Champions

The Chicago Blackhawks are Stanley Cup Champions for the first time in 49 years. Last night, they closed the series out with a thrilling 4-3 OT win against the Flyers of Philadelphia. After the Blackhawks took a 3-2 lead, it seemed they had all the momentum, but in the third period they seemed to begin to play defensively. This allowed the Flyers back in the game, as the puck spent almost all of the third period in Chicago's defensive zone. Despite Antti Niemi's unbelievable saves, the Flyers still were able to get a goal out of the multitude of shots taken. During the intermission, I remarked that Chicago had better start playing hockey again or the series would be headed back to Chicago. Sure enough, the Flyers came out and almost scored (not to mention give me a heart attack) on a turnover by the Blackhawks. Then, the game began to even, with puck movement from zone to zone by both, and Patrick Kane was able to slip one past Leighton, and the Blackhawks could finally celebrate around Niemi. Jonathan Toews, who again won almost all of his faceoffs last night, won the Conn Smythe Trophy for Playoff MVP, and Antti Niemi won the respect of any hockey critic, making countless unbelievable saves throughout their run. As for me, I got to see these champions work against Nashville, and trust me, they earned the Stanley Cup.