The Chicago Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup title in six seasons, clinching it with a (2-0) home win vs the Tampa Bay Lightning in game six.
This is the first time that the Blackhawks have clinched the Stanley Cup at home since 1938.
Defenseman Duncan Keith won the Conn Smythe Trophy and joined the great Bobby Orr, who did it twice (in 1970 and 1972), as the only defensemen to win the Smythe Trophy and get the Stanley Cup winning goal in the same playoff year.
Patrick Kane had the primary assist on Keith’s goal and added an insurance goal, taking a great pass from Brad Richards, who had 2 assists. (Just realized the Keith/Richards connection.)
Richards won the Conn Smythe Trophy playing for the Lightning when they won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Goaltender Corey Crawford stopped all 25 shots by the Lightning on goal, in notching a shutout, as he now has been the goaltender on 2 Blackhawks’ title teams.
Stephen Curry scored 37 points as the Golden State Warriors pulled away in the fourth quarter and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (104-91) in game five to take a three games to two lead in the NBA finals.
The Warriors, who had a splendid (67-15) record though playing in the far tougher NBA Western Conference were nearly 10 point favorites in game 5 and are four point plus favorites, as they bid for their first NBA title in 40 years in game six Tuesday night in Cleveland, a city sans a major sports league title for 51 years.
The Cavaliers, though they finished with but a (53-29) record in the far weaker NBA East deserve credit in this series. This is especially true concerning LeBron James, who thrice in the series has scored 40 or more points and once tallied 39.
In six previous Warriors finals and one previous Cavaliers’ final series, only twice (1948 and 1967) was the title not clinched in the first possible opportunity.
The one in 1967 was a sad failure to do so for Wilt Chamberlain and certainly his fans, one of whom was me. Wilt’s Philadelphia 76ers failed to clinch the title in a nationally televised Sunday afternoon game 5, up 3 games to 1 vs the then San Francisco Warriors.
Philadelphia did win the title in game six but as I recall the game was in San Francisco the following Wednesday night, a late start in the eastern United States and was not televised nationally. Thus so many Wilt fans, including me, missed it.
For the record, an organization now defunct, the Baltimore Bullets, clinched the title in its second opportunity in game six vs the then Philadelphia Warriors in 1948.
All three Warriors’ titles, (in and as Philadelphia in 1947 and 1956 and as Golden State in 1975) were clinched in the first opportunity to do so, something the Warriors hope to accomplish again tomorrow night.
Click here to watch a rare video about the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers
Wilt Chamberlain in 1967
The Chicago Blackhawks hope to win their third Stanley Cup in six seasons, playing at home tonight in game six of the finals vs the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Blackhawks have not clinched the Stanley Cup at home since 1938, something they hope to change tonight.
In game five, for the second time in the series, Antoine Vermette had the final goal in a (2-1) Chicago victory in Tampa. it was the third Blackhawks’ (2-1) win in the series.
The Blackhawks won it all in 2010 and 2013, prior to that they lost in 5 straight NHL finals (1962, 1965, 1971, 1973, and 1992).
Twice before in 1934 and 1938 the Blackhawks clinched the Stanley Cup at home. Truly fascinating is that both times they did so with a player on their roster that had previously been on a Grey Cup winner in the Canadian Football League.
In 1934 Les Conacher, who later would serve in the House of Commons in Canada, was on Chicago’s home clinched Stanley Cup winning team, having been on a Grey Cup winner 13 years earlier.
In 1938, Frank Voss was credited with the Stanley Cup winning goal in the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup home clinching game. 14 years earlier he had been on a Grey Cup champion.
Antoine Vermette
On the last day of the 1967 season the Boston Red Sox led by Carl Yastrzemski (who was brilliant in Boston’s stretch run) and pitcher Jim Lonborg (who that day won his 22nd game of the season), defeated the Minnesota Twins (5-3) and clinched at least a tie for the American League Pennant.
Then after the Detroit Tigers won the first game of a doubleheader vs the California Angels played roughly the same time as the Boston win, the Red Sox sat and listened to the broadcast of the Tigers/Angels second game.
The situation was that if the Angels won, then the Red Sox clinched their first pennant in 21 years. However, if the Angels won, then there would be a one game playoff for the A.L. flag between the Red Sox and Tigers.
The Angels won and the pennant was clinched for Boston when the Tigers’ Dick Mc Auliffe grounded into a double play for the only time all season.
It was quite a memorable race, of course one not possible now with the bogus wild card presence.
The 1967 American League Pennant race, coming on the heels of great National League races in 1962, 1964, 1965 and 1966, was one of the greatest pennant races ever.
Four teams were in serious contention going into the final week of the season. The Chicago White Sox were the first to drop out of the race after a doubleheader loss to the lowly Kansas City Athletics, which was the real crushing blow to their pennant hopes.
However, three teams, the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins, all were in contention, and controlled their fate in games they played, going right up until and including the season’s final day.
The Red Sox hosted the Minnesota Twins while the Tigers hosted the California Angels in a doubleheader. Tomorrow I will recall the results with some notes and memories.
Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala each scored 22 points as the Golden State Warriors eased to a (103-82) victory at Cleveland vs the Cavaliers in game four of the NBA finals.
The series is now tied at two games apiece with game 5 in Oakland, the Warriors’ home, on Sunday night.
Golden State is again a prohibitive favorite in game 5 as they are favored by 8 points and favored in the series at nearly 4 to 1.
Both the NBA and NHL finals are tied at two games apiece for the fourth time in 6 seasons (the power of television or evenly matched teams)?
Interesting that from 1963-2009 there were only TWO seasons in which both the NBA and NHL finals were tied at two games apiece.
The Stanley Cup Finals are even at two games apiece (more good news for NBC) after the Chicago Blackhawks won on the road (2-1) vs the Tampa Bay Lightning in game four last night.
In a series in which all four games have been decided by one goal, Chicago’s Brandon Saad had the game winning goal, breaking a (1-1) third period tie.
So far the series has followed the pattern of Chicago’s 6 game triumph vs the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals two seasons ago.
In that series and in the first four games in this one “Chi” won games one and four and lost games two and three. They won that series in 2013, in six games.
If that happens again and it is Chicago in six, it would be the first time the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup at home since 1938.
Thus far all three games in the Stanley Cup finals have been decided in regulation time by a margin of one goal.
After losing game one, the Tampa Bay “LIGHTNING” have “STRUCK TWICE,” winning the next two games vs the Chicago Blackhawks and lead the best of seven series two games to one.
Jason Garrison’s goal broke a (3-3) tie and lifted Tampa to a home win in game two. That day was NBC’s as American Pharoah roared to the horse racing Triple Crown on its airwaves, after which the Lightning made the Cup finals also on NBC, so much more interesting, with a series squaring, game two victory.
Monday night in Chicago, Cedric Paquette’s third period goal broke a (2-2) tie in Tampa’s (3-2) victory.
I believe all 14 previous teams to win a road game 3 of a (1-1) NHL Final series, have gone on to win the Stanley Cup/final series. (Which is more amazing 14 of 14 or the fact I have not seen this note in any of the hockey coverage?!).
For what it is worth, in the 12 previous Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup finals (the first three best of 5 and the next nine as with this one, best of seven) only once has the game one losing team won the series.
The Lightning, who lost game one of the finals at home vs the Calgary Flames, but won the title in 2004, in their only previous Cup Final appearance, hope this will be the second time.
Stanley Cup Finals start Wednesday
Though the city of Cleveland was much closer to ending its title drought when the baseball Indians led the Florida Marlins by a run going to the bottom of the ninth inning in game seven of the 1997 World Series, (only to lose), this is the first time a Cleveland team has led in a championship series since the Cleveland Browns football team won the NFL in 1964.
This is because LeBron James scored 40 points and Matthew Dellavedova’s offensive rebound and subsequent two free throws put Cleveland ahead to stay in the waning seconds of this all important Cavs’ game two triumph in Oakland.
Cleveland leads the NBA finals two games to one and it is the first time that a Cleveland team has led a finals series since the Indians led the then Boston Braves by a similar two games to one margin in the 1948 World Series. The Indians won that series in six games.
The football Browns, who as far as I am concerned are now the Baltimore Ravens, won one game league (NFL) finals in 1950, 1954, 1955 and the last Cleveland title in 1964.
Speaking of the 1964 Browns, that team’s great player, Jim Brown was in attendance at last night’s Cavaliers’ win vs the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron James
A truly inspirational story involving honorees Brad and Jessica Berman is a big part of the Burke Centennial Dinner to be held at The Pierre in New York City on June 16th.
Brad, with the great support of his family led by his wife Jessica, and great advanced care at Burke Rehabilitation Center in white Plains, New York is recovering from a massive hemorrhagic stroke that forced him to learn to breathe, walk and talk again.
It is beyond words that Jessica is so supportive and that Brad has progressed this far. It is inspiring to think about their courage and determination.
Proceeds from the dinner will go to assistance programs at the Burke Rehabilitation Center in White Plains, New York.
Additionally, Jessica and Brad have initiated “Run 4 Brad” which helps fund advanced robotics. Some aspects, already in place at Burke, have been of invaluable assistance in Brad’s remarkable recovery.
One added note and that is concerning Jeanette Berman, Brad’s grandmother: she is a remarkable, determined, take no “bleep,”— yet very kind, woman. Surely Brad has received some of her determination, which is helping on his journey to recovery.
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