I can’t claim to be much of a hockey fan, but nonetheless, whoo hoo! Chicago Blackhawks win!
If I were younger, I’d be out with the teeming millions who are clogging the streets, yelling, setting off fireworks, honking horns, and emptying all the Wrigleyville bars of booze. But I’m not.
Patrick Kane, the 21-year-old winger, scored 4 minutes 10 seconds into overtime Wednesday, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks over the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3, and giving Chicago its first Stanley Cup victory since 1961.
The last time the Blackhawks were champions, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita were young Chicago stars skating without helmets and using curved sticks, and John F. Kennedy was president.
Jonathan Toews, the Chicago captain, was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. He finished second in scoring, but had a relatively poor finals, with only three assists and a minus-5 differential.
The Blackhawks had come up empty in five finals since their 1961 victory until Kane scored his third goal of the series. It came suddenly on a shot from the bottom of the right circle that whizzed between the legs of Flyers goalie Michael Leighton’s stick and pads.
Many in the crowd at the Wachovia Center did not know that a goal had been scored until they saw Kane and his teammates throw their sticks in the air in celebration. Both teams had to wait several moments until the officials confirmed the goal after reviewing the replay.
The drought was the second longest in league history, after the Rangers’ 54-year sojourn in the wilderness, which ended in 1994.
(click to continue reading Blackhawks 4, Flyers 3, OT – Blackhawks Win First Stanley Cup Since 1961 – NYTimes.com.)
Art Institute Lions with Blackhawks Helmets