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2015 Stanley Cup Finals

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The 2015 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2014–15 season, and the culmination of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. 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.

2015 Stanley Cup Finals
123456 Total
Chicago Blackhawks 232222 4
Tampa Bay Lightning 143110 2
Location(s)Chicago: United Center (3, 4, 6)
Tampa: Amalie Arena (1, 2, 5)
CoachesChicago: Joel Quenneville
Tampa Bay: Jon Cooper
CaptainsChicago: Jonathan Toews
Tampa Bay: Steven Stamkos
National anthemsChicago: Jim Cornelison
Tampa Bay: Sonya Bryson-Kirksey
RefereesWes McCauley (1, 3, 5)
Kevin Pollock (1, 3, 5)
Kelly Sutherland (2, 4, 6)
Dan O'Halloran (2, 4, 6)
DatesJune 3–15, 2015
MVPDuncan Keith[1] (Blackhawks)
Series-winning goalDuncan Keith (17:13, second, G6)
Hall of FamersBlackhawks:
Marian Hossa (2020)
NetworksCanada:
(English): CBC
(French): TVA Sports
United States:
(English): NBC (1–2, 5–6), NBCSN (3–4)
Announcers(CBC) Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Glenn Healy
(TVA) Felix Seguin and Patrick Lalime[2]
(NBC/NBCSN) Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk (1, 3–6), and Pierre McGuire[3]
(NHL International) Dave Strader and Kevin Weekes
← 2014 Stanley Cup Finals 2016 →

The Lightning, as the club with the better regular-season record, held home-ice advantage in the series. The best-of-seven series 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. Amalie Arena in Tampa would have hosted Game 7 had it been necessary. The series started June 3 and ended on June 15.[4][5]

Tyler Johnson and Patrick Kane led the Stanley Cup playoffs in points scored with 23 points each.[6]

Paths to the Finals

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Tampa Bay Lightning

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Main article: 2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning season
 
Amalie Arena before game 6

This was Tampa Bay's second Finals appearance after winning the Cup in 2004. Since their win in 2004, the Lightning had lost in the Conference Finals in 2011 in seven games to the Boston Bruins, one win short from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. The Lightning were eliminated in the first round in 2006, 2007, and 2014.

The Lightning entered the 2014–15 season with major re-signings during the offseason including centre Tyler Johnson, wingers Ryan Callahan and Ondrej Palat, and goalie Ben Bishop. In free agency, Tampa Bay picked up centre Brian Boyle and defenceman Anton Stralman from the New York Rangers and Brenden Morrow from the St. Louis Blues. The team made two trades to bolster the defence, picking up Jason Garrison at the 2014 draft and Braydon Coburn 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 finished second in goal-scoring during the regular season with 43 goals only behind Washington Capitals winger and captain Alexander Ovechkin, who recorded a league leading 53 goals.[7] Early in the season, Head Coach Jon Cooper nicknamed the team's second line of Johnson, Palat and winger Nikita Kucherov as the "Triplets" because they were so in sync;[8] at the mid-season in January, the three players led the League in plus-minus.[9]

In the playoffs, the Lightning eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in the first round in seven games, the Montreal Canadiens in the second round six games, and the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the Eastern 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

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Main article: 2014–15 Chicago Blackhawks season
 
The lion sculptures outside of the Art Institute of Chicago decorated for the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup run

The Finals marked Chicago's third Final appearance in six seasons; having won the Cup in both 2010 and 2013. 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 Western Conference Finals in seven games by the eventual 2014 Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. Major free agent acquisitions during the offseason included centre Brad Richards from the Rangers.[10][11] Approaching the NHL trade deadline in early March, Chicago traded for defenceman Kimmo Timonen from the Philadelphia Flyers,[12] centre Antoine Vermette from the Arizona Coyotes,[13] and centre Andrew Desjardins from the San Jose Sharks.[14]

Chicago finished in third place in the Central Division, earning 102 points (48–28–6). Goalie Corey Crawford tied the Canadiens' Carey Price as the William M. Jennings Trophy recipient for allowing a league-low 189 goals during the regular season.

In the playoffs, the Blackhawks eliminated the Nashville Predators in the first round in six games, swept the Minnesota Wild in the second round, and defeated the top seeded and Presidents' Trophy runner-up Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Finals in seven games. They became the only team in NHL history to face a post-1990 expansion team at every stage of the playoffs.

Game summaries

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

Game 1

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June 3 Chicago Blackhawks 2–1 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap
 
Teuvo Teräväinen scored two-points in Game 1, assisting on the game-winning goal.

In Game 1, Tampa Bay struck first with a deflected goal by Alex Killorn 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 had two assists in Game 1 of the 1991 Finals (on May 15, 1991, at 19 years and 89 days), to have a multi-point game in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st TB Alex Killorn (8) Anton Stralman (7) and Valtteri Filppula (9) 04:31 1–0 TB
2nd None
3rd CHI Teuvo Teravainen (3) Duncan Keith (17) and Andrew Shaw (6) 13:28 1–1
CHI Antoine Vermette (3) Teuvo Teravainen (5) 15:26 2–1 CHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st CHI Andrew Shaw Tripping 06:14 2:00
TB Jason Garrison Cross-checking 16:48 2:00
2nd TB Alex Killorn High-sticking 00:28 2:00
TB Bench (served by Steven Stamkos) Too many men on the ice 09:48 2:00
CHI Kris Versteeg Goaltender interference 13:28 2:00
3rd None
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
Chicago 7 6 8 21
Tampa Bay 10 8 5 23

Game 2

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June 6 Chicago Blackhawks 3–4 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap
 
Jason Garrison scored the game-winning goal in 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 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 helped the New York Rangers defeat the Montreal Maroons in overtime of Game 2 of the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals, 2–1.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st TB Cedric Paquette (2) Ryan Callahan (4) and Victor Hedman (10) 12:56 1–0 TB
2nd CHI Andrew Shaw (5) Marcus Krüger (2) and Andrew Desjardins (3) 03:04 1–1
CHI Teuvo Teravainen (4) – pp Marian Hossa (10) and Patrick Sharp (9) 05:20 2–1 CHI
TB Nikita Kucherov (10) Jason Garrison (4) and Braydon Coburn (3) 06:52 2–2
TB Tyler Johnson (13) Nikita Kucherov (11) 13:58 3–2 TB
3rd CHI Brent Seabrook (7) Jonathan Toews (10) and Johnny Oduya (5) 03:38 3–3
TB Jason Garrison (2) – pp Victor Hedman (11) and Ryan Callahan (5) 08:49 4–3 TB
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st CHI Johnny Oduya Tripping 18:28 2:00
2nd TB Alex Killorn Hooking 04:26 2:00
TB Braydon Coburn Holding 09:24 2:00
3rd CHI Patrick Sharp Slashing 04:59 2:00
CHI Patrick Sharp High-sticking 07:17 2:00
TB Andrej Sustr Delay of game (puck over glass) 13:08 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
Chicago 11 8 10 29
Tampa Bay 12 10 2 24

Game 3

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June 8 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap
 
Cédric Paquette scored the game-winning goal in 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's slapshot goal at 5:09 of the first. Brad Richards 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 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 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.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st TB Ryan Callahan (2) Victor Hedman (12) and J. T. Brown (1) 05:09 1–0 TB
CHI Brad Richards (3) – pp Marian Hossa (11) and Andrew Shaw (7) 14:22 1–1
2nd None
3rd CHI Brandon Saad (7) Marian Hossa (12) and Duncan Keith (18) 04:14 2–1 CHI
TB Ondrej Palat (8) Nikita Kucherov (12) and Tyler Johnson (10) 04:27 2–2
TB Cedric Paquette (3) Victor Hedman (13) and Ryan Callahan (6) 16:49 3–2 TB
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st CHI Brandon Saad Cross-checking 08:12 2:00
TB Braydon Coburn Tripping 08:12 2:00
TB Braydon Coburn Hooking 12:42 2:00
2nd TB Nikita Kucherov Tripping 08:53 2:00
CHI Bryan Bickell Roughing 15:18 2:00
CHI Brandon Saad Goaltender interference 15:52 2:00
3rd None
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
Tampa Bay 7 17 8 32
Chicago 19 7 12 38

Game 4

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June 10 Tampa Bay Lightning 1–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap
 
Brandon Saad scored the game-winning goal in 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 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 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 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 1968 that the first four Stanley Cup Finals games were all decided by one goal.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd CHI Jonathan Toews (10) Patrick Sharp (10) and Marian Hossa (13) 06:40 1–0 CHI
TB Alex Killorn (9) Valtteri Filppula (10) and Steven Stamkos (11) 11:47 1–1
3rd CHI Brandon Saad (8) Patrick Kane (11) 06:22 2–1 CHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st CHI Brent Seabrook Interference 09:10 2:00
TB Jason Garrison Interference 11:41 2:00
CHI Jonathan Toews High sticking 12:42 2:00
CHI Kimmo Timonen Hooking 16:33 2:00
TB Alex Killorn High sticking 19:08 2:00
2nd CHI Brent Seabrook Cross-checking 07:19 2:00
3rd TB Steven Stamkos Delay of game (puck over glass) 01:04 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
Tampa Bay 9 8 8 25
Chicago 2 12 5 19

Game 5

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June 13 Chicago Blackhawks 2–1 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap
 
Corey Crawford saved 28 of 29 shots faced in 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 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 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 1938. For the second time in Finals history and the first since 1951, 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.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st CHI Patrick Sharp (5) Teuvo Teravainen (6) and Jonathan Toews (11) 06:11 1–0 CHI
2nd TB Valtteri Filppula (4) Jason Garrison (5) and Anton Stralman (8) 10:53 1–1
3rd CHI Antoine Vermette (4) Kris Versteeg (1) 02:00 2–1 CHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st None
2nd TB Cedric Paquette Hooking 00:47 2:00
CHI Brandon Saad Slashing 11:25 2:00
3rd TB Bench (served by Jonathan Drouin) Too many men on the ice 19:51 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
Chicago 14 8 7 29
Tampa Bay 5 12 15 32

Game 6

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June 15 Tampa Bay Lightning 0–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap
External videos
  Game 6 Full replay (NHL International's feed) on the NHL's official YouTube channel
 
Duncan Keith scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 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 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 scored on a pass from Brad Richards and play by Brandon Saad 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, and the first time at the United Center that the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on home ice.[15]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd CHI Duncan Keith (3) Patrick Kane (12) and Brad Richards (10) 17:13 1–0 CHI
3rd CHI Patrick Kane (11) Brad Richards (11) and Brandon Saad (3) 14:46 2–0 CHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st TB Cedric Paquette Tripping 08:35 2:00
TB Brian Boyle Roughing 13:53 2:00
2nd TB Ondrej Palat Elbowing 19:13 2:00
3rd CHI Andrew Desjardins Tripping 16:21 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
Tampa Bay 4 7 14 25
Chicago 13 10 9 32

Team rosters

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Chicago Blackhawks

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Jonathan Toews captained the Blackhawks to their sixth championship in franchise history, and their third championship in six seasons
# Nat Player Position Hand Age Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
29   Bryan Bickell LW L 29 2004 Bowmanville, Ontario third (2010, 2013)
13   Daniel Carcillo LW L 30 2014 King City, Ontario third (2010, 2013)
50   Corey Crawford G L 30 2003 Montreal, Quebec second (2013)
26   Kyle Cumiskey D L 28 2014 Abbotsford, British Columbia first
33   Scott Darling G L 26 2014 Newport News, Virginia first
11   Andrew Desjardins LW L 28 2015 Lively, Ontario first
4   Niklas Hjalmarsson D L 27 2005 Eksjö, Sweden third (2010, 2013)
81   Marian Hossa RW L 36 2009 Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia fifth (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013)
88   Patrick Kane RW L 26 2007 Buffalo, New York third (2010, 2013)
2   Duncan Keith – A D L 31 2002 Winnipeg, Manitoba third (2010, 2013)
16   Marcus Kruger C L 25 2009 Stockholm, Sweden second (2013)
42   Joakim Nordstrom C L 23 2010 Stockholm, Sweden first
27   Johnny Oduya D L 33 2012 Stockholm, Sweden second (2013)
31   Antti Raanta G L 26 2013 Rauma, Finland first
91   Brad Richards C L 35 2014 Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island third (2004, 2014)
32   Michal Rozsival D R 36 2012 Vlašim, Czechoslovakia second (2013)
5   David Rundblad D R 24 2013 Lycksele, Sweden first
20   Brandon Saad LW L 22 2011 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania second (2013)
7   Brent Seabrook D R 30 2003 Richmond, British Columbia third (2010, 2013)
10   Patrick Sharp – A LW R 33 2005 Winnipeg, Manitoba third (2010, 2013)
65   Andrew Shaw RW R 23 2011 Belleville, Ontario second (2013)
86   Teuvo Teravainen RW L 20 2012 Helsinki, Finland first
44   Kimmo Timonen D L 40 2015 Kuopio, Finland second (2010)
19   Jonathan Toews – C C L 27 2006 Winnipeg, Manitoba third (2010, 2013)
57   Trevor van Riemsdyk D R 23 2014 Middletown, New Jersey first
80   Antoine Vermette C L 32 2015 Saint-Agapit, Quebec second (2007)
23   Kris Versteeg LW R 29 2013 Lethbridge, Alberta second (2010)

Tampa Bay Lightning

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Steven Stamkos captained the Lightning to their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance, and their first in ten seasons
# Nat Player Position Hand Age Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
30   Ben Bishop G L 28 2013 Denver, Colorado first
11   Brian Boyle C L 30 2014 Hingham, Massachusetts second (2014)
23   J. T. Brown RW R 24 2013 Burnsville, Minnesota first
25   Matt Carle D L 30 2012 Anchorage, Alaska second (2010)
55   Braydon Coburn D L 30 2015 Calgary, Alberta second (2010)
24   Ryan Callahan RW R 30 2014 Rochester, New York first
27   Jonathan Drouin LW L 20 2013 Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec first
51   Valtteri Filppula C L 31 2013 Vantaa, Finland third (2008, 2009)
5   Jason Garrison D L 30 2014 White Rock, British Columbia first
50   Kristers Gudlevskis G L 22 2013 Aizkraukle, Latvia first
77   Victor Hedman D L 24 2009 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden first
9   Tyler Johnson C R 24 2011 Spokane, Washington first
17   Alex Killorn C L 25 2007 Halifax, Nova Scotia first
86   Nikita Kucherov RW L 21 2011 Maykop, Russia first
42   Jonathan Marchessault C R 24 2014 Cap-Rouge, Quebec first
10   Brenden Morrow LW L 36 2014 Carlyle, Saskatchewan second (2000)
90   Vladislav Namestnikov C L 22 2011 Voskresensk, Russia first
89   Nikita Nesterov D L 22 2011 Chelyabinsk, Russia first
18   Ondrej Palat LW R 24 2011 Frýdek-Místek, Czechoslovakia first
13   Cedric Paquette C L 21 2012 Gaspé, Quebec first
91   Steven Stamkos – C C R 25 2008 Markham, Ontario first
6   Anton Stralman D R 28 2014 Tibro, Sweden second (2014)
62   Andrej Sustr D R 24 2013 Plzeň, Czechoslovakia first
88   Andrei Vasilevskiy G L 20 2012 Tyumen, Russia first

Stanley Cup engraving

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The 2015 Stanley Cup was presented to Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman 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

Players

  • 1 Played both centre and wing.

Coaching and administrative staff

  • W. Rocky Wirtz (Owner/Chairman/Governor), John McDonough (President/Chief Executive Officer/Alt. Governor), Jay Blunk (Exec. Vice President),
  • Stan Bowman (Vice President/General Manager), Al MacIsaac (Vice President of Hockey Operations), Norm Maciver (Asst. General Manager), William Scotty Bowman (Sr. Advisor Hockey Operations),
  • Joel Quenneville (Head Coach), Mike Kitchen (Asst. Coach), Kevin Dineen (Asst. Coach), Jimmy Waite (Goaltending Coach), Matt Meacham (Video Coach), Paul Goodman (Strength & Conditioning Coach)
  • Mike Gapski (Athletic Trainer), Troy Parchman (Equipment Manager), Jeff Thomas (Asst. Athletic Trainer), Pawel Prylinski (Massage Therapist), Jeff Heintzleman (Asst. Equipment Manager)
  • Pierre Gauthier (Director of Player Personnel), Mark Kelly (Sr. Director of Amateur Scouting),
  • Barry Smith (Director of Player Development), Ryan Stewart (Director of Pro Scouting), Ron Anderson (Director of Player Recruitment),
  • Tony Ommen (Sr. Director of Team Services), Mark Bernard (Director of Hockey Administration/Rockford(AHL) General Manager), Dr. Michael Terry (Head Team Physician)


Engraving notes

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  • #80 Antoine Vermette played 63 games for Arizona, 13 for Chicago, and 20 of 23 playoff games, including all six games 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, including all six games 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 out of six 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, including all six games in the Finals (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 Games, 4, 5 and 6 of the Final (qualified for playing in the finals)
  • #26 Kyle Cumiskey – played seven games for Chicago, played nine playoff games (two games in the Finals). Qualified for playing 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 Finals – 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 – 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. He was however, in the team picture at centre ice and did receive a personal day with the Cup over the summer.
  • 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

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In the U.S., the Finals were split between NBC and NBCSN, called by NBC Sports' lead commentary team of Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire; 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 in favor of Game 4 on NBCSN.[16] As Olczyk was also a contributor to NBC's Belmont coverage, he missed Game 2.[3][17][18]

In Canada, all six games were broadcast by CBC Television (through Hockey Night in Canada, as produced by Sportsnet through a brokerage agreement) in English, TVA Sports in French, and Omni Television in Punjabi.[19][20] These were the first Stanley Cup Finals under Rogers Communications' exclusive national broadcast rights to the NHL in Canada.[21][22][23]

This was the second-most watched Stanley Cup Finals on U.S. television since 1995, trailing only the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals, with an average 3.2 Nielsen rating and 5.6 million viewers on NBC and NBCSN.[24] 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.[25] By contrast, ratings in Canada dropped significantly, making it the lowest-rated Stanley Cup Finals since 2009. Game 6, facing competition from a Team Canada match in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, 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.[26]

U.S. Ratings
Game Network Ratings
(households)		 American audience
(in millions)
1[27] NBC 3.3 5.547
2[28] NBC 3.9 6.549
3[29] NBCSN 2.2 3.896
4[16] NBCSN 2.2 3.914
5[30] NBC 3.0 5.260
6[31] NBC 4.4 8.005

References

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  1. ^ "Blackhawks seize their third Stanley Cup in six seasons". Chicago Tribune. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "Patrick Lalime, Analyste des Matchs Du Ch" (in French). TVA Sports. January 9, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "NBC Sports Group Fills Out 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket With Complete Coverage Beginning April 15" (Press release). NBC Sports. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. ^ "Stanley Cup Final will open Wednesday, June 3". National Hockey League. May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  5. ^ "Another Cup proves Blackhawks are among the era's best". ESPN. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  6. ^ "NHL Statistics". NHL. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  7. ^ Schlager, Brandon (May 24, 2015). "Eastern Conference finals: Return of Steven Stamkos has Lightning confident, Rangers on edge". Sporting News. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  8. ^ McDonald, Joe (May 18, 2015). "Tampa Bay's Triplets Line a rare dynamic unit in today's playoffs". ESPN. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  9. ^ Sklar, Brian (January 16, 2015). "Tampa Bay Lightning Offense Aces Mid-Season Report". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  10. ^ "Blackhawks agree to terms with Richards". Chicago Blackhawks. National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  11. ^ "Blackhawks agree to terms with Carcillo". Chicago Blackhawks. National Hockey League. October 4, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  12. ^ "Blackhawks acquire Timonen from Flyers". National Hockey League. February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  13. ^ "Blackhawks acquire Antoine Vermette from Coyotes". National Hockey League. February 28, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  14. ^ "Blackhawks acquire Andrew Desjardins from San Jose Sharks". National Hockey League. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  15. ^ Strang, Katie (June 16, 2015). "Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop says he played through torn groin". ESPN. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Wednesday Final Nationals: NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Gives NBCSN Prime Time Victory Among Adults 18–49, Adults 18–34". TV Media Insights. June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  17. ^ "Strangis: Olczyk brings horse sense to Cup Final". NHL.com. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  18. ^ "Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final Moves to NBC With Belmont Lead-In". Sports Media Watch. May 31, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  19. ^ "Stanley Cup Playoffs broadcast schedule". Sportsnet.ca. Rogers Media. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  20. ^ "2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 schedule". NHL.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  21. ^ Rush, Curtis (November 26, 2013). "NHL signs 12-year TV, Internet deal with Rogers; CBC keeps 'Hockey Night in Canada'". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  22. ^ Shoalts, David (October 10, 2014). "Hockey Night in Canada: How CBC lost it all". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  23. ^ Mudhar, Raju (November 26, 2013). "NHL deal with Rogers huge blow to CBC: Mudhar". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  24. ^ "2015 Stanley Cup Final Second-Most Watched in Past Two Decades". Sports Media Watch. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  25. ^ "Ratings: Stanley Cup Final's Game 6 on NBC Rules Monday". Variety. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  26. ^ "The Great Canadian Ratings Report: NHL playoffs failed to produce big ratings for Rogers". Yahoo! Sports Canada. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  27. ^ "Wednesday Final Nationals: Blackhawks-Lightning on NBC is Most-Viewed NHL Stanley Cup Final Non-Overtime Game 1 Since 1997". TV Media Insights. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  28. ^ "Saturday Final Nationals: 147th Belmont Stakes Fuels NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 2 on NBC". TV Media Insights. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  29. ^ "Monday Final Nationals: 'American Ninja Warrior' on NBC Achieves Series-High, Huge Gains for Stanley Cup Final on NBCSN and Women's World Cup on Fox Sports 1". TV Media Insights. June 9, 2015. Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  30. ^ "Saturday Final Nationals: NHL Helps NBC to Dominate in Adults 18-49 Over ABC, CBS and Fox Combined". TV Media Insights. June 16, 2015. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  31. ^ "Monday Final Nationals: 2015 Stanley Cup Final Clincher on NBC Ranks as Fourth Most-Watched NHL Telecast Since 1995". TV Media Insights. June 16, 2015. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
edit
Preceded by Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup champions
2015 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2015_Stanley_Cup_Finals&oldid=1255190329"