No. 1 spot in Vancouver.

Gillis said. "Roberto has been excellent throughout this entire ordeal. A lot of people like to forget that it became awfully complicated with the lockout and with a new [Collective Bargaining Agreement], that changed the rules regarding contracts. So we had two great goaltenders, we've had two great goaltenders. I think Roberto will be a unanimous selection to be perhaps the starting goaltender in Team Canada this year. So we have every bit of confidence in him and I don't see that being an issue."

NHL 2013 Draft - Round 1 Picks

2013 - Round: 1
Rnd	Pick	Overall	Team	Player	Pos	Country	Height	Weight	Amateur League	Amateur Team
1	1	1	COL	NATHAN MACKINNON	C	CAN	6' 0"	182	QMJHL	HALIFAX
1	2	2	FLA	ALEKSANDER BARKOV	C	FIN	6' 3"	209	FINLAND	TAPPARA
1	3	3	TBL	JONATHAN DROUIN	LW	CAN	5' 10"	186	QMJHL	HALIFAX
1	4	4	NSH	SETH JONES	D	USA	6' 3"	205	WHL	PORTLAND
1	5	5	CAR	ELIAS LINDHOLM	C	SWE	6' 0"	192	SWEDEN	BRYNAS
1	6	6	CGY	SEAN MONAHAN	C	CAN	6' 2"	187	OHL	OTTAWA
1	7	7	EDM	DARNELL NURSE	D	CAN	6' 3"	185	OHL	SAULT STE. MARIE
1	8	8	BUF	RASMUS RISTOLAINEN	D	FIN	6' 4"	207	FINLAND	TPS
1	9	9	VAN	BO HORVAT	C	CAN	6' 0"	206	OHL	LONDON
1	10	10	DAL	VALERI NICHUSHKIN	RW	RUS	6' 4"	202	KHL	CHELYABINSK
1	11	11	PHI	SAMUEL MORIN	D	CAN	6' 6"	202	QMJHL	RIMOUSKI
1	12	12	PHX	MAX DOMI	C LW	CAN	5' 9"	197	OHL	LONDON
1	13	13	WPG	JOSHUA MORRISSEY	D	CAN	5' 11"	186	WHL	PRINCE ALBERT
1	14	14	CBJ	ALEXANDER WENNBERG	C	SWE	6' 1"	190	SWEDEN-2	DJURGARDEN
1	15	15	NYI	RYAN PULOCK	D	CAN	6' 0"	211	WHL	BRANDON
1	16	16	BUF	NIKITA ZADOROV	D	RUS	6' 5"	221	OHL	LONDON
1	17	17	OTT	CURTIS LAZAR	C RW	CAN	5' 11"	190	WHL	EDMONTON
1	18	18	SJS	MIRCO MUELLER	D	CHE	6' 3"	184	WHL	EVERETT
1	19	19	CBJ	KERBY RYCHEL	LW	USA	6' 0"	205	OHL	WINDSOR
1	20	20	DET	ANTHONY MANTHA	RW	CAN	6' 3"	190	QMJHL	VAL-D'OR
1	21	21	TOR	FREDERIK GAUTHIER	C	CAN	6' 4"	214	QMJHL	RIMOUSKI
1	22	22	CGY	EMILE POIRIER	LW	CAN	6' 0"	183	QMJHL	GATINEAU
1	23	23	WSH	ANDRE BURAKOVSKY	LW	AUT	6' 1"	178	SWEDEN-2	MALMO
1	24	24	VAN	HUNTER SHINKARUK	C LW	CAN	5' 10"	181	WHL	MEDICINE HAT
1	25	25	MTL	MICHAEL MCCARRON	RW	USA	6' 5"	228	USHL	USA U-18
1	26	26	ANA	SHEA THEODORE	D	CAN	6' 1"	178	WHL	SEATTLE
1	27	27	CBJ	MARKO DANO	C	AUT	5' 11"	183	KHL	BRATISLAVA
1	28	28	CGY	MORGAN KLIMCHUK	LW	CAN	5' 11"	180	WHL	REGINA
1	29	29	DAL	JASON DICKINSON	C	CAN	6' 1"	179	OHL	GUELPH
1	30	30	CHI	RYAN HARTMAN	RW	USA	5' 11"	181	OHL	PLYMOUTH

2013 Entry Draft - Top 5 Picks Selected

The Colorado Avalanche opened the 2013 NHL Draft by selecting Halifax Mooseheads center Nathan MacKinnon with the first pick. MacKinnon, a 6-foot, 182-pound center, is the first player from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League taken with the first pick since the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Sidney Crosby with the No. 1 pick of the 2005 NHL Draft.

"It's amazing how things have worked out in my hockey career," MacKinnon told TSN. "It's so exciting and hopefully it's just getting started. This is unbelievable, to be a part of the Colorado Avalanche. I can’t wait to get to training camp. It's always been my dream to go No. 1, I'd be lying if I told you anything different. Obviously going up against a guy like Seth Jones is very motivating for sure, but my main goal is to win. This is crazy right now. This is unbelievable."

Coincidentally, MacKinnon and Crosby are from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, and spent part of their development at Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school in Faribault, Minn. MacKinnon, NHL Central Scouting's second-rated North American skater in its final rankings of players for this year's draft, had 32 goals and 75 points in 44 regular-season games and added 11 goals and 22 assists in 17 playoff games to help Halifax win the QMJHL championship. In the Memorial Cup, MacKinnon capped his season with seven goals and six assists in four games, including a hat trick and two assists in the championship game, when Halifax won its first Canadian Hockey League title. His tournament-best 13 points earned him the Stafford Smythe Trophy as the tournament's most valuable player. That performance is what persuaded the Avalanche to select MacKinnon ahead of Jones, the Portland Winterhawks defenseman and Central Scouting's top-rated North American skater, as well as a wealth of talented players in what some experts have called the best crop of draft talent since 2003.

"Nathan's lived under the microscope for a long time and the pressure and he's always risen to that occasion," Sakic told TSN. "He's an electrifying player. He's the most explosive player in this draft."

The second pick provided the first surprise of the day, when the Florida Panthers selected Finnish center Aleksander Barkov, Central Scouting's top-ranked European skater. In his second full season with Tappara in SM-liiga, Finland's top professional league, the 6-2, 205-pound forward had 48 points in 53 regular-season games. He sustained a season-ending shoulder injury and is recovering from March surgery. He recently was cleared to begin skating and stickhandling but said he's yet to start shooting pucks.

"He was one of the reasons why Tappara finished second in the league," NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb said. "Just consistent, cool, smart two-way center. … Always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. He’s a very good stick-handler with great vision."

MacKinnon's Halifax teammate, Jonathan Drouin, was taken third by the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's the second straight year teammates were taken in the top three, following Sarnia Sting teammates Nail Yakupov (No. 1, Edmonton Oilers) and Alex Galchenyuk (No. 3, Montreal Canadiens) last year. Prior to that, it was 1999, when the Vancouver Canucks chose Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin with the second and third picks, respectively. Drouin was second in the QMJHL with 105 points in 49 regular-season games and won the QMJHL MVP and CHL Player of the Year awards.

"Nathan MacKinnon makes players around him better, but if you appear to make Nathan MacKinnon better, you're doing yourself a solid," Central Scouting's David Gregory said. "It's not as if people think MacKinnon made him better. It's more Drouin's ability to play at that level and side-by-side with him."

With the fourth pick, the Nashville Predators selected Jones, who NHL Network analyst Craig Button called the best 18-year-old defense prospect since Chris Pronger. In his first season in the Western Hockey League, Jones had 14 goals, 42 assists and a plus-46 rating in 61 regular-season games. He was named the WHL Rookie of the Year, and after helping Portland win the league title, he was named the Canadian Hockey League's Top Prospect. He also played a major role in the United States winning the gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, and helped Portland reach the championship game at the Memorial Cup.

"First of all, I’m going to worry about myself and trying to get better and try to make Nashville next year and then second of all, I’m going to try to make, in a good way, though, those teams regret not taking me," Jones told TSN. "I think that’s my job and I’m going to do whatever I can to help Nashville win."

Nashville GM David Poile told TSN he was pleased to have the chance to select Jones. "We had him No. 1 all year long, I know there’s some great players and we were going to be happy with whoever we got, but I’m extremely happy. This works out great for us. This is another building block, along with Shea Weber, on defense. We couldn’t ask for a better situation. I think is going to be just a great fit for both of us.”

At No. 5, the Carolina Hurricanes selected Swedish center Elias Lindholm, who had 30 points in 48 games with Brynas in the nation's top domestic league. "He's a complete package," Stubb said. "He could very well be the next Peter Forsberg. He's an excellent skater and great competitor who gives it 110 percent on every shift. He can skate, score and pass, and is physically strong even though he is a finesse-type of player."

Transfer Market hots up

Pittsburgh - The Pittsburgh Penguins' busy off-season continues as they traded forward Tyler Kennedy to the San Jose Sharks for a second-round pick in Sunday's NHL draft. The Penguins got the 50th overall pick for the rights to Kennedy, who is a restricted free agent. Kennedy, 26, had six goals and five assists in 46 regular-season games and two goals and three assists in nine playoff games. "Tyler is a highly-competitive forward who plays with speed and has a history of scoring big goals," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. "He has played in a lot of playoff games over the last past five seasons, won a Stanley Cup and we think he fits in perfectly with our group and how we want to play the game."

The Penguins are reportedly close to an agreement with defenseman Kris Letang on an eight-year contract extension worth $58 million, according to multiple media reports. Letang has one year left on his current contract that pays him $3.5 million annually. His new deal will reportedly have a limited no-trade clause. Letang, who was the Penguins' third-round draft pick in 2006 (No. 62), had 38 points in 35 games in 2012-13 and was a Norris Trophy finalist. He has 209 points in 385 career regular-season games since making his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2006. Letang won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009. He has 47 points in 80 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Columbus - Not long after it was reported the Columbus Blue Jackets could be investigating a potential trade involving Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, the Columbus Dispatch is reporting the sides have agreed on a two-year contract. Bobrovsky will become a restricted free agent if he is not signed by July 5. TSN is reporting the Blue Jackets were looking into trading Bobrovsky because his asking price was high, reportedly $6 million per season in a new contract. Bobrovsky, in his first season with the Blue Jackets, was second in the League with a .932 save percentage and fifth with a 2.00 goals-against average. He went 21-11-6 and became the first Russian-born goaltender to win the Vezina earlier this month.


Tampa Bay - Former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier spent the past two days meeting with several teams interested in signing him when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 5. The teams Lecavalier reportedly met with are the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames. Dallas general manager Jim Nill confirmed his team's meeting with Lecavalier prior to the start of the 2013 NHL Draft on Sunday and said he likes the Stars' chances.

"I think we've got a great opportunity," Nill said, who has the impression that Lecavalier will be making his decision within the next few days. "I think he wants to get it over with soon, I know he's going to do his homework, so we'll see."

Tampa Bay announced on Thursday that it was using one of its two available compliance buyouts on Lecavalier, who will be paid more than of $30 million over the next 14 years by the Lightning, who are saving $7.7 million on the cap over the next seven seasons.

 

Minnesota - The Minnesota Wild have traded the rights to defenseman Justin Falk to the New York Rangers in exchange for the rights to forward Benn Ferriero and a sixth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, the teams announced Sunday. The sixth-round pick was previously acquired by the Rangers in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 36 games this season with Minnesota, Falk finished with no goals, three assists, 40 penalty minutes and a minus-9 rating. He had a minus-3 rating and no points during the Wild's five-game first-round Stanley Cup Playoff loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. In parts of four seasons with Minnesota, Falk has one goal and 14 assists with a minus-28 rating in 108 games. Ferriero appeared in four games with the Rangers this season, with one assist and a plus-1 rating. He scored 14 goals and added eight assists with a plus-22 rating in 92 games across three seasons with the San Jose Sharks.

Coyotes Arena Deal?

The National Hockey League is open to giving the city of Glendale more time to pay off the $25 million the city owes the league for running Jobing.com Arena. A five-year payoff plan for the city is tied to a Phoenix Coyotes arena deal the Glendale City Council is considering with a group trying to the buy the NHL-owned franchise. Glendale agreed to a pair of $25 million payments to the NHL after the league bought the Coyotes out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. The city still owes the NHL money from those agreements.


According to a source close to the deal, the NHL has agreed to allow the city to pay the $25 million still owed over five years, provided the Coyotes sale goes through. That would stop the city from having to do anything drastic financially and addresses worries raised by opponents of the latest arena deal. Glendale and Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, the group that wants to buy the Coyotes, are trying to work out an arena deal before a July 2 deadline. If that deadline is not met, the team could be sold to another group and moved out of the Phoenix market.


Glendale City Councilman Ian Hugh has said Glendale is considering the idea of mortgaging city buildings, including parking garages and City Hall, to help pay for the Coyotes deal and money owed to the NHL. The Arizona state government took some similar steps with its real estate during its financial distress during the recession. “The league has given the city an easy way out, by restructuring the debt in installment payments. That’s a much more sensible solution than the political ploy of ‘selling’ city hall,” the source said. Glendale spokeswoman Julie Frisoni said Glendale is still working through the details of a deal with Renaissance that would keep the hockey team from moving.

A Fantastic Football Blog

Although this is strictly a Hockey blog, I want to draw people’s attention to a blog about my favourite soccer team, Newcastle United, called the Geordie Times. It is written by a good friend of mine called Fink, who travels to every single Newcastle game, at home, on the road and abroad!!

The Geordie Times is an entertaining read for any fan of Soccer but for guys who live across the pond in USA & Canada, it may be able to form an insight into the life and times of an avid supporter, who has been there and done it all since the late 1960s. Fink has been to over 300 different stadiums around the world to watch Newcastle United and has a tale to tell about every single one. It is maybe the funny stories that surround each trip that makes it so entertaining, after all we can all write a play-by-play report of the game, but if you want something a little bit different, some background into the dramas and the passions of following a soccer team in England then please give it a try. Fink also gives great up-to-date news headlines affecting the club and spells everything he writes the way you would pronounce it in Newcastle. Don’t worry for those of you not familiar with the Geordie language there is a translation of terms used, on the side panel.

 

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the English Premier League, if Newcastle United were a hockey team they would be the Toronto Maple Leafs, a huge team, with a massive following, but alas have not won a trophy since the 1960s. The Newcastle supporters ‘the Toon Army’ are probably more akin to the Vancouver Canucks, in that after a big, important game is lost, they will riot across the city.

 

 

That, whetted your appetite hey? Then check it out here: www.geordietimes.com

Stanley Cup Final Reaction

Kane nets Conn Smythe - Despite a familiarity with the big moment, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane couldn't comprehend what he had accomplished Monday night. His Blackhawks had just finished a comeback for the ages, scoring the tying and winning goals 17 seconds apart in the dying moments of Game 6 to fashion a 3-2 victory against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden and win the Stanley Cup for the second time in four seasons, and the usually unflappable Kane was at a loss. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had already handed Kane the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he already had a twirl with the Stanley Cup hoisted above his head, and had posed for the team picture with the most cherished trophy his sport knows. Now, though, he was at a loss for words. "It is an unbelievable feeling," said Kane, who scored the winning goal when Chicago won the trophy against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. "My head is spinning. I don’t know what really happened the past 20 minutes."

What happened is the Blackhawks showed the heart of a champion erasing a 2-1 deficit with Bryan Bickell's extra-attacker goal with 1:16 remaining and the winning goal by Dave Bolland 17 seconds later. Suddenly, despair had turned into delirium for the Blackhawks, who frolicked wildly around the TD Garden ice. And, though Kane did not factor in the scoring of any of his team's goals in the Cup-clinching game, he was on the ice for the first and second, there was no question this celebration likely wouldn't have happened without all the earlier contributions he made. Kane scored two goals in the Blackhawks’ first 15 postseason games this spring and questions began to be asked about his slump. Then, just like that, with the stakes at their highest, Kane found his scoring groove. In the final two games of the Western Conference Final against the defending champion Los Angeles Kings, Kane scored four goals. His hat trick in Game 5 put that series to bed. In the Final, he managed one assist in the first three games as Chicago fell into a 2-1 hole. In a wild Game 4, after being reunited with Jonathan Toews and Bickell, he had a goal and an assist when Chicago took a 6-5 overtime decision to even the series. In Game 5, a 3-1 victory at United Center, Kane finished with two goals, including the game-winner.

What, exactly, caused the turnaround? "I don't really have a specific answer," Kane said. "I think it was Game 4 in L.A., I knew I needed to get the puck and start moving with it and try to create some chances. It ended up working out. I mean, you're playing with two great players with Toews and Bickell. They made hockey really easy the past couple weeks for me. We actually came up with a name for myself this morning, calling me the 'Benefish', for the beneficiary of all their hard work. I had a couple chances to finish and ended up doing that, so got to give them the credit.

Certainly, Kane had help in waking up his game, but he was the one who converted on the opportunities that were suddenly coming against what had been a stingy Boston defense, using his speed to devastate a Bruins blue line that preferred to play a physical game. As a reward, he became the third straight American to win the Conn Smythe, joining Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick (2012) and Boston netminder Tim Thomas (2011). New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch is the other American to win it, doing so in 1994. Kane finished the postseason with nine goals and 19 points, second to Boston Bruins forward David Krejci (27 points). "I’m sure it will be something looking back that no one can take away from you," Kane said. "Someone said it is the fourth American to win the award. I’m blessed. I play with great players all playoffs and wouldn’t have been capable of this without my teammates. There were other guys who could have won too. You look at [goalie Corey] Crawford, maybe he got snubbed a little bit. [Bickell] and [forward Patrick Sharp], but it is a great feeling."

Chicago an example to others - Facing the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Semifinals gave the Chicago Blackhawks the chance to beat the team that has been the gold standard in the NHL for the better part of two decades. When the 2013-14 season begins in October, a lot of other franchises may be looking at Chicago as the NHL's new model franchise. The Blackhawks became the first franchise to win the Stanley Cup twice in the salary cap era Monday night by beating the Boston Bruins 3-2 at TD Garden in Game 6 of the Final. Given the construction of their roster, they might not be done. "Two times. Two times in four years. There is something about this core," Patrick Kane said. "We've got to stay together, because I think we can do some special things in the future." There have been several new contenders for the title of top organization in the NHL since 2005, when the salary-cap era began. Other clubs have tried to build a consistent contender in the mold of the Red Wings, who won their fourth Cup in an 11-year span in 2008.

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Red Wings to win the Cup in 2009, but haven't been back to the same level in the postseason since. The Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Bruins each had a chance to become the first team to win twice in the past eight seasons, but all of those teams' seasons ended at the hands of the Blackhawks. Instead, it is the Blackhawks who have won twice in four seasons and look poise to contend for years to come. "We're as good as it gets from our perspective that we're so lucky to be in Chicago experiencing the crowd, the enthusiasm," coach Joel Quenneville said. "The city is going to go bananas again. It's a special place to play and work and coach and be a part of because the enthusiasm in the city is a different level of excitement and just feel privileged to be a part of it. It's tough to win, even though it's not back-to-back. We had two learning curves the last two years, but I thought they applied it very well this year."

When the Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in 2010, they became the poster child for the NHL's new financial climate. Cost reasons forced Chicago to jettison several key role players during the summer after the championship. Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg and Antti Niemi were among those who were gone before Chicago could begin mounting a title defense. Two transition seasons followed. The Blackhawks were able to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2011 and pushed the Vancouver Canucks to a seventh game after falling behind 3-0 in the series. They lost an overtime-filled six-game series to the Phoenix Coyotes in 2012. However, the team's core remained intact, even as general manager Stan Bowman kept tinkering everywhere else. What transpired in 2012-13, from a record 24 games without a regulation loss to start the season to claiming the Presidents' Trophy and then defeating the rival Red Wings, the defending champion Kings and the 2011 champion Bruins, was nothing short of incredible. "It is tough to do it; 2010 was a special team both on and off the ice," veteran forward Patrick Sharp said. "The fact that Stan had to make so many decisions right after we won makes this one even sweeter. He decided to keep myself [and] a couple of other guys around. I feel proud to be part of this organization and to win it again."

If winning twice in four seasons wasn't enough, the Blackhawks have now been to the conference finals three times in the past five years, something no other organization can say. Even better, the 2013-14 edition of the Blackhawks won't face nearly as sizable a makeover as the one the 2010 titlists went through. There are six unrestricted free agents, two restricted, four unrestricted, and according to capgeek.com, the Blackhawks have a little more than $2 million in cap space. However, that number includes a couple of players, Steve Montador and Rostislav Olesz, who are making more than $2 million per season but did not contribute to this Cup run. There is not enough space to sign everyone. Rugged forward Bryan Bickell has earned a rather large raise and might not be back. Forward Viktor Stalberg almost certainly won't be. Backup goalie Ray Emery and veterans Michal Handzus and Michal Rozsival will be interesting decisions. Beyond Bickell, replacements for the other players could be readily available. There are youngsters such as Jeremy Morin, Brandon Pirri and Jimmy Hayes who want to earn a permanent place on the roster in the fall. Most important, all of the core players, Toews, Kane, Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford, are signed for next season; all of them, save Crawford, have at least two years left on their current deals. Kane is going to get his wish, and he might just be onto something. "I think we can be confident in what we can do as an organization," Sharp said. "That goes for the guys behind the scenes in the front office and to our leadership group. I'm proud to be a Blackhawk."

Chara's post game reaction - Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara has a Norris Trophy, several All-Star Game appearances and a Stanley Cup championship on his resume. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound blueliner is widely regarded as the best shutdown defenseman in the NHL. So that he was on the ice for 10 of the Chicago Blackhawks' last 12 goals over the course of the last three games of the Stanley Cup Final was a major shock. There had to be a physical reason for Chara's struggles. Unfortunately, the hockey world will have to wait a couple of days to find out what was hampering Chara other than the Blackhawks' top line of Jonathan Toews, Bryan Bickell and Patrick Kane. "I'm not thinking about my physical status. Sorry," Chara said after the Blackhawks defeated the Bruins, 3-2, at TD Garden on Monday in Game 6 of the Cup Final.

Chara was minus-1 in Game 6 and on the ice for two of Chicago's three goals, including Bickell's game-tying score with 1:16 remaining. Dave Bolland scored with 58.3 seconds to go to give Chicago its second Stanley Cup in four seasons. It was Bickell who did the most to pound Chara and make sure the rugged defenseman paid a price almost every time he touched the puck. The Blackhawks united the line of Bickell, Toews and Kane in Game 4, which turned out to be a 6-5 series-evening win. Whether Chara was injured already or was felled by something in the series against Chicago, Chara and usual shutdown partner Dennis Seidenberg found Toews' line too much to handle for most of the rest of the series. "I think that it was the case for every team. I don't think that it was just Chicago," Chara said. "I think the whole playoffs, no matter who you play, it's going to be physical, it's going to be grinding, and it's not just, obviously Chicago, the whole playoffs, that's just the way it is. It's physical and you have to expect that." Chara refused to concede the Blackhawks had worn him down."I think it was just like any other series. Like I said, it was physical," the Bruins captain said.

After giving up nine goals combined in their losses in Game 4 and 5, the Bruins wanted to tighten up their defensive play in Game 6. They basically had done that until there were 76 seconds remaining in regulation and Bickell scored his tying goal by crashing the net and cashing in on Toews' pass from below the goal line through Chara's legs. Chicago's nose for the net and some fortuitous bounces were the difference, according to Chara. "I think like, if I would have to really talk about defense, I thought that throughout the whole playoffs we did a really good job," Chara said. "They did find some holes and at times, I have to be honest, it's not just a matter of being in the right position or covering guys, you know. It's some bounces you need to have your way. If it gets deflected and goes off skates and this and that, obviously that's not an excuse, but you need to have some bounces and it seemed like we didn't get those like we did before. But they did a good job going to the net, creating a lot of traffic in front and so ..."

Now we wait until the Bruins' breakup day Wednesday, when Chara and a list of other players are expected to reveal what ails them. For now, all we know is that it hurts the Bruins to know how close they were to being on the other side of this series. "Yeah, I thought it was pretty even. It was two teams playing a little bit different styles, but both are pretty effective and it was very close," Chara said. "I think that all six games, end up deciding with one goal, and I think obviously one was them was the empty-net goal that made it a two-goal difference, but all the other ones were one-goal games. So, it was pretty close."

Hawks battle injury list - No team wins the Stanley Cup without injuries, but they rarely, if ever, disclose them while the ride is ongoing. The Chicago Blackhawks' doctors and trainers were certainly busy throughout the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and coach Joel Quenneville revealed some of what they had to deal with shortly after Dave Bolland's goal in the final minute completed Chicago's historic come-from-behind 3-2 Cup-clinching win against the Boston Bruins in Game 6 Monday at TD Garden. Quenneville said Marian Hossa was dealing with a bad back; Michal Handzus had injuries to his hand and knee; and Bryan Bickell, who scored the tying goal Monday, suffered a Grade 2 knee sprain at the end of the Western Conference Final against the Los Angeles Kings. All Quenneville would say about Jonathan Toews, who played in Game 6 after sitting out the third period of Game 5, is that "he got his bell rung, he was fine."

Toews had a goal and an assist on Bryan Bickell's tying goal with 1:16 left in the third period. "He had a monster game," Quenneville said of Toews. "He looked ready to go at the end of the last game, and I thought he looked very good [Sunday] and was ready to go. The bigger the game, the bigger the setting, you know what you're going to get from Jonathan Toews. He just knows how to play hockey."

Of all the injuries, Quenneville said Handzus, the oldest player in the lineup at 36, was in the worst shape, yet he logged more than 15 minutes in Game 6. He also played more than 16 minutes in Game 4 and more than 17 minutes in Game 5. "Oh yeah, he had more issues than anybody," Quenneville said. "He had a bad hand, he had a bad knee, he had old age, a lot of things going on. But what a game he played and what a playoffs he had. And what an end of the season after we upgraded him [to second-line center]."

Handzus didn't miss a game en route to winning the Stanley Cup for the first time. He finished the Stanley Cup Playoffs with three goals and eight assists. "Everybody is banged up in the playoffs," Handzus said. "I don't think I'm the only guy and we don't have to talk about it. I could play, so I was happy." Quenneville said Bickell's knee injury was the main reason the coach broke up the top line of Bickell, Toews and Patrick Kane, a line that was so good late in the series against the Kings. "Grade 2 knee sprain, that's a three- or four-week injury," Quenneville said. "[Bickell] probably shouldn't have played a game in this series, but after Game 3 it looked like he was back to normal, which was big for us."

Bickell, Toews and Kane were put back together on a line for Game 4 of the Final. They combined for six goals and seven assists during the last three games of the series. "Now why would I do that [break up the line]?" Quenneville asked rhetorically. "Well, we were trying to preserve [Bickell] and get some balance at the same time. We didn't want heavy minutes with him against [Zdeno] Chara basically on one leg." Hossa did not play in Game 3 because of his back injury. He was limited in Games 4, 5 and 6, but played at least 16-plus minutes in each of them and had an assist in Game 4. "The resiliency all year long of finding ways, and the depth I think made it so special for us," Quenneville said.

Flyers & Canucks Ring the changes, Miikka Retires

Philadelphia - The tumultuous relationship between the Philadelphia Flyers and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov will come to an end this summer. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren made that official on Tuesday when he released a statement that the organization would exercise a compliance buyout of Bryzgalov, officially ending his tenure after just two seasons. "I met with Ilya this morning and informed him that we are going to exercise a compliance buyout of his contract," Holmgren said in a statement. "This was a very difficult business decision to make for us and we want to thank Ilya for his time here and wish him all the best moving forward." Holmgren said he met with Bryzgalov on Tuesday morning to inform him of the decision. Last week, Holmgren announced that forward Danny Briere would also be given a compliance buyout.

The decision to buy out Bryzgalov means the team has now utilized both of the buyouts available to them under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The window to announce compliance buyouts runs for 48 hours after the decisive Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The team cannot officially buy him out until 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Bryzgalov has seven years remaining on a contract that pays him $5.6 million annually. Philadelphia will save $5.667 million in cap space for the next seven seasons, but the club also has to pay him $23 million over the next 14 years or two-thirds of the remaining $34.5 million on Bryzgalov's contract. The Flyers inked Bryzgalov to a nine-year, $51 million deal on June 23, 2011. The 33-year-old goalie played in 99 regular-season games for the Flyers and went 52-33-10 with a 2.61 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. He went 19-17-3 with a 2.79 GAA and .900 save percentage in 2012-13. In 11 playoff appearances, Bryzgalov was 5-6 with a 3.46 GAA and .887 save percentage. The buyouts of Briere and Bryzgalov will save the Flyers approximately $12.17 million against the cap in each of the next two seasons, according to the team's website. In his first season in Philadelphia, Bryzgalov finished 33-16-7 with a 2.48 GAA and .909 save percentage. Selected in the second round (No. 44) of the 2000 NHL Draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, he spent six seasons with the Ducks before being claimed on waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes on Nov. 17, 2007. Bryzgalov, who spent four seasons in the desert, has won 208 times in 425 career regular-season games, with a 2.55 GAA and .913 save percentage. The Flyers' projected starter between the pipes for 2013-14 is now Steve Mason, who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 3 at the 2013 NHL Trade Deadline, in exchange for goalie Michael Leighton and a 2015 third-round draft pick. On April 8, Mason signed a one-year contract extension. In seven games with the Flyers, Mason went 4-2-0 with a 1.90 GAA and .944 save percentage.

Vancouver - The Vancouver Canucks have named John Tortorella as their new coach. He's expected to be introduced later Tuesday at a press conference scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. "We are proud to introduce John Tortorella as Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks," general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement released by the team. "John has coached championship teams and is passionate about winning. He has a proven ability to bring the best out of his players and we believe he has all of the qualities to bring our team success."

The Canucks had been searching for a replacement for Alain Vigneault since letting him go after seven seasons shortly after the Canucks were swept in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the San Jose Sharks. Vigneault was hired last week as Tortorella's replacement as coach of the New York Rangers. Tortorella was fired by the Rangers shortly after New York lost in five games to the Boston Bruins in the second round of the playoffs. In an interview posted Tuesday on the Canucks' website, Tortorella said he looks forward to combating opinions of him that many formed during his tenure in New York. "I think it's come to the point with me where I'm kind of being defined as 'that lunatic,' not only on the bench, but also after games with media," he said. "I don't want to be defined that way, but I do make my own bed in that type of situation and I need to make some corrections, I need to make some adjustments in that part of it. I'm dealing with an older team here, as I look at the roster, I think I need to respect the older players and some of the processes they've gone through and make adjustments with myself as far as how I handle them."

In 13 seasons as coach, Tortorella has a record of 410-340-67, with 37 ties. He's led his team into the playoffs six times, including a Stanley Cup championship with the Lightning in 2004. "This is an adventure and it's an honor and a privilege," Tortorella told the Canucks' website, "and I couldn't be happier as far as where I'm at at this stage of my career and to have an opportunity to do this in the province of [British Columbia] with all the people that are glued into this team. It'll be a tremendous challenge, but I couldn't be happier."

Calgary - Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has announced his retirement, according to a report out of Finland. Finnish correspondent Juha Hiitela reported that Kiprusoff informed his country's national team of the decision. "If Calgary has not announced it, you guys can do that," Kiprusoff is quoted as saying. Kiprusoff recently told Flames general manager Jay Feaster he was leaning toward retirement, according to a report by Sportsnet.

Feaster released the following statement Tuesday after the quotes attributed to Kiprusoff became public: "As we indicated when we addressed the media on June 14, having just spoken with Miikka at that time, we realized that if pushed for an answer Miikka would have said that he was finished with his professional career. In light of our most recent meeting with him, the statement attributed to him by the Finnish National Team does not come as a surprise. However, as we have said consistently, we will continue our dialogue with Miikka."

The 36-year-old goaltender had one of his least successful seasons in 2012-13. He was limited to 24 games by injury and performance, and finished 8-14-2 with a 3.44 goals-against average and .882 save percentage. Kiprusoff declined to be dealt at the NHL Trade Deadline, choosing instead to remain with the Flames, who did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kiprusoff has a career record of 319-213-7-64, with a 2.49 GAA and .912 save percentage. His 305 wins, 41 shutouts and 576 games played are the most in franchise history. The Flames gave backup Joey McDonald a one-year contract extension in April and reportedly will add Karri Ramo from the Kontinental Hockey League in July. The team also acquired prospect Reto Berra from the St. Louis Blues as part of the Jay Bouwmeester trade.

"It's going to be some big feet to fill," MacDonald, 33, told the Flames' website last month, "[Kiprusoff] has been here for a long time and has done a great job. If it happens [that I can start], great. They're going to bring probably a couple other goalies, too. My focus now is just to be ready and be 100 percent and give myself the best chance in training camp." The Flames also have Leland Irving, Daniel Taylor, Joni Ortio, Laurent Brossoit and Jon Gillies in their system.

Chicago Blackhawks Clinch Stanley Cup

Dramatic Ending to Game - It seemed like a fitting way to end this back-and-forth series. With the Boston Bruins leading 2-1 late in the third period in Game 6, the expectation throughout TD Garden was that the Stanley Cup Final would head back to Chicago for a winner-take-all Game 7 Wednesday night. Instead, what ensued Monday was one of the wildest, possibly the wildest, finishes in Final history. With 87 seconds remaining in regulation and Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford sprinting to the bench for an extra attacker, right wing Patrick Kane gained the Boston zone before firing a soft shot that Boston goalie Tuukka Rask steered into the corner. After a spirited scrum along the boards, Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith quickly flipped the puck toward captain Jonathan Toews by the side of the net. The puck was on Toews' stick for barely a second before he directed it to the front of the net, where linemate Bryan Bickell buried the soft pass to tie the game and silence a raucous home crowd. The crowd was still coming to terms with the tied score when Michael Frolik sent a centering pass that deflected all the way to the opposite half-wall, where Marcus Krueger softly dropped the puck to defenseman Johnny Oduya. His shot hit the post, but the puck miraculously found Dave Bolland by the side of the Boston net. With Rask badly out of position, Bolland made no mistake and the Blackhawks had gone from trailing to leading in a 17-second span.

Instead of being forced to try to win their second championship in four seasons on home ice in a Game 7, the Blackhawks rallied for an improbable 3-2 victory. "You think you're going back to Chicago for Game 7," said Kane, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "You tie it up, you think you're going in for overtime to regroup. You score 17 seconds later. It's just an unbelievable feeling. The highs and lows of this game were unbelievable."

Bickell, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 5, finished the postseason with 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 23 games. His tying goal, off a phenomenal feed from Toews, is unquestionably the biggest of his career. "We just got there deep and good things happen when you throw it on the net and you're in a good spot," Bickell said. "[Toews] just got it in front. I got in front and I just buried it. It felt good to get that equalizer. What a roller coaster that was to finish it off the way we did."

In the blink of an eye, the teams went from making travel plans to Chicago to contending with another potential overtime finish, which would have been the fourth of the series. Crawford was placed back in net and Chicago made a line change for the next faceoff. Overtime certainly appeared in the offing, but the Blackhawks weren't done. "They [Boston] kind of got deflated with that late goal against to tie it up 2-2," Bickell said. "We pressed them and we kept on going."

Bolland's game-winner was his third goal in 18 postseason games, a reward for going to the net after the Blackhawks refused to take their foot off the gas after Bickell erased the 2-1 deficit. Scored at 19:01 of the third period, Bolland's goal was the latest Stanley Cup game-winner scored in regulation time. "The puck went back to the D and someone shot it and it was just sitting in front. I just had to tap it in," said Bolland, who was so overcome by emotion he pulled himself from the game with 59 seconds remaining. "I think [Joel Quenneville] wanted to get me back out there, but I was too nervous after getting that goal. I just told him to keep me off."

From a triple-overtime marathon in Game 1 to the Blackhawks' late rally to stun the Bruins in Game 6, the 2013 Stanley Cup Final will go down as one of the wildest of all-time. In the blink of eye, the destiny of an already historic Stanley Cup Final had suddenly shifted. And before the Bruins could come to terms with what had just taken place, the Blackhawks were celebrating on the ice and passing around the Stanley Cup. Chicago's players all agreed it was unlike anything they had ever seen. "I've seen it in soccer in the Champions League," veteran forward Michal Handzus said, referencing the top club soccer competition in Europe. "But not in hockey, especially on this big stage in a Game 6 elimination game, being in a loud building. You score two goals in the last minute to win the Cup, it's incredible."

Throughout Chicago's roster, there was a general consensus this dream season could not have possibly ended in a more surreal fashion. This was a team, after all, that stormed out of the gate to open the 2012-13 season by earning a point in 24 straight games (21-0-3). In the end, the Blackhawks finished the way they began, with the pedal to the metal. "It was one of those seasons we were saying, we're almost charmed the way we started the season and the way we ended. Nobody saw that one coming, either way," Quenneville said. "But the resiliency of our team was in place all year long. It was one of those seasons, fairy-tale ending and an amazing season."

As for the Bruins, the stars seemed aligned for a team that had taken the lead on Milan Lucic's goal with 7:49 remaining in the third period. But a momentary lapse in the team's stout defensive system forced Boston to suddenly contend with how it would come back next season. It was a cruel fate for a team that matched the Blackhawks stride for stride in this series. "It's a tough way to lose a game, tough way to lose a series," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "On the tying goal, it was a quick play. The third goal there was a shot from the point and a deflection, I believe."

 

Veterans savor first success - The "old dinosaurs" finally got their due Monday night in part because they never lost faith, never lost the hope that one day they could be champions in the NHL. Mayers signed with the Blackhawks in the summer of 2011. Rozsival jumped on board last September. Handzus was acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline in April. Prior to this season, the closest any of them had come to winning the Stanley Cup was Handzus, who lost in Game 7 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Final as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. Rozsival reached the third round for the first time in his career in 2012, but his Phoenix Coyotes lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings in five games. Mayers had twice gotten to the Western Conference Final, in 2001 and 2011, but his teams never won more than a game.

 

"Some of the guys that have raised the Cup before. I guess they felt like there are a few guys on this team at the end of their careers and they might want to be in the front of this celebration," Rozsival said. "Toews is a great captain and he knows. Right away he called for [Handzus], the oldest guy on the team. Then it was [Mayers] and me. I guess the old dinosaurs got it first and then the rest of the team. Last year when I lost in the conference final, I could feel I was so close, getting so close. I had this good feeling. I guess when you get a little bit of this feeling of being so close you want to experience it again."

He felt signing a one-year deal with the Blackhawks on Sept. 11, 2012, would give him his best chance. "My agent and I talked about the best options and he came out with this team," said Rozsival, who played in all 23 playoff games, averaging 19:15 of ice time with four assists and a plus-9 rating. "It worked. I couldn't be happier right now." Handzus was looking lost with the San Jose Sharks earlier this season. He was occasionally a healthy scratch and had two points and minus-9 rating in the 28 games he did play before Chicago general manager Stan Bowman acquired him on April 1 for a fourth-round draft pick. He turned into the Blackhawks' second-line center and had 11 points in 23 playoff games despite playing through injuries to his hand and knee.

"I thought I would have a hard time to draw into the lineup because they've been playing great, they've been on top since the beginning of the season," Handzus said. "I just tried to fill in and help as much as I could, if it was fourth line or faceoffs, whatever. But I got a chance to play second line with the great players. They trust me, coaches trust me, the players trust me and I tried to do as much as I could." He wouldn't discuss what he meant for the team. "Other people can say what I meant," Handzus said. "I tried to just play as best I could. I think we were a team. We weren't individuals. We were a team and we battled for each other. That's why we won."

Toews wins second cup in 3 years - The captain traditionally is the first person to hoist the Stanley Cup after his team wins the Final. After the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 in Game 6 on Monday, captain Jonathan Toews was summoned to center ice to receive the Cup for the second time in four seasons. It was a fitting reward for Toews following a 24-hour period in which he went from being questionable for the game to leading his team to a championship with a herculean effort in Game 6. "[Toews] is always the same. He's the same player that's never backed down," said teammate David Bolland, who scored the Cup-winning goal with 58.3 seconds remaining in regulation. "Through injury or not, he battles to the end. He's the best captain in the League."

Toews had two assists in Chicago's 3-1 victory in Game 5, but he also sustained a barrage of big hits from Boston's defense, including a blow from Johnny Boychuk as Toews crossed into the middle of the ice. Toews was kept off the ice for the third period, and the big question for the Blackhawks the following day was whether their captain would be able to play in Game 6. It didn't take long for his teammates to figure out Toews was good to go. "I knew it maybe yesterday," Patrick Kane said. "He's a great player. He's played big in a lot of big games. Just a competitor. That's really all you can say about Jonathan Toews. He's a competitor. He leads the team in the right way and we all follow." Not only did Toews dress for Game 6, he made it clear early on that he wasn't there just to provide moral support. After a solid first period, he tied the game 1-1 at 4:24 of the second when he barreled down the right wing before snapping a wrist shot between the legs of Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask.

 

As coach Joel Quenneville shortened his bench in the third period, it was clear he planned to lean heavily on his captain down the stretch. "He had a monster game. He looked ready to go at the end of the last game, and I thought he looked very good yesterday and was ready to go last night and today," Quenneville said. "The bigger the game, the bigger the setting, you know what you're going to get from Jonathan Toews. He just knows how to play hockey. Whether he's productive or not, he absorbs a lot of big minutes from their match-up guys and he never gets outscored. The one thing is he plays the way you want a hockey player to play."

Toews led Chicago forwards with 20:12 of ice time, but he saved his biggest play for the game's final moments. Late in a third period during which he was on the ice for neatly eight minutes, Toews led a comeback as the Blackhawks pressed to overcome a 2-1 deficit. With goaltender Corey Crawford pulled for an extra forward, Toews made a heads-up play to redirect a Duncan Keith pass onto the stick of Bryan Bickell, who was alone in front and snapped the puck into the net to tie the game. "Incredible. He's a warrior," said forward Michal Handzus, whom Toews found first when it came time to pass the Stanley Cup along to his teammates. "To come back after the last game. That pass on [Bickell's] goal and the goal that he scored. A great leader."

Bolland scored 17 seconds after Bickell to give Chicago the lead and earn Toews his second Stanley Cup in four seasons. It also marked arguably Toews' best game of the series, in addition to scoring a goal and adding his assist, he led all players with 12 faceoff wins and a 60-percent success rate. He also blocked two shots. In typical Toews fashion, the last thing Chicago's captain wanted to do after hoisting the Stanley Cup was talk about himself. "I'm absolutely blessed to be surrounded with great guys, great coaching staff and an unbelievable organization," Toews said. "This group of guys makes you look good every day. It's a special group, special team and they deserve it more than anybody. It's awesome. We're going home. We've got the Cup."

Bolland's dramatic winner - When the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, Dave Bolland was a key secondary scorer that postseason and a consistent headache for the top players from opposing teams. Bolland's 2012-13 season was defined by stops and starts because of injuries, and his performance in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs before Monday night at TD Garden was considerably less remarkable than three years prior. None of that matters now. Bolland's name will forever be associated with this postseason, and this will be one of the most memorable years of his career. The Blackhawks trailed 2-1 to the Boston Bruins late in Game 6 before Bryan Bickell tied the contest with 1:16 left in regulation. Seventeen seconds later, Bolland pounced on a rebound near the left post and scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal. It is the first time in League history a Cup-clinching goal has been scored in the 60th minute. "When don't you dream about it?" Bolland said. "We all dream about scoring that Stanley Cup winner to hoist the Cup, so check that one off the bucket list."

If the Bickell goal wasn't stunning enough, Bolland's tally will make this one of the most memorable clinching contests in Stanley Cup Final history. While most of the people inside TD Garden were still buzzing about Bickell's goal and preparing for a fourth overtime contest in this incredible series, coach Joel Quenneville sent his fourth line onto the ice. After the faceoff, the puck traveled back and forth to both blue lines before Bolland carried it into the offensive zone. Goaltender Tuukka Rask directed a shot from the right wing by Michael Frolik toward the corner, and the puck ended up along the left wall on the stick of Marcus Kruger. He guided it back to defenseman Johnny Oduya at the left point for a shot. Frolik tipped the puck en route to the net, and it glanced off the left post before coming to Bolland. "I think [my eyes] were huge," Bolland said. "They almost popped out of my head." Chicago forward Patrick Sharp added, "That was a big one. I don't know what he was doing dropping his gloves [in celebration]. There was a minute left, and it was a long minute."

After Bickell's goal, Boston coach Claude Julien changed his defense pairing, but left the same forwards, his top line, on the ice for the faceoff. Quenneville decided to go in a different direction, and it proved to be a great move. "You equalize the game there. They might have been a little tired," Quenneville said. "I could have kept [Chicago's top line] out there, but Bolland, that line hadn't played in five or six minutes, and offensively, defensively, you know you get a contribution all year long [from] all four lines. No matter who you throw out there is capable of making plays. Next play on the wall, cruised back to the point one time and, bang, it's in the net. Kind of the way you had to score in this whole series. The pretty ones weren't there. It was the ugly goals that seemed to work."

Bolland had eight goals and 16 points in 22 postseason games in 2010. He scored big goals and harassed opposing star players, which made him a popular figure in Chicago. When an injured Bolland returned to the lineup after the Vancouver Canucks went ahead 3-0 in the first round the following year, the Blackhawks stormed back with three straight victories to force a Game 7. Last season, Bolland tied a career high with 19 goals. The 2012-13 campaign was a trying one at times for him. He was out of the lineup at four different points during the regular season with various injuries, including a groin problem that kept him out of the first round of the playoffs. He's spent most of the three rounds as a third- or fourth-line center after being the No. 2 guy for much of the regular season. Before Game 4 of the Cup Final, Bolland had one goal and three points in 15 playoff contests. Then, he had an assist in Game 4 and scored the empty-net goal to clinch Game 5. That was just a preamble for his Game 6 heroics. He scored a goal that changed his and Chicago's season. It will undoubtedly stay with him for the rest of his life.

"This is probably the biggest satisfaction I've ever had," Bolland said. "A hockey season is up and down. I had a roller-coaster year with injuries. Things like that happen. You battle through them and it is the way that you come out of it through the injuries is what matters."

Added Quennville: "[Bolland] is like that. He had one of those years. It looked like he was coming and got hurt, coming and got hurt. His playoffs, he was coming and he was OK. But one thing about [Bolland], the bigger the stage, the better the challenge is, he always welcomes it and rises to it. He's one of those competitors that finds a way to win and now he's a champion twice. I'm happy for him."