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The 2015 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) season, and the culmination of the
2015 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 15, 2015, and ended on June 15, 2015, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals. The New York ...
. The Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two to win their sixth championship in franchise history, and their third title in six seasons. The Lightning, as the club with the better regular-season record, held home-ice advantage in the series. The
best-of-seven series There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...
was played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, with Tampa Bay hosting Game 1, 2, and 5; and Chicago hosting Games 3, 4, and 6. Tampa Bay would have hosted Game 7 had it been needed. The series started June 3 and ended on June 15. Tyler Johnson and
Patrick Kane Patrick Timothy Kane II (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks selected him with the first overall pic ...
led the Stanley Cup playoffs in points scored with 23 points each.


Paths to the Finals


Tampa Bay Lightning

This was Tampa Bay's second Finals appearance after winning the Cup in . Since their win in 2004, the Lightning had lost in the Conference Finals in
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
in seven games to the Boston Bruins. The Lightning were eliminated in the first round in
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 FIFA ...
,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
, and 2014. The Lightning entered the 2014–15 season with major re-signings during the offseason including centre Tyler Johnson, wingers
Ryan Callahan Ryan G. Callahan (born March 21, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He currently serves as a studio an ...
and Ondrej Palat, and goalie
Ben Bishop Benjamin Manning Bishop III (born November 21, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bishop previously played for the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Se ...
. In free agency, Tampa Bay picked up centre
Brian Boyle Brian Paul Boyle (born December 18, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey center who is currently a free agent. Boyle has previously played for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Je ...
and defenceman Anton Stralman from the New York Rangers and
Brenden Morrow Brenden Blair Morrow (born January 16, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Morrow was drafted in the first round, 25th overall, by the Dallas Stars at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, the organization he would play with for 1 ...
from the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...
. The team made two trades to bolster the defence, picking up
Jason Garrison Jason John Maxwell Garrison (born November 13, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League (AHL). Garrison played two ...
at the 2014 draft and
Braydon Coburn Braydon Coburn (born February 27, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Coburn was originally selected in the first round, eighth overall, by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, beginning his NHL career wi ...
just before the 2015 trade deadline. Tampa Bay compiled 108 points (50–24–8) during the regular season to finish in second place in the Atlantic Division. Centre and team captain
Steven Stamkos Steven Stamkos (born February 7, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning. H ...
finished second in goal-scoring during the regular season with 43 goals. Earlier in the season, Head Coach Jon Cooper nicknamed the team's second line of Johnson, Palat and winger
Nikita Kucherov Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (russian: Никита Игоревич Кучеров; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best p ...
as the "Triplets" because they were so in sync; at the mid-season in January, the three players led the League in plus-minus. In the playoffs, the Lightning eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games, the Montreal Canadiens in six games, and the New York Rangers in the Conference Finals in seven games. They became the first post- 1967 expansion team to beat three Original Six teams on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and the only team in NHL history to face an Original Six team at every stage of the playoffs.


Chicago Blackhawks

The Finals marked Chicago's third Final appearance in six seasons; having won the Cup in both and . This was the team's 13th appearance overall, and they were seeking their sixth overall Cup championship. The Blackhawks entered the 2014 offseason after being eliminated in the Conference Finals in seven games by the eventual Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. Major free agent acquisitions during the offseason included centre
Brad Richards Bradley Glen Richards (born May 2, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Lightning, New York ...
and winger
Daniel Carcillo Daniel Carcillo (born January 28, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He most recently played under contract to the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). His on-ice reputation as an enforcer has le ...
from the Rangers. Approaching the
NHL trade deadline In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, dra ...
in early March, Chicago traded for defenceman
Kimmo Timonen Kimmo Samuel Timonen (born 18 March 1975) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Chicago Blackhawks. Timonen had pl ...
from the
Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wel ...
, centre
Antoine Vermette Antoine Vermette (born July 20, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Vermette played in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyote ...
from the
Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mu ...
, and centre
Andrew Desjardins Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derive ...
from the San Jose Sharks. Chicago finished in third place in the Central Division, earning 102 points (48–28–6). Goalie
Corey Crawford Corey Crawford (born December 31, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Crow" by teammates and fans, he played his entire professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), w ...
tied the Canadiens'
Carey Price Carey Price (born August 16, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is considered to be one of the best goaltenders in the world by many colleagues, fans, ''The ...
as the
William M. Jennings Trophy The William M. Jennings Trophy is an annual National Hockey League (NHL) award given to "the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it ... based on regular-season play." From 1946 until ...
recipient for allowing a league-low 189 goals during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Blackhawks eliminated the Nashville Predators in six games, swept the
Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
, and defeated the
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Divis ...
in the Conference Finals in seven games.


Game summaries

:'' Number in parenthesis represents the player's total goals or assists to that point of the entire four rounds of the playoffs''


Game 1

In Game 1, Tampa Bay struck first with a deflected goal by
Alex Killorn Alexander Joseph Killorn (born September 14, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Lightning in the third round, 77th ov ...
at 4:31 in the first period. The Lightning nursed the lead into the third period with a strong conservative defensive effort, but Teuvo Teravainen and Antoine Vermette scored 118 seconds apart to win the game 2–1 for the Blackhawks. By assisting on Vermette's goal, Teravainen became the second-youngest player (at 20 years and 265 days) in NHL history, after
Jaromir Jagr Jaromír, Jaromir, Jaroměr is a Slavic male given name. Origin and meaning Jaromír is a West Slavic given name composed of two stems ''jaro'' and ''mír''. The meaning is not definite: * Polish ''jary'' (archaic) = „spry, young, strong“; '' ...
had two assists in Game 1 of the Finals (on May 15, 1991, at 19 years and 89 days), to have a multi-point game in the Stanley Cup final.


Game 2

Jason Garrison's power play goal at 8:49 of the third period proved to be the difference in Tampa Bay's victory in Game 2. Lightning starting goaltender Ben Bishop had left the game moments earlier for reasons that were undisclosed at the time, but was later revealed to be a torn groin. He was replaced with
Andrei Vasilevskiy Andrei Andreyevich Vasilevskiy (russian: Андрей Андреевич Василевский; born 25 July 1994) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted i ...
who was credited with his first playoff victory. He also became the first goalie to win a Stanley Cup Finals game in relief of an injured starter since
Lester Patrick Curtis Lester Patrick (December 31, 1883 – June 1, 1960) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (Western Hockey League after 1924), and t ...
helped the New York Rangers defeat the
Montreal Maroons The Montreal Maroons (officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club) were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935. They were the la ...
in overtime of Game 2 of the
1928 Stanley Cup Finals The 1928 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-five series played entirely in Montreal between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Maroons. It was the first appearance by the Rangers in the Finals in only their second season. The Maroons made their ...
, 2–1.


Game 3

The series moved to Chicago for Game 3. There was some debate who would start for Tampa Bay, but regular starter Ben Bishop started the game for Tampa Bay. For the third time in a row, Tampa Bay struck first, on
Ryan Callahan Ryan G. Callahan (born March 21, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He currently serves as a studio an ...
's slapshot goal at 5:09 of the first.
Brad Richards Bradley Glen Richards (born May 2, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Lightning, New York ...
tied it up on a power-play goal and the teams were tied after the first period. The first period was dominated by Chicago, who outshot Tampa Bay 19–7. The second period was dominated by Tampa Bay, which outshot Chicago 17–7, but there was no scoring. In the third period,
Brandon Saad Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Saad was raised in Pittsburgh and attended Pine-Richland High School. He was dr ...
gave Chicago its first lead at 4:14, but Tampa Bay countered on the next shift on a goal by Ondrej Palat to tie the score once again. Late in the third period,
Victor Hedman Victor Erik Olof Hedman (; born 18 December 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the ...
led a rush down ice for Tampa Bay and passed to Cedric Paquette who scored to put the Lightning ahead again. The Lightning were able to defend their lead to win the game 3–2 and take a series lead two games to one.


Game 4

The Lightning chose to rest injured goaltender Ben Bishop for Game 4 in favor of rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning protected Vasilevskiy with tight defensive play, allowing only two shots by the Blackhawks in the first period, which was scoreless. For the first time in the series, the Blackhawks scored the first goal, on a goal by
Jonathan Toews Jonathan Bryan Toews ( ; born April 29, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Captain Serious", Toews was selected by the Blackhawks with the ...
at 6:40 of the second. Alex Killorn tied it for the Lightning at 11:47 and the game was tied 1–1 after two periods. In the third, the Blackhawks'
Brandon Saad Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Saad was raised in Pittsburgh and attended Pine-Richland High School. He was dr ...
muscled his way to the goal and scored on a backhand past Vasilevskiy at 6:22 to put the Blackhawks ahead. The game's pace picked up as the Lightning tried to tie the score but the Blackhawks goaltender
Corey Crawford Corey Crawford (born December 31, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Crow" by teammates and fans, he played his entire professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), w ...
made several outstanding saves to shut out Tampa Bay the rest of the way. The win tied the series at two games apiece. It was the first time since that the first four Stanley Cup Finals games were all decided by one goal.


Game 5

The series returned to Tampa for Game 5 and Ben Bishop returned to the net for the Lightning. The Blackhawks scored first for the second consecutive game, this time on a miscue by Bishop and Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman. The two collided and
Patrick Sharp Patrick Sharp (born December 27, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. After his retirement as a pla ...
skated to the empty net with the puck, scoring at 6:11 of the first, a lead they held until 10:53 of the second when
Valtteri Filppula Valtteri Filppula (born 20 March 1984) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL). Filppula won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. He has previously played with the Red Win ...
scored to tie the score 1–1. The teams were tied going into the third, but Antoine Vermette scored for the Blackhawks at 2:00 of third and the lead held up as the Blackhawks played tight defence the rest of the way. The Blackhawks took the lead in the series three games to two, to give themselves a chance to win the Cup at home, something the franchise has not done since . For the second time in Finals history and the first since , wherein all five games that had to be played went to overtime, all games of the series through Game 5 have been decided by one goal, with neither team leading by more than one goal.


Game 6

In Game 6, the teams were scoreless after the first period. In the first period, Steven Stamkos put a shot off the crossbar and was stopped on a breakaway early in the second by Corey Crawford but it was the Blackhawks who scored first on a goal by
Duncan Keith Duncan Keith (born July 16, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers. He won three Stanley Cup championships with Chicago in ...
on a rebound of his own shot near the end of the second period to put Chicago ahead 1–0 after two periods. In the third period, the Blackhawks'
Patrick Kane Patrick Timothy Kane II (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks selected him with the first overall pic ...
scored on a pass from
Brad Richards Bradley Glen Richards (born May 2, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Lightning, New York ...
and play by
Brandon Saad Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Saad was raised in Pittsburgh and attended Pine-Richland High School. He was dr ...
to put the 'Hawks ahead 2–0, the first two-goal lead of the series. The Blackhawks then frustrated the Lightning the rest of the way to win the game 2–0, a shutout for Crawford and the Stanley Cup championship. It was revealed after the game that the Lightning's goaltender Ben Bishop had played with a torn groin muscle since Game 2 and Tyler Johnson was playing with a fractured wrist, injured in Game 1. This was also the first time since 1938, when they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth game of a best-of-five Finals at
Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1929, closed in 1994 and was demolished in 1995. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls ...
, and the first time at the United Center that the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on home ice.


Team rosters


Chicago Blackhawks


Tampa Bay Lightning


Stanley Cup engraving

The 2015 Stanley Cup was presented to Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews by NHL Commissioner
Gary Bettman Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2, 1952) is an American sports executive who serves as the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice president and general cou ...
following the Blackhawks' 2–0 win over the Lightning in Game 6. The following Blackhawks players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup 2014–15 Chicago Blackhawks


Engraving notes

* #80 Antoine Vermette played 63 games for Arizona, 13 for Chicago, and 20 of 23 playoff games and played in the Final (qualified for playing in the finals) * #11 Andrew Desjardins played 56 games for San Jose, 13 for Chicago, and 21 of 23 playoff games, and played in the Final (qualified for playing in the finals) * #57 Trevor van Riemsdyk – only played 18 games due to fractured patella, played eight games for Rockford (AHL), injured playing in the minors (Wrist) – played four games in the Final (qualified for playing in the finals) * #86 Teuvo Teravainen – played 34 games for Chicago, and 39 games for Rockford (AHL), played 18 of 23 playoffs and played in the Final (qualified for playing in the finals) * #44 Kimmo Timonen played 16 games for Chicago. Traded to Chicago from Philadelphia Feb 27, 2015. He did not play for Flyers this season due to a blood clot. Dressed for Game 6 of the Final (qualified for playing in the finals) * #26 Kyle Cumiskey – played seven games for Chicago, played nine playoff games (qualified for playing seven Conference Finals games and two games in the Finals). * #13 Daniel Carcillo – included because of injuries, spent the whole season with Chicago only 39 games played, not dressed in the playoffs - with Chicago request. * #42 Joakim Nordstrom – played 38 games for Chicago, 23 games for Rockford, played three playoff games, included for playing in one game in the Conference Final – with Chicago request. *Scotty Bowman won his 14th Stanley Cup 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 (Montreal), 1991, 1992 (Pittsburgh), 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008 (Detroit), 2010, 2013, 2015 (Chicago). ;Left off the Stanley Cup * #31
Antti Raanta Antti Raanta (born 12 May 1989) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Raanta was initially signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as an undrafted free agent. ...
– played 14 games, and was dressed in 51 games for Chicago. He also played 11 games for Rockford(AHL). Raanta was sent to the minors on February 22, 2015, when Scott Darling was recalled. Raanta rejoined Chicago on April 12 but did not dress in the playoffs. Chicago did not request his name, so it was not included on the Cup since Raanta had spent time playing in the minors after the trading deadline. *D. J. Kogut (Equipment Asst.), Jeff Uyenko (Equipment Asst.) – all three were included in the team picture. *Clinton Reif (Asst. Equipment Manager) who died on December 21 was also left off. Reif is on the Cup with Chicago in 2010 and 2013.


Television

In the U.S., the Finals were split between
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
and NBCSN, called by
NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...
' lead commentary team of Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and
Pierre McGuire Regis Pierre McGuire (born August 8, 1961) is an American-Canadian ice hockey executive who last served as senior vice-president of player development for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously worked as a televi ...
; it was originally announced that games two and three were to be broadcast by NBCSN, with the rest on NBC. Game 2 was moved to NBC to serve as a lead-out for its coverage of the
2015 Belmont Stakes The 2015 Belmont Stakes (known as the 147th Belmont Stakes presented by DraftKings for sponsorship reasons) was the 147th in the Belmont Stakes series. The race, known as the "test of the champion" and sometimes called the "final jewel" in tho ...
in favor of Game 4 on NBCSN. As Olczyk was also a contributor to NBC's Belmont coverage, he missed Game 2. In Canada, all six games were broadcast by CBC Television (through '' Hockey Night in Canada'', as produced by
Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then was ...
through a brokerage agreement) in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
, TVA Sports in
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and
Omni Television Omni Television (stylized as OMNI Television) is a Canadian television system and specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications. It currently consists of all six of Canada's conventional multicultur ...
in
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
. These were the first Stanley Cup Finals under Rogers Communications' exclusive national broadcast rights to the NHL in Canada. This was the second-most watched Stanley Cup Finals on U.S. television since 1995, trailing only the
2013 Stanley Cup Finals The 2013 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) season, and the conclusion of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference playoff champion Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Eastern Confe ...
, with an average 3.2 Nielsen rating and 5.6 million viewers on NBC and NBCSN. Game 6 was seen by 7.6 million viewers nationally on NBC. Ratings for Game 6 were especially strong in Chicago and Tampa Bay: it was the most-watched NHL broadcast locally in Chicago history, and the second-highest in Tampa Bay. By contrast, ratings in Canada dropped significantly, making it the lowest-rated Stanley Cup Final since
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
. Game 6, facing competition from a Team Canada match in the
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international soccer championship contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the f ...
, and the Toronto Blue Jays (which had seen increased ratings due to a long winning streak), was the lowest-rated deciding NHL playoff game on Canadian television since the
2003 Stanley Cup Finals The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2002–03 season, and the culmination of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. The second-seeded Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils defeated the ...
.


References

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