The 2010 Stanley Cup Finals was the best-of-seven NHL championship series of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs contested between the Western Conference champions Chicago Blackhawks and the Eastern Conference champions Philadelphia Flyers.
It was Chicago's eleventh appearance in the Final and their first since 1992, a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was Philadelphia's eighth appearance in the Final and their first since 1997 , a loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Chicago defeated Philadelphia four games to two to win their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
This was the first Cup championship for Chicago since 1961 which had been the longest active Stanley Cup drought. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who last won the Cup in 1967 and who have not appeared in the Finals since, currently have the longest active Cup drought streak in the NHL and are the only Original Six team to have not won the Cup at least once in the post-1967 NHL expansion era.
The Blackhawks became the fourth major Chicago sports team to win a championship since 1986, joining the 1985 Chicago Bears, the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s, and the 2005 Chicago White Sox.
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 playoffs and was the first Blackhawks player to receive this honor. He and teammates Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook won the Olympic Gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, adding the three players to the list of Ken Morrow ( 1980) and Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan (both 2002) as the only players to accomplish this double.
Having played for Team USA at the Olympics, Patrick Kane joined Chris Chelios and Brett Hull (both 2002) as having won both the Olympic Silver medal and Stanley Cup in the same year. Jonathan Toews also became the 24th player and the seventh Canadian to become a member of the Triple Gold Club having won an Olympic Gold Medal, an IIHF World Championship Gold Medal and the Stanley Cup.
Road to the Final[]
This was the third straight Final in which the Western Conference team was an Original Six team that won the Central Division and the Eastern Conference team was an Atlantic Division team from the state of Pennsylvania.
Ironically, the Blackhawks have a storied rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings, as do the Flyers with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins and Red Wings played the Stanley Cup Final the past two years. This is not the first time that these two teams meet in the postseason. Dating back in 1971, when the Blackhawks swept the Flyers 4 games to none.
Chicago Blackhawks[]
The Chicago Blackhawks finished the regular season as the Central Division champions with 112 points. This is the 14th division title in franchise history for Chicago but the first since 1992–93 when it was called the Norris Division.
As the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the Blackhawks defeated the seventh seed Nashville Predators and the third seed Vancouver Canucks, each in six games, and then swept the first seed San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final to advance to the Final for the first time since 1992.
Chicago's Marián Hossa is the first player in NHL history to appear in three straight Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams, having previously made the Final with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and with the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. Along with Hossa, the other half of Chicago's preseason acquisition from Detroit, Tomas Kopecky, was also playing in his third straight Stanley Cup Final.
Philadelphia Flyers[]
The Philadelphia Flyers earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs after finishing the regular season with 88 points, and winning the tiebreaker over the Montreal Canadiens, having more wins (41 to 39). The Flyers were the last team to qualify for the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Their Cinderella march to the Final began on the final day of the regular season when they met the New York Rangers in a winner-take-all match-up for the final playoff spot. Philadelphia beat their Atlantic Division rivals 2–1 in a historic shootout, the first do or die shootout for a playoff spot in NHL history.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Flyers upset the second seed New Jersey Devils, another of their division rivals, in five games. In the second round, against the sixth-seeded Boston Bruins, Philadelphia became the third NHL team to win a seven game series after being down three games to none (the others being the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders). In addition, in game 7 of that series, the Flyers overcame a three goals to none deficit to win the game and series, 4-3.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Flyers eliminated the Canadiens in five games to advance to the Final for the first time since 1997. They were also the first team to reach the Final with less than 90 points in the regular season since the Vancouver Canucks in 1994, when they had 85.
It also gave the city of Philadelphia the distinction of being the first city to have had all its teams play in each of the four professional sports leagues title rounds since 2000 following the 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals, the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX after the 2004 season, and the Phillies in back-to-back World Series in 2008 and 2009, winning in 2008 to bring the city of Philadelphia a championship after 25 years.
The Flyers attempted to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.
The series[]
Game one[]
- (May 29, 2010 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois)
- (Blackhawks won 6-5)
The Chicago Blackhawks won the first game by a score of 6–5 on the strength of two goals by Troy Brouwer. Throughout the game, the two teams traded goals with neither team having a lead greater than one. The Flyers opened the scoring at 6:38 of the first period on a goal by Ville Leino that deflected off the face of Niklas Hjalmarsson.
The Blackhawks responded with two quick goals, one of which was shorthanded, to take the lead. The lead would not last long, however, as the Flyers would counter with two goals of their own to re-take the lead 3–2 after the first period. Patrick Sharp scored 1:11 into the second period to tie the game once again.
Both teams would trade goals once again and tie the game at five after the second period. Michael Leighton was replaced by Brian Boucher after allowing the fifth Chicago goal.
In the third period, Tomas Kopecky scored what would eventually prove to be the game winner at 8:25. Antti Niemi finished the game with 27 saves on 32 shots while Leighton saved 15 out of 20 shots. Boucher stopped 11 of 12 shots faced in relief of Leighton.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | PHI | Ville Leino (5) | Daniel Briere (10) and Chris Pronger (11) | 6:38 | 1–0 PHI |
| CHI | Troy Brouwer (3) | Marian Hossa (10) and Brent Sopel (4) | 7:46 | 1–1 | |
| CHI | Dave Bolland (6) – (shorthanded goal) | None | 11:50 | 2–1 CHI | |
| PHI | Scott Hartnell (4) – (power play goal) | Daniel Briere (11) and Chris Pronger (12) | 16:37 | 2–2 | |
| PHI | Daniel Briere (10) | Ville Leino (9) and Scott Hartnell (6) | 19:33 | 3–2 PHI | |
| 2nd | CHI | Patrick Sharp (8) | Troy Brouwer (2) and Niklas Hjalmarsson (5) | 1:11 | 3–3 |
| PHI | Blair Betts (1) | Arron Asham (3) and Darroll Powe (1) | 7:20 | 4–3 PHI | |
| CHI | Kris Versteeg (5) | Tomas Kopecky (2) and Duncan Keith (10) | 9:31 | 4–4 | |
| CHI | Troy Brouwer (4) | Marian Hossa (11) and Niklas Hjalmarsson (6) | 15:18 | 5–4 CHI | |
| PHI | Arron Asham (4) | Daniel Briere (12) and Scott Hartnell (7) | 18:49 | 5–5 | |
| 3rd | CHI | Tomas Kopecky (4) | Kris Versteeg (6) and Dave Bolland (6) | 8:25 | 6–5 CHI |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | CHI | Ben Eager | Cross Checking | 3:26 | 2:00 |
| CHI | Patrick Kane | Slashing | 9:58 | 2:00 | |
| CHI | Brian Campbell | High-Sticking | 15:51 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | CHI | Adam Burish | Boarding | 4:59 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| Shots by period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
| Philadelphia | 17 | 9 | 6 | 32 |
| Chicago | 9 | 15 | 8 | 32 |
Game two[]
- (May 31, 2010 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois)
- (Blackhawks won 2-1)
The Blackhawks took game two of the best-of-seven series by a score of 2–1, thus giving them a 2–0 series lead heading into games three and four in Philadelphia. In contrast to game one, game two was a low-scoring affair with much tighter defense displayed by both teams.
Neither team would score in the opening frame as the game entered the first intermission tied 0–0. It was not until late in the second period that Chicago managed to get the ice breaker with a goal from Marian Hossa. The Blackhawks quickly added another goal just 28 seconds later on a wrist shot by Ben Eager.
The Flyers would eventually reply in the third period on a power play goal by Simon Gagne, but it would not be enough. Both goaltenders were much stronger as Antti Niemi stopped 32 of 33 shots for the Blackhawks while Michael Leighton rebounded with 24 stops on 26 shots.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | CHI | Marian Hossa (3) | Patrick Sharp (10) and Duncan Keith (11) | 17:09 | 1–0 CHI |
| CHI | Ben Eager (1) | Dustin Byfuglien (3) | 17:37 | 2–0 CHI | |
| 3rd | PHI | Simon Gagne (8) – pp | Mike Richards (16) and Jeff Carter (2) | 5:20 | 2–1 CHI |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | CHI | Kris Versteeg | Interference | 7:26 | 2:00 |
| PHI | Blair Betts | Cross Checking | 14:48 | 2:00 | |
| CHI | Tomas Kopecky | Elbowing | 17:27 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Daniel Carcillo | Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 17:27 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Mike Richards | Elbowing | 17:27 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | PHI | Mike Richards | Hooking | 5:08 | 2:00 |
| CHI | Troy Brouwer | Roughing | 19:24 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | CHI | Patrick Sharp | Tripping | 3:21 | 2:00 |
| PHI | Chris Pronger | Misconduct | 20:00 | 10:00 | |
| CHI | Ben Eager | Misconduct | 20:00 | 10:00 | |
| Shots by period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
| Philadelphia | 3 | 15 | 15 | 33 |
| Chicago | 9 | 13 | 4 | 26 |
Game three[]
- (June 2, 2010 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- (Flyers won 4-3 in overtime)
The Flyers won game three in overtime, 4–3, to pull within two games to one in the series. Danny Briere opened the scoring for Philadelphia with a power play goal at 14:58 of the first period.
Duncan Keith tied the game at 1–1 early in the second period, and both teams added another goal to leave the score at 2–2 entering the third period. Patrick Kane scored with 17:10 remaining in the game to give the Blackhawks their first lead, but Ville Leino responded with the tying goal 20 seconds later.
In overtime, shortly after a review determined that a shot by Gagne was not a goal, Claude Giroux scored the game-winner at 5:59 of the extra period.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | PHI | Daniel Briere (11) – (power play goal) | Scott Hartnell (8) and Braydon Coburn (3) | 14:58 | 1–0 PHI |
| 2nd | CHI | Duncan Keith (2) | Troy Brouwer (2) and Marián Hossa (12) | 2:49 | 1–1 |
| PHI | Scott Hartnell (5) – (power play goal) | Chris Pronger (13) and Claude Giroux (10) | 9:55 | 2–1 PHI | |
| CHI | Brent Sopel (1) | John Madden (1) | 17:52 | 2–2 | |
| 3rd | CHI | Patrick Kane (8) | Jonathan Toews (20) and Ben Eager (2) | 2:50 | 3–2 CHI |
| PHI | Ville Leino (6) | Claude Giroux (11) and Matt Carle (11) | 3:10 | 3–3 | |
| OT | PHI | Claude Giroux (9) | Matt Carle (12) and Danny Briere (13) | 5:59 | 4–3 PHI |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | CHI | Marian Hossa | Slashing | 13:54 | 2:00 |
| PHI | Daniel Carcillo | Charging | 18:05 | 2:00 | |
| CHI | Dustin Byfuglien | Roughing | 20:00 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | PHI | Chris Pronger | High-sticking | 3:36 | 2:00 |
| CHI | Dustin Byfuglien | Slashing | 9:31 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Michael Leighton served by Ville Leino | Delay of game | 14:59 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| OT | None | ||||
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T |
| Chicago | 9 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 27 |
| Philadelphia | 9 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 32 |
Game four[]
- (June 4, 2010 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- (Flyers won 5-3)
The Flyers evened the series at two games apiece by winning game four, 5–3. The Flyers took the lead 4:35 into the game on a Mike Richards power play goal. Matt Carle extended their lead to 2–0 at 14:48 of the first period. Patrick Sharp cut Philadelphia's lead in half with 1:28 left in the period, but Giroux restored the Flyers' two-goal advantage 51 seconds later.
Following a scoreless second period, Leino gave Philadelphia a three-goal lead 6:43 into the third period. Dave Bolland (on a power play) and Brian Campbell scored later in the third to leave Chicago trailing 4–3 with 4:10 remaining. However, Jeff Carter scored an empty-net goal with 25 seconds left to clinch the Flyers' victory.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | PHI | Mike Richards (7) – (power play goal) | none | 4:35 | 1–0 PHI |
| PHI | Matt Carle (1) | none | 14:48 | 2–0 PHI | |
| CHI | Patrick Sharp (9) | Duncan Keith (11) | 18:32 | 2–1 PHI | |
| PHI | Claude Giroux (10) | Kimmo Timonen (9) and Scott Hartnell (9) | 19:23 | 3–1 PHI | |
| 2nd | none | ||||
| 3rd | PHI | Ville Leino (7) | Danny Briere (14) and James van Riemsdyk (3) | 6:43 | 4–1 PHI |
| CHI | Dave Bolland (7) – (power play goal) | Duncan Keith (12) and Patrick Kane (15) | 12:01 | 4–2 PHI | |
| CHI | Brian Campbell (1) | Andrew Ladd (2) and Duncan Keith (13) | 15:50 | 4–3 PHI | |
| PHI | Jeff Carter (5) – (empty net goal) | none | 19:35 | 5–3 PHI | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | CHI | Andrew Ladd | Interference | 0:35 | 2:00 |
| CHI | Tomas Kopecky | High-sticking | 4:30 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Kimmo Timonen | Hooking | 8:16 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | CHI | Dave Bolland | High-sticking | 1:27 | 2:00 |
| CHI | Patrick Sharp | Slashing | 12:53 | 2:00 | |
| CHI | Nick Boynton | Slashing | 18:22 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Scott Hartnell | Cross checking | 18:22 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | CHI | Brent Seabrook | Cross checking | 8:03 | 2:00 |
| PHI | Scott Hartnell | Unsportsmanlike conduct | 10:46 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Braydon Coburn | Holding | 11:49 | 2:00 | |
| CHI | Kris Versteeg | Slashing | 19:42 | 2:00 | |
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Chicago | 11 | 13 | 10 | 34 | |
| Philadelphia | 8 | 10 | 13 | 31 | |
Game five[]
- (June 6, 2010 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois)
- (Blackhawks won 7-4)
The Blackhawks took a 3–2 lead in the series with a 7–4 victory in game five. At 12:17 of the first period, Brent Seabrook scored on a power play to give Chicago the lead.
Within the next six minutes, the Blackhawks tripled their advantage, adding goals by Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg to make the score 3–0. At the start of the second period, the Flyers again took Leighton out of the game, replacing him with Boucher.
Four goals were scored in the second period, two by each team and the Blackhawks entered the third period with a 5–2 lead. James van Riemsdyk pulled Philadelphia within two goals at 6:36 of the third. Sharp made the score 6–3 with 3:52 remaining, but Gagne answered for the Flyers 1:16 later.
Thirty-one seconds after Gagne's goal, Dustin Byfuglien tallied an empty-net goal (his second goal of the game) which concluded the scoring. Flyers' alternate captain Chris Pronger was on the ice for six of Chicago's goals and was in the penalty box on the seventh. Discounting the power play goal, Pronger finished a -5 on the game.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | CHI | Brent Seabrook (4) – (power play goal) | Kris Versteeg (7) and Troy Brouwer (4) | 12:17 | 1–0 CHI |
| CHI | Dave Bolland (8) | Brent Sopel (5) and Dustin Byfuglien (4) | 15:26 | 2–0 CHI | |
| CHI | Kris Versteeg (6) | Brent Seabrook (7) and Dustin Byfuglien (5) | 18:15 | 3–0 CHI | |
| 2nd | PHI | Scott Hartnell (6) | Ville Leino (10) and Daniel Briere (15) | 0:32 | 3–1 CHI |
| CHI | Patrick Kane (9) | Andrew Ladd (3) and Patrick Sharp (11) | 3:13 | 4–1 CHI | |
| PHI | Kimmo Timonen (1) | Daniel Briere (16) and Ville Leino (11) | 4:38 | 4–2 CHI | |
| CHI | Dustin Byfuglien (9) – (power play goal) | Jonathan Toews (21) and Duncan Keith (14) | 15:45 | 5–2 CHI | |
| 3rd | PHI | James van Riemsdyk (3) | Lukas Krajicek (2) and Kimmo Timonen (10) | 6:36 | 5–3 CHI |
| CHI | Patrick Sharp (10) | Patrick Kane (16) | 16:08 | 6–3 CHI | |
| PHI | Simon Gagne (9) | Ville Leino (12) | 17:24 | 6–4 CHI | |
| CHI | Dustin Byfuglien (10) – (empty net goal) | Kris Versteeg (8) and Dave Bolland (7) | 17:55 | 7–4 CHI | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | PHI | Lukas Krajicek | Cross Checking | 2:50 | 2:00 |
| CHI | Dave Bolland | Cross Checking | 9:15 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Scott Hartnell | High-Sticking | 11:16 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | PHI | Scott Hartnell | Elbowing | 7:19 | 2:00 |
| CHI | Brent Seabrook | Closing Hand on Puck | 9:51 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Chris Pronger | Hooking | 15:18 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | CHI | Kris Versteeg | Slashing | 4:59 | 2:00 |
| Shots by period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
| Philadelphia | 7 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
| Chicago | 13 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
Game six[]
- (June 9, 2010 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- (Blackhawks won 3-4 in overtime)
The sixth game required overtime, as the score was tied 3–3 at the end of the third period. Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks scored the Cup-winning goal at 4:06 into the overtime period, a shot in which the puck crossed the goal line and then got stuck underneath the padding in the back of the net.
Several observers, including most of the players and all the officials initially lost sight of the puck. Only Kane and Patrick Sharp started to celebrate immediately, soon followed by the rest of the Blackhawks. It was only after a video review was the goal officially awarded.
Jonathan Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and was the first Blackhawk to hoist the Cup, the first Stanley Cup to be won in overtime since 2000.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | CHI | Dustin Byfuglien (11) – (power play goal) | Jonathan Toews (22) and Patrick Kane (17) | 16:49 | 1–0 CHI |
| PHI | Scott Hartnell (7) – (power play goal) | Daniel Briere (17) and Chris Pronger (14) | 19:33 | 1–1 | |
| 2nd | PHI | Daniel Briere (12) | Ville Leino (13) and Lukas Krajicek (3) | 8:00 | 2–1 PHI |
| CHI | Patrick Sharp (11) | Dave Bolland (8) and Duncan Keith (15) | 9:58 | 2–2 | |
| CHI | Andrew Ladd (3) | Niklas Hjalmarsson (7) and Patrick Kane (18) | 17:43 | 3–2 CHI | |
| 3rd | PHI | Scott Hartnell (8) | Ville Leino (14) and Daniel Briere (18) | 16:01 | 3–3 |
| OT | CHI | Patrick Kane (10) | Brian Campbell (4) | 4:06 | 4–3 CHI |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | PHI | Chris Pronger | Holding | 8:42 | 2:00 |
| CHI | Brent Sopel | Interference | 13:28 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Chris Pronger | High-sticking | 16:29 | 2:00 | |
| CHI | Brent Seabrook | Elbowing | 16:59 | 2:00 | |
| CHI | Brent Sopel | Interference | 19:07 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | PHI | Scott Hartnell | High-sticking | 1:56 | 2:00 |
| PHI | Braydon Coburn | Cross checking | 8:09 | 2:00 | |
| CHI | Marian Hossa | Goaltender interference | 9:29 | 2:00 | |
| PHI | Danny Briere | Cross checking | 18:32 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| OT | None | ||||
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T |
| Chicago | 17 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 41 |
| Philadelphia | 7 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 24 |
Officials[]
Television[]
In Canada, the series was televised in English on CBC and in French on the cable network RDS. In the United States, NBC broadcast games one, two, five, and six (which were all won by the Blackhawks) while Versus televised games three and four (which were both won by the Flyers).
In Europe, Viasat Sport broadcast the televised finals in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), through five regional divisions of Viasat Sport.
Its sister channel Viasat Sport East broadcast in the Russian language to the European and Eurasian countries of Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
Ratings[]
Game 1 produced the best overnight rating in the United States for a Game 1 since 1999. The 2.8 overnight rating and 6 share was a 12-percent increase from the first game of the 2009 Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, in Canada, Game 1 was viewed by 3.164 million people on CBC.
Game 2 of the series, on Memorial Day, earned a 4.1 rating. The number of viewers increased as the game averaged approximately 6 million viewers with a peak of 6.940 million at 10:30 pm ET.
According to NBC, this is the highest Game 2 since at least 1975 because data prior to then is unavailable. Game 2 also saw a 21-percent increase over 2009's second game. In local markets, game two drew a 25.1 rating and 39 share in Chicago along with a 18.5 rating and 28 share in Philadelphia.
Game 3 returned to cable on Versus where it received a 2.0 rating and 3.6 million viewers.[19] The broadcast peaked at 5.1 million viewers at 10:30 pm ET. It ranked as the highest rated and most viewed program in the history of Versus. It also ranked as the highest rated and most viewed Stanley Cup Final game on cable television since 2002.
Game 4 saw a decline of 9% from the 2009 Final between the Penguins and the Red Wings as just 3.1 million viewers tuned into the game. With the series returning to broadcast television on NBC, the ratings trend rebounded and improved over the 2009 Final ratings trend.
Game 5's prime time portion of the broadcast received a 3.3 final rating and averaged 5.8 million viewers, an increase of 38% in the ratings and 32% in viewers over the 2009 Final.
Locally, the Chicago market received a 26.0 rating while Philadelphia had a 19.7 rating. The three game average for NBC broadcasts rose to 5.4 million viewers, an increase of 800,000 compared to 2009. This increase came despite going head to head with the 2010 NBA Finals.
Game 6 was the most-watched NHL game since Game 6 in 1974, drawing a 4.7 rating and 8 share, up 38 percent vs. 3.4/6 for Game 6 in 2009. The top two markets were Chicago, with a 32.8/50 and Philadelphia, 26.8/38.
In Canada, Game 6 was the most-watched All-American Stanley Cup Final game on the CBC, with 4.077 million viewers. The Final averaged 3.107 million viewers, up 44 percent from 2009.
Quotes[]
"Campbell holds the puck into the line, turns, won't shoot. Kane, watched by Kimmo Timonen. To the net—Leighton stopped it. Where's the puck? It came loose on the other side. (Glenn Healy interrupting: "It's in.") It's over! Patrick Kane has scored the goal! The Chicago Blackhawks' long drought is over! For the first time since 1961, the Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup."- CBC's Jim Hughson, calling Patrick Kane's winning overtime goal in Game 6.
"The puck taken back by Campbell, left point, drops it to Kane on the left half boards. Here's Kane now, juking his way to the right from the left corner, he shoots, he sco— oh no that's turned wide by Leighton. Loose puck in the crease; and, no, it's in the net! They score! They score! The 'Hawks win the Stanley Cup! The 'Hawks win the Stanley Cup! Leighton is down on his knees in the goal crease and that one looked like it slipped past him in the net. They're going to go up and take a look. They're going to take a look upstairs. (after video review) It's in the back of the net! The Hawks have won the Stanley Cup! Blackhawk fans around the world, you've endured 49 years of frustration, but your patience has finally paid off! Lord Stanley's new address is Sweet Home Chicago! The Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup! They've won the Stanley Cup!"- John Wiedeman, calling the goal for WGN Radio
"Patrick Kane he dances wide of Kimmo Timonen took the shot he scores...& it's in behind th-no it's still alive everybody but the Flyers thought that was in, yes it is in! Chicago has won the series. The Flyers only now realizing it's in. And Patrick Kane & the Chicago Blackhawks celebrate. They're certainly gonna look it this, but I think it's a good goal. And this amazing playoff run for the Flyers ends in heartbreak."- Flyers radio broadcaster Tim Saunders calling the goal.
"Here's Campbell, handing on to Kane again. Lots of head fakes there, trying to shake Timonen. Threw one in front, they ... Oh my! It rattled around, and it kicked on back and then ... Score! We saw no light [from the goal judge], we saw no signal [from the officials], and we're not sure if they said a signal to the goal yet, but they [the Blackhawks] are celebrating at the other end of the ice! What chaos!" -Mike Emrick, calling the goal on NBC
"[It's] one of the more unusual finishes, but it's a goal. The Stanley Cup to the Chicago Blackhawks!"-Mike Emrick, who waited until after the video review to declare the Blackhawks the winners in Game 6.
"The toughest trophy in all of sports to win. Two great teams competed for it. Congratulations to the Blackhawks and their fans, Rocky Wirtz, John McDonough, Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville and the rest of the coaches. These players brought the roar back to Chicago, and now they're bringing back the Stanley Cup after 49 years. Congratulations. Jonathan Toews, come hoist the Stanley Cup."-NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, as he presented the Stanley Cup
Impact and aftermath[]
Blackhawks[]
The win was the Chicago Blackhawks' first championship since 1961. It gave the city of Chicago the distinction of being the first city to have at least a championship in each of the four major professional sports since 1985.
It also vaulted Jonathan Toews into the Triple Gold Club, having won the Olympic Gold medal in Vancouver earlier in 2010 and an IIHF World Championship Gold medal in 2007. Toews and defencemen Duncan Keith & Brent Seabrook also became the fourth, fifth, and sixth players to win Olympic Gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year.
With Chicago's Cup win, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now the only Original Six team to not win the Stanley Cup or play in the Finals since the 1967 expansion; their most recent finals appearance came in their championship season of that year.
The day after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley issued a proclamation declaring June 11th Chicago Blackhawks Day in the city of Chicago. That day, an estimated two million Chicagoans attended the Blackhawks Stanley Cup parade, more than the estimated 1.75 million who attended the parade for the Chicago White Sox 2005 World Series championship and more than the rallies at Grant Park for any of the Chicago Bulls.
The Blackhawks' celebration also overshadowed the series between the White Sox and Chicago Cubs taking place around the same time. However, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén said that the parade the White Sox had was far bigger than the Blackhawks'. Daley presented the proclamation to the team at the celebratory parade and rally.
US President Barack Obama (a former US Senator from Illinois and Chicago resident) phoned Joel Quennville to congratulate his team and to invite them to the White House. Obama joked that he now had "bragging rights" over Vice President Joe Biden, a Philadelphia Flyers fan.
Flyers[]
The loss by the Philadelphia Flyers was the sixth straight Stanley Cup Final series they have lost, tying them with the 1933-40 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1956-95 Detroit Red Wings for most consecutive finals lost.
The missing Cup-winning puck[]
Ever since the Cup-winning puck got stuck underneath the padding in the back of the net to end Game 6, there has been controversy and speculation as to its current whereabouts.
Amid the confusion involving the video review and the subsequent celebrations, the Cup-winning puck got lost in all that chaos. Because it ended the Blackhawks' then-record for the longest active Cup drought, it is considered a valuable piece of sport memorabilia. So much so, a Chicago based restaurant has offered a $50,000 reward for it, as well as the FBI has been called in to investigate the case.
Video and pictures taken from the game indicate that linesman Steve Miller was the first person who took the puck after the game-winning goal was scored, but he denies knowing where it eventually went. As a result of an ESPN story about the controversy on April 21, 2011, the league relieved Miller of his 2011 postseason duties for more than a week, citing that the controversy was a potential distraction during the playoffs. In reinstating Miller, the league said it is standing by him and his story.
As Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports wrote, "it's also completely believable that this guy accidentally handed off hockey history to someone else in the postgame euphoria, and is unable to piece together what happened. So he's just going with the straight denial."
Controversy[]
Much controversy came throughout the first four games between the Blackhawks and Flyer defenseman Chris Pronger. Chicago complained that Pronger had gotten away with rough play that they felt was beyond the rules. The Blackhawks argued that even when they responded with the same actions that Pronger was being allowed to get away with, that they would instead be given a penalty. The Blackhawks set up a meeting with the NHL to make a complaint about Pronger's play.
The Blackhawks felt that Chris Pronger had been allowed to get away with "slashing, hooking, and illegally obstructing players." Pronger was also the target of a Chicago Tribune poster displaying him in a figure skating outfit after he had a +/- rating of -5 in game 5 and a -4 in the 3 games combined that the Blackhawks won against the Flyers.
Pronger had been noticed by the media and the NHL at the end of games one and two of the series as he picked up and left with the game puck at the conclusion of the games. When asked, Pronger replied he had thrown the pucks in the garbage.
Rosters[]
Philadelphia Flyers[]
(Bold means age at the time of Stanley Cup Finals)
#45 Arron Asham (Right Wing) (32 years old) (Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) #30 Johan Backlund (Goalie) (28 years old) (Skellefteå, Sweden) #3 Oskars Bartulis (Defense) (23 years old) (Ogre, Soviet Union) #11 Blair Betts (Center) (30 years old) (Edmonton, Alberta) #33 Brian Boucher (Goalie) (33 years old) (Woonsocket, Rhode Island) #13 Daniel Carcillo (Left Wing) (25 years old) (King City, Ontario) #25 Matt Carle (Defense) (25 years old) (Anchorage, Alaska) #17 Jeff Carter (A) (Center) (25 years old) (London, Ontario) #5 Braydon Coburn (Defense) (25 years old) (Calgary, Alberta) #29 Ray Emery (Goalie) (27 years old) (Hamilton, Ontario) #12 Simon Gagne (A) (Left Wing) (30 years old) (Sainte-Foy, Quebec) #28 Claude Giroux (Right Wing) (22 years old) (Hearst, Ontario) #19 Scott Hartnell (Left Wing) (28 years old) (Regina, Saskatchewan) #2 Lukas Krajicek (Defense) (27 years old) (Prostějov, Czechoslovakia) #9 David Laliberte (Right Wing) (24 years old) (Saint-Liboire, Quebec) #14 Ian Laperriere (Right Wing) (35 years old) (Montreal, Quebec) #49 Michael Leighton (Goalie) (29 years old) (Petrolia, Ontario) #22 Ville Leino (Left Wing) (26 years old) (Savonlinna, Finland) #15 Andreas Nodl (Right Wing) (23 years old) (Vienna, Austria) #77 Ryan Parent (Defense) (23 years old) (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) #36 Darroll Powe (Center) (24 years old) (Kanata, Ontario) #20 Chris Pronger (A) (Defense) (35 years old) (Dryden, Ontario) #18 Mike Richards (C) (Center) (25 years old) (Kenora, Ontario) #42 Jared Ross (Center) (27 years old) (Huntsville, Alabama) #26 Danny Syvret (Defense) (24 years old) (Millgrove, Ontario) #44 Kimmo Timonen (A) (Defense) (35 years old) (Kuopio, Finland) #21 James van Riemsdyk (Left Wing) (21 years old) (Middleton, New Jersey)
Chicago Blackhawks []
(Bold means age at the time of Stanley Cup Finals)
#36 Dave Bolland (Center) (23 years old) (Mimico, Ontario) #24 Nick Boynton (Defense) (31 years old) (Nobleton, Ontario) #22 Troy Brouwer (Right Wing) (24 years old) (Vancouver, British Columbia) #37 Adam Burish (Right Wing) (27 years old) (Madison, Wisconsin) #33 Dustin Byfuglien (Left Wing) (25 years old) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) #51 Brian Campbell (Defense) (31 years old) (Strathoy, Ontario) #55 Ben Eager (Left Wing) (26 years old) (Ottawa, Ontario) #46 Colin Fraser (Center) (25 years old) (Sicamous, British Columbia) #6 Jordan Hendry (Defense) (26 years old) (Nokomis, Saskatchewan) #4 Niklas Hjalmarsson (Defense) (22 years old) (Eksjö, Sweden) #81 Marian Hossa (Right Wing) (31 years old) (Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia) #39 Cristobal Huet (Goalie) (34 years old) (Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France) #88 Patrick Kane (Right Wing) (21 years old) (Buffalo, New York) #2 Duncan Keith (A) (Defense) (26 years old) (Winnipeg, Manitoba) #82 Tomas Kopecky (Right Wing) (28 years old) (Ilava, Czechoslovakia) #16 Andrew Ladd (Left Wing) (24 years old) (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) #11 John Madden (Center) (37 years old) (Barrie, Ontario) #31 Antti Niemi (Goalie) (26 years old) (Vantaa, Finland) #7 Brent Seabrook (Defense) (25 years old) (Richmond, British Columbia) #10 Patrick Sharp (A) (Center) (28 years old) (Thunder Bay, Ontario) #5 Brent Sopel (Defense) (33 years old) (Calgary, Alberta) #19 Jonathan Toews (C) (Center) (22 years old) (Winnipeg, Manitoba) #32 Kris Versteeg (Left Wing) (24 years old) (Lethbridge, Alberta)
Chicago Blackhawks (2010 Stanley Cup champions)[]
Roster[]
Centres
- 10 Patrick Sharp (A)
- 11 John Madden
- 19 Jonathan Toews (Captain)
- 36 Dave Bolland
- 46 Colin Fraser
Wingers
- 16 Andrew Ladd
- 22 Troy Brouwer
- 32 Kris Versteeg
- 33 Dustin Byfuglien
- 37 Adam Burish
- 55 Ben Eager
- 81 Marian Hossa
- 82 Tomas Kopecky
- 88 Patrick Kane
Defencemen
- 2 Duncan Keith (A)
- 4 Niklas Hjalmarsson
- 5 Brent Sopel
- 6 Jordan Hendry
- 7 Brent Seabrook
- 24 Nick Boynton
- 51 Brian Campbell
Goaltenders
- 31 Antti Niemi
- 39 Cristobal Huet
Coaching and administrative staff
- W. Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz (Chairman/Owner/Governor), John McDonough (President), Jay Blunk (Sr. Vice President-Business Operations)
- Stan Bowman (General Manager), Al MacIassac (Sr. Director-Hockey Administration-Assistant to the President)
- Kevin Cheveldayoff (Assistant General Manager), William Scotty Bowman^ (Sr. Advisor, Hockey Operations)
- Dale Tallon (Sr. Advisor, Hockey Operations), Joel Quenneville (Head Coach), Mike Haviland (Assistant Coach)
- John Torchetti (Assistant Coach), Stephane Waite (Goaltending Coach), Mike Gapski (Athletic Trainer), Troy Parchman (Equipment Manager)
- Jeff Thomas (Assistant Athletic Trainer), Clint Reif (Assistant Equipment Manager), Pawel Prylinski (Massage Therapist), Jim Heintzelman (Equipment Assistant)
- Paul Goodman (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Paul Vincent (Skating Coach), Brad Aldrich (Video Coach), Marc Bergevin (Director-Player Personnel)
- Mark Kelley (Director-Amateur Scouting), Norm Maciver (Director-Player Development), Michael Dumas (Chief Amateur Scout), Ron Anderson (Director-Player Recruitment)
- Tony Ommen (Director-Team Service), Mark Bernard (General Manager-Minor League Affiliations), Dr. Michael Terry (Head Team Physician)
Scotty Bowman won the Stanley Cup with his fourth different team; Montreal, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Chicago. The only other people with wins with four different teams are Jack Marshall, Tommy Gorman and Al Arbour. This was also his twelfth Stanley Cup win, tying him with Sam Pollock for second most times; only Jean Beliveau with his name on the Stanley Cup 17 times has more.
Included on the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup
- 29 Bryan Bickell only played 16 regular season games and 4 playoff games with the Blackhawks. NHL refused Chicago's request to include Bickell's name on the Stanley Cup.
- 8 Kim Johnsson played 60 games, 52 for Minnesota and 8 for Chicago, missing the last 14 games and all the playoffs due a concussion. Chicago chose not to submit his name for engraving, and he was left out of the team picture.
- Six Ambassadors were also included on the Official Stanley Cup Picture - Ab MacDonald, Denis Savard, Glenn Hall, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito. - All 8 members along with 13 more scouts, and other players, and non-players were awarded Stanley Cup Rings.
Stanley Cup engraving[]
- Kris Versteeg's name was misspelled KRIS VERTSEEG with the "S" and "T" transposed. The engraver was able to correct the mistake.