Empty Netter Assists - 06-10-10
Playoff Stuff
Blackhawks-Flyers
-Patrick Kane's overtime goal gave the Blackhawks a 4-3 win at Philadelphia in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final and clinched the Cup. Antti Niemi made 21 saves in the victory for Chicago which won the Cup for the first time since 1961.
-Highlights:
{youtube width="560" height="340"}PO5SnehKowM{/youtube}
-Kane's goal and postgame:
{youtube width="480" height="385"}0wdYU65lB90{/youtube}
{youtube width="480" height="385"}ERRnREPxE2c{/youtube}
{youtube width="480" height="385"}FJccR5-_uTo{/youtube}
{youtube width="480" height="385"}B3MGXWCDBfY{/youtube}
{youtube width="480" height="385"}xap5JZm34Y8{/youtube}
-Hockey Night in Canada's playoff montage was a bit dated in musical selection (Smashing Pumpkins), but special as always:
{youtube width="480" height="385"}9mol0IS-O24{/youtube}
-The "Hockey Cards" segment on Hockey Night in Canada is always special:
{youtube width="480" height="385"}CDjEdFw4LBI{/youtube}
-First off, Ben Eager's favorite player was Mario Lemieux? That ain't right.
-And go ahead and admit you're sitting in your cubicle this morning and saying to yourself, "My name is 'First Lastname.' I'm from Bethel Park. And my favorite player growing up was Paul Coffey."
-The Blackhawks touching down in Chicago:
{youtube width="560" height="340"}UQ5hCAChcAA{/youtube}
Hockey Night in Canada's Pregame montage:
{youtube width="480" height="385"}l4ZTNTYyVyU{/youtube}
-The Flyers and Blackhawks taking the ice:
{youtube width="480" height="385"}l9a8yfatdUA{/youtube}
God Bless America:
{youtube width="480" height="385"}xHE-oeVNmng{/youtube}
-Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in franchise history. (Note: The Conn Smythe Trophy was first awarded in 1965, four years after the Blackhawks' previous Stanley Cup title.)
-Kane compared his goal to Sidney Crosby golden goal in the Olympics.
-"I don't think anybody knew it went in except me." - Kane.
-"It's pretty crazy and it hasn't sunk in yet that I scored the goal to win the Stanley Cup." - Kane.
-Keith accepting the Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman:
-And the Conn Smythe Trophy:
-Happy times for Chicago's Adam Burish:
-Happy times for Toews:
-Happy times for Duncan Keith:
-Saluting times for Keith:
-Happy times for Eager:
-Happy times for Chicago's Dustin Byfuglien:
-Happy times for Antti Niemi:
-Happy times for Patrick Sharp and Burish:
-Happy times for coach Joel Quenneville:
-Happy times for owner Rocky Wirtz:
-Thirsty times for Chicago's Tomas Kopecky:
-And for Toews:
-And for Nick Boynton, left, and Brian Campbell:
-Blackhawks forward and former Penguin Marian Hossa won the Stanley Cup for the first time in three tries.
-Blackhawks forward and former Penguin Marian Hossa won the Stanley Cup for the first time in three tries.
-Blackhawks forward and former Penguin Marian Hossa won the Stanley Cup for the first time in three tries.
-Blackhawks forward and former Penguin Marian Hossa won the Stanley Cup for the first time in three tries.
-Blackhawks forward and former Penguin Marian Hossa won the Stanley Cup for the first time in three tries.
-Happy times for Hossa:
-Another former Penguin with the Blackhawks, Director of Player Personnel Marc Bergevin, got some time with the Cup:
-Forward John Madden came to Chicago to win the Cup. That's exactly what he did.
-Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said he heard Kane's goal go in.
-"Without him, we're not here." - Chicago forward Patrick Sharp on Toews.
-"I never cared too much what anybody thought." - Niemi on silencing his critics.
-Niemi became the first starting Finnish goaltender to win the Cup. Somewhere Kari Takko is crying.
-Niemi joined Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and Cam Ward as the fourth rookie goaltender to win the Cup as a starter.
-Happy times for Chicago:
-Sopel gave one of his daughters a nice ride:
-Chicago's Brent Seabrook > Philadelphia's Ville Leino:
-Keith uncorking a shot:
-Happy times for Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell. Not so much for Niemi:
-Happy times for Philadelphia's Matt Carle and Leino:
-Toews, Keith and Seabrook joined Ken Morrow (Team USA and the in 1980), and Brendan Shanahan (both Canada and the in 2002) as the only players to win an Olympic Gold Medal and Stanley Cup title in the same year.
-Chicago forward Andrew Ladd revealed he has been playing with a fractured shoulder.
-The last time the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, John F. Kennedy was still in his first 100 days in office.
-Chicago's parade will be held Friday beginning 10:30 a.m. at Washington St.
-Blackhawks/White Sox fans were able to take in the game in at U.S. Cellular Field Comiskey Park:
-Crazy times in Chicago:
-How crazy was it in Chicago? Fans were even busting out old Theoren Fleury jersey:
-At 36, Stan Bowman became the youngest Stanley Cup-winning general manager in NHL history.
-If not for the bounce of a ping pong ball, the Flyers end up with Patrick Kane in the 2007 draft.
-"It’s going to sting for a while." - Flyers coach Peter Laviolette.
-"I thought, 'That can't be it. You can't win a Stanley Cup when you aren't sure if you won it or not.'" - Flyers forward Daniel Briere on Kane's goal.
-"I just cheated a little bit and the puck slid right under my pad. It went right under me." - Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton on Kane's goal.
-"It's every bad adjective." - Flyers forward Scott Hartnell with one of the best descriptions we've ever heard from a Stanley Cup runner-up.-Flyers forward Scott Hartnell scored five of his eight playoff goals in the Final.
-Briere recorded 12 points in the Final, one short of Wayne Gretzky's record of 13 set in 1988. The last player to score 12 in a Final was Mario Lemieux in 1991.
-Briere was sporting a heck of a hockey face:
-Briere being popular, not tall:
-Philadelphia's Chris Pronger had issues with an official:
-Thirsty times for Leighton:
-Leighton had issues with this puck:
-Sad times for Flyers fans:
-The Wachovia Center set a record with 20,327 in attendance.
-The 47 combined goals in this series were the third most in a Cup Final.
-Leino tied a rookie record with 21 points in the playoffs. He shares the mark with the North Stars' Dino Ciccarelli who set it in 1981.
-The Flyers' ice crew began rioting immediately after the game:
-We think.
-For whatever reason, Briere was warming up in the in the parking lot in a Mike Richards jersey and Elmo Crocs:
-We think.
-In a somewhat bizarre display, NBC broadcaster and former Blackhawks star Jeremy Roenick actually began crying in the postgame coverage:
{youtube width="560" height="340"}3Vfo5xSAnfo{/youtube}
Non-Playoff Stuff
Penguins
-Consol Energy Center isn't even open for business yet, but it's already screwing up the plumbing in Uptown.
-The Penguins have new images of Consol Energy Center up on their Web site.
-Former Penguins prospect Sean Selmser has joined Coventry Blaze in Britain.
Atlantic Division
-Blackhawks assistant coach Mike Haviland is already campaigning for the Devils' vacant head coaching position.
-Former Devils coach Jacques Lemaire's (right) Florida home was gutted by a fire.
Central Division
-The Blue Jackets re-signed restricted free agent forward Tomas Kana.
-Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom received a medal from King Carl Gustaf of Sweden. No word yet if Kris Draper was on hand to make sure the King shook Lidstrom's hand.
-The Red Wings will not re-sign forward Jason Williams.
Northwest Division
-The Flames will not re-sign backup goaltender Vesa Toskala.
Pacific Division
-The Coyotes re-signed restricted free agent forward Scottie Upshall to a one-year contract.
-Sharks captain Rob Blake (right) is expected to announce his retirement next week.
(Photos: Blackhawks/Flyers-Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press, Paul Beaty/Associated Press, Al Bello/Getty Images, Bruce Bennett/Getty Images, Charles Cherney/Associated Press, Jim McIsaac/Getty Images, Andre Ringuette/Getty Images, Matt Slocum/Associated Press, Kathy Willens/Associated Press; Lemaire-Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press; Blake-Greg Fiume/Getty Images)