The 2010 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2009–10 season, and the culmination of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks and the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Flyers. It was Chicago's eleventh appearance in the Finals and their first since 1992, a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was Philadelphia's eighth appearance in the Finals and their first since 1997, a loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Chicago defeated Philadelphia four games to two to win their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history,[1] and their first since 1961,[2] ending the longest active Stanley Cup drought.

Quick Facts Total, Location(s) ...
2010 Stanley Cup Finals
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123456 Total
Philadelphia Flyers 514*543* 2
Chicago Blackhawks 623*374* 4
* – Denotes overtime period(s)
Location(s)Philadelphia: Wachovia Center (3, 4, 6)
Chicago: United Center (1, 2, 5)
CoachesPhiladelphia: Peter Laviolette
Chicago: Joel Quenneville
CaptainsPhiladelphia: Mike Richards
Chicago: Jonathan Toews
National anthemsPhiladelphia: Lauren Hart and Kate Smith
Chicago: Jim Cornelison
RefereesBill McCreary (1, 3, 5)
Dan O'Halloran (1, 3, 5)
Kelly Sutherland (2, 4, 6)
Stephen Walkom (2, 4, 6)
DatesMay 29 – June 9, 2010
MVPJonathan Toews (Blackhawks)
Series-winning goalPatrick Kane (04:06, OT, G6)
Hall of FamersFlyers:
Chris Pronger (2015)
Blackhawks:
Marian Hossa (2020)
NetworksCanada:
(English): CBC
(French): RDS
United States:
(English): NBC (1–2, 5–6), Versus (3–4)
Announcers(CBC) Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Glenn Healy
(RDS) Pierre Houde and Benoit Brunet
(NBC/Versus) Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk
(NHL International) Dave Strader and Joe Micheletti
 2009 Stanley Cup Finals 2011 
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The Blackhawks became the fourth major Chicago sports team to win a championship since 1986, joining the 1985 Chicago Bears, the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s, and the 2005 Chicago White Sox.[3] The 2016 Chicago Cubs would complete the cycle of all Chicago sports teams winning at least one championship in 30 years. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 playoffs, and was the first Blackhawks player to receive this honor. He and teammates Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook won the Olympic gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, adding the three players to the list of Ken Morrow (1980) and Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan (both 2002), as well as Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter (both 2014), as the only players to accomplish this double in the same year.[4] Having played for Team USA at the Olympics, Patrick Kane joined Chris Chelios and Brett Hull (both 2002) as having won both the Olympic silver medal and Stanley Cup in the same year.[5] Jonathan Toews also became the 24th player and the seventh Canadian to become a member of the Triple Gold Club having won an Olympic gold medal, an IIHF World Championship Gold Medal, and the Stanley Cup.

Paths to the Finals

This was the third straight Finals in which the Western Conference team was an Original Six team that won the Central Division and the Eastern Conference team was an Atlantic Division team from the state of Pennsylvania. The Red Wings and Penguins played each other in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009.

The Blackhawks and Flyers had previously met in the 1971 playoffs; the Blackhawks defeated the Flyers in four games.

Chicago Blackhawks

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Northern sculpture
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Southern sculpture
The lion sculptures outside of the Art Institute of Chicago decorated to celebrate the Chicago Blackhawks' postseason

The Chicago Blackhawks finished the regular season as the Central Division champions with 112 points. This is the 14th division title in franchise history for Chicago, but the first since 1992–93 when it was called the Norris Division. As the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the Blackhawks defeated the seventh seed Nashville Predators and the third seed Vancouver Canucks in six games each, and then swept the first seed San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final to advance to the Finals for the first time since 1992.

Chicago's Marian Hossa is the first player in NHL history to appear in three straight Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams. He previously made the Final with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and with the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. Along with Hossa, the other half of Chicago's preseason acquisition from Detroit, Tomas Kopecky, was also playing in his third straight Stanley Cup Finals.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs after finishing the regular season with 88 points, and winning the tiebreaker over the Montreal Canadiens, with more wins (41 to 39). The Flyers were the last team to qualify for the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Their Cinderella march to the Finals began on the final day of the regular season when they met the New York Rangers in a winner-take-all match-up for the final playoff spot. Philadelphia defeated their Atlantic Division rivals 2–1 in a shootout, the first do-or-die shootout for a playoff spot in NHL history.[6]

In the first round of the playoffs, the Flyers upset the second seed divisional rival New Jersey Devils in five games. In the second round, against the sixth-seeded Boston Bruins, Philadelphia became the third NHL team to win a seven-game series after being down three games to none (the others being the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders). In addition, in game seven of that series, the Flyers overcame a three goals to none deficit to win the game and series, 4–3.

In the Eastern Conference Final, the Flyers eliminated the Canadiens in five games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997.[2] They were also the first team to reach the Finals with less than 90 points in the regular season since the Vancouver Canucks in 1994, when they had 85. It also gave the city of Philadelphia the distinction of being the first city to have all its teams play in each of the four professional sports leagues title rounds since 2000,[7] following the 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals, the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX after the 2004 season, and the Phillies in back-to-back World Series in 2008 and 2009, winning in 2008 to bring the city of Philadelphia a championship after 25 years.[2] The Flyers attempted to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.[2]

Game summaries

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

Game 1

May 29 Philadelphia Flyers 5–6 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap

The Chicago Blackhawks won the first game by a score of 6–5 on the strength of two goals by Troy Brouwer. Throughout the game, the two teams traded goals with neither team having a lead greater than one. The Flyers opened the scoring at 6:38 of the first period on a goal by Ville Leino that deflected off the face of Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Blackhawks responded with two quick goals, one of which was shorthanded, to take the lead. The lead would not last long, however, as the Flyers would counter with two goals of their own to re-take the lead 3–2 after the first period. Patrick Sharp scored 1:11 into the second period to tie the game once again. Both teams would trade goals once again and tie the game at five after the second period. Michael Leighton was replaced by Brian Boucher after allowing the fifth Chicago goal. In the third period, Tomas Kopecky scored what would eventually prove to be the game winner at 8:25. Antti Niemi finished the game with 27 saves on 32 shots while Leighton saved 15 out of 20 shots. Boucher stopped 11 of 12 shots faced in relief of Leighton.

More information Scoring summary, Period ...
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st PHI Ville Leino (5) Daniel Briere (10) and Chris Pronger (11) 6:38 1–0 PHI
CHI Troy Brouwer (3) Marian Hossa (10) and Brent Sopel (4) 7:46 1–1
CHI Dave Bolland (6) – sh None 11:50 2–1 CHI
PHI Scott Hartnell (4) – pp Daniel Briere (11) and Chris Pronger (12) 16:37 2–2
PHI Daniel Briere (10) Ville Leino (9) and Scott Hartnell (6) 19:33 3–2 PHI
2nd CHI Patrick Sharp (8) Troy Brouwer (2) and Niklas Hjalmarsson (5) 1:11 3–3
PHI Blair Betts (1) Arron Asham (3) and Darroll Powe (1) 7:20 4–3 PHI
CHI Kris Versteeg (5) Tomas Kopecky (2) and Duncan Keith (10) 9:31 4–4
CHI Troy Brouwer (4) Marian Hossa (11) and Niklas Hjalmarsson (6) 15:18 5–4 CHI
PHI Arron Asham (4) Daniel Briere (12) and Scott Hartnell (7) 18:49 5–5
3rd CHI Tomas Kopecky (4) Kris Versteeg (6) and Dave Bolland (6) 8:25 6–5 CHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st CHI Ben Eager Cross checking 3:26 2:00
CHI Patrick Kane Slashing 9:58 2:00
CHI Brian Campbell High-sticking 15:51 2:00
2nd CHI Adam Burish Boarding 4:59 2:00
3rd None
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Game 2

May 31 Philadelphia Flyers 1–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap

The Blackhawks took game two of the best-of-seven series by a score of 2–1, thus giving them a 2–0 series lead heading into games three and four in Philadelphia. In contrast to game one, game two was a low-scoring affair with much tighter defense displayed by both teams. Neither team would score in the opening frame as the game entered the first intermission scoreless. It was not until late in the second period that Chicago managed to get the ice breaker with a goal from Marian Hossa. The Blackhawks quickly added another goal just 28 seconds later on a wrist shot by Ben Eager. The Flyers would eventually reply in the third period on a power play goal by Simon Gagne but it would not be enough. Both goaltenders were much stronger as Antti Niemi stopped 32 of 33 shots for the Blackhawks while Michael Leighton rebounded with 24 stops on 26 shots.

More information Scoring summary, Period ...
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd CHI Marian Hossa (3) Troy Brouwer (3) and Patrick Sharp (10) 17:09 1–0 CHI
CHI Ben Eager (1) Dustin Byfuglien (3) 17:37 2–0 CHI
3rd PHI Simon Gagne (8) – pp Mike Richards (16) and Jeff Carter (2) 5:20 2–1 CHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st CHI Kris Versteeg Interference 7:26 2:00
PHI Blair Betts Cross checking 14:48 2:00
CHI Tomas Kopecky Elbowing 17:27 2:00
PHI Daniel Carcillo Unsportsmanlike conduct 17:27 2:00
PHI Mike Richards Elbowing 17:27 2:00
2nd PHI Mike Richards Hooking 5:08 2:00
CHI Troy Brouwer Roughing 19:24 2:00
3rd CHI Patrick Sharp Tripping 3:21 2:00
PHI Chris Pronger Misconduct 20:00 10:00
CHI Ben Eager Misconduct 20:00 10:00
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Game 3

June 2 Chicago Blackhawks 3–4 OT Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap

The Flyers won game three in overtime, 4–3, to pull within two games to one in the series. Daniel Briere opened the scoring for Philadelphia with a power play goal at 14:58 of the first period. Duncan Keith tied the game at 1–1 early in the second period, and both teams added another goal to leave the score at 2–2 entering the third period. Patrick Kane scored with 17:10 remaining in the game to give the Blackhawks their first lead, but Ville Leino responded with the tying goal 20 seconds later. In overtime, shortly after a review determined that a shot by Gagne was not a goal, Claude Giroux scored the game-winner at 5:59 of the extra period.[8] This was the first time since 1987 that the Flyers had won a game in the Stanley Cup Finals.

More information Scoring summary, Period ...
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st PHI Daniel Briere (11) – pp Scott Hartnell (8) and Braydon Coburn (3) 14:58 1–0 PHI
2nd CHI Duncan Keith (2) Patrick Kane (14) and Marian Hossa (12) 2:49 1–1
PHI Scott Hartnell (5) – pp Chris Pronger (13) and Claude Giroux (10) 9:55 2–1 PHI
CHI Brent Sopel (1) John Madden (1) 17:52 2–2
3rd CHI Patrick Kane (8) Jonathan Toews (20) and Ben Eager (2) 2:50 3–2 CHI
PHI Ville Leino (6) Claude Giroux (11) and Matt Carle (11) 3:10 3–3
OT PHI Claude Giroux (9) Matt Carle (12) and Daniel Briere (13) 5:59 4–3 PHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st CHI Marian Hossa Slashing 13:54 2:00
PHI Daniel Carcillo Charging 18:05 2:00
CHI Dustin Byfuglien Roughing 20:00 2:00
2nd PHI Chris Pronger High-sticking 3:36 2:00
CHI Dustin Byfuglien Slashing 9:31 2:00
PHI Michael Leighton Delay of game 14:59 2:00
3rd None
OT None
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Game 4

June 4 Chicago Blackhawks 3–5 Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap

The Flyers evened the series at two games apiece by winning game four, 5–3. The Flyers took the lead 4:35 into the game on a Mike Richards power play goal. Matt Carle extended their lead to 2–0 at 14:48 of the first period. Sharp cut Philadelphia's lead in half with 1:28 left in the period, but Giroux restored the Flyers' two-goal advantage 51 seconds later. Following a scoreless second period, Leino gave Philadelphia a three-goal lead 6:43 into the third period. Dave Bolland (on a power play) and Brian Campbell scored later in the third to leave Chicago trailing 4–3 with 4:10 remaining. However, Jeff Carter scored an empty-net goal with 25 seconds left to clinch the Flyers' victory.[9]

More information Scoring summary, Period ...
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st PHI Mike Richards (7) – pp Unassisted 4:35 1–0 PHI
PHI Matt Carle (1) Unassisted 14:48 2–0 PHI
CHI Patrick Sharp (9) Duncan Keith (11) 18:32 2–1 PHI
PHI Claude Giroux (10) Kimmo Timonen (9) and Scott Hartnell (9) 19:23 3–1 PHI
2nd None
3rd PHI Ville Leino (7) Daniel Briere (14) and James van Riemsdyk (3) 6:43 4–1 PHI
CHI Dave Bolland (7) – pp Duncan Keith (12) and Patrick Kane (15) 12:01 4–2 PHI
CHI Brian Campbell (1) Andrew Ladd (2) and Duncan Keith (13) 15:50 4–3 PHI
PHI Jeff Carter (5) – en Unassisted 19:35 5–3 PHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st CHI Andrew Ladd Interference 0:35 2:00
CHI Tomas Kopecky High-sticking 4:30 2:00
PHI Kimmo Timonen Hooking 8:16 2:00
2nd CHI Dave Bolland High-sticking 1:27 2:00
CHI Patrick Sharp Slashing 12:53 2:00
CHI Nick Boynton Slashing 18:22 2:00
PHI Scott Hartnell Cross checking 18:22 2:00
3rd CHI Brent Seabrook Cross checking 8:03 2:00
PHI Scott Hartnell Unsportsmanlike conduct 10:46 2:00
PHI Braydon Coburn Holding 11:49 2:00
CHI Kris Versteeg Slashing 19:42 2:00
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Game 5

June 6 Philadelphia Flyers 4–7 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap

The Blackhawks took a 3–2 lead in the series with a 7–4 victory in game five. At 12:17 of the first period, Brent Seabrook scored on a power play to give Chicago the lead. Within the next six minutes, the Blackhawks tripled their advantage, adding goals by Bolland and Kris Versteeg to make the score 3–0. At the start of the second period, the Flyers again took Leighton out of the game, replacing him with Boucher. Four goals were scored in the second period—two by each team—and the Blackhawks entered the third period with a 5–2 lead. James van Riemsdyk pulled Philadelphia within two goals at 6:36 of the third. Sharp made the score 6–3 with 3:52 remaining, but Gagne answered for the Flyers 1:16 later. Thirty-one seconds after Gagne's goal, Dustin Byfuglien tallied an empty-net goal—his second goal of the game—which concluded the scoring. Flyers' alternate captain Chris Pronger was on the ice for six of Chicago's goals and was in the penalty box on the seventh. Discounting the power play goal, Pronger finished -5 on the game.[10]

More information Scoring summary, Period ...
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st CHI Brent Seabrook (4) – pp Kris Versteeg (7) and Troy Brouwer (4) 12:17 1–0 CHI
CHI Dave Bolland (8) Brent Sopel (5) and Dustin Byfuglien (4) 15:26 2–0 CHI
CHI Kris Versteeg (6) Brent Seabrook (7) and Dustin Byfuglien (5) 18:15 3–0 CHI
2nd PHI Scott Hartnell (6) Ville Leino (10) and Daniel Briere (15) 0:32 3–1 CHI
CHI Patrick Kane (9) Andrew Ladd (3) and Patrick Sharp (11) 3:13 4–1 CHI
PHI Kimmo Timonen (1) Daniel Briere (16) and Ville Leino (11) 4:38 4–2 CHI
CHI Dustin Byfuglien (9) – pp Jonathan Toews (21) and Duncan Keith (14) 15:45 5–2 CHI
3rd PHI James van Riemsdyk (3) Lukas Krajicek (2) and Kimmo Timonen (10) 6:36 5–3 CHI
CHI Patrick Sharp (10) Patrick Kane (16) 16:08 6–3 CHI
PHI Simon Gagne (9) Ville Leino (12) 17:24 6–4 CHI
CHI Dustin Byfuglien (10) – en Kris Versteeg (8) and Dave Bolland (7) 17:55 7–4 CHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st PHI Lukas Krajicek Cross checking 2:50 2:00
CHI Dave Bolland Cross checking 9:15 2:00
PHI Scott Hartnell High-sticking 11:16 2:00
2nd PHI Scott Hartnell Elbowing 7:19 2:00
CHI Brent Seabrook Closing hand on puck 9:51 2:00
PHI Chris Pronger Hooking 15:18 2:00
3rd CHI Kris Versteeg Slashing 4:59 2:00
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Game 6

June 9 Chicago Blackhawks 4–3 OT Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap
Quick Facts External videos ...
External videos
video icon Game 6 Full replay (NHL International's feed) on the NHL's official YouTube channel
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The sixth game required overtime, as the score was tied 3–3 at the end of the third period. Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks scored the Cup-winning goal at 4:06 into the overtime period, a shot in which the puck crossed the goal line and then got stuck underneath the padding in the back of the net. Several observers, including most of the players, announcers, and all the officials initially lost sight of the puck. Only Kane and Patrick Sharp started to celebrate immediately, soon followed by the rest of the Blackhawks. It was only after a video review that the goal was officially awarded.

Jonathan Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. It was the first Cup to be won in overtime since 2000.

More information Scoring summary, Period ...
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st CHI Dustin Byfuglien (11) – pp Jonathan Toews (22) and Patrick Kane (17) 16:49 1–0 CHI
PHI Scott Hartnell (7) – pp Daniel Briere (17) and Chris Pronger (14) 19:33 1–1
2nd PHI Daniel Briere (12) Ville Leino (13) and Lukas Krajicek (3) 8:00 2–1 PHI
CHI Patrick Sharp (11) Dave Bolland (8) and Duncan Keith (15) 9:58 2–2
CHI Andrew Ladd (3) Niklas Hjalmarsson (7) and Patrick Kane (18) 17:43 3–2 CHI
3rd PHI Scott Hartnell (8) Ville Leino (14) and Daniel Briere (18) 16:01 3–3
OT CHI Patrick Kane (10) Brian Campbell (4) 4:06 4–3 CHI
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st PHI Chris Pronger Holding 8:42 2:00
CHI Brent Sopel Interference 13:28 2:00
PHI Chris Pronger High-sticking 16:29 2:00
CHI Brent Seabrook Elbowing 16:59 2:00
CHI Brent Sopel Interference 19:07 2:00
2nd PHI Scott Hartnell High-sticking 1:56 2:00
PHI Braydon Coburn Cross checking 8:09 2:00
CHI Marian Hossa Goaltender interference 9:29 2:00
PHI Daniel Briere Cross checking 18:32 2:00
3rd None
OT None
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Officials

Television

In Canada, the series was televised in English on CBC and in French on the cable network RDS. In the United States, NBC broadcast games one, two, five, and six, while Versus televised games three and four.[1] In Europe, Viasat Sport broadcast the televised finals in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), through five regional divisions of Viasat Sport.[12] Its sister channel Viasat Sport East broadcast in the Russian language to the European and Eurasian countries of Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.[13]

Ratings

Game one produced the best overnight rating in the United States for a game one since the 1999 Final. The 2.8 overnight rating and six share was a 12-percent increase from the first game of the 2009 Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.[14] Meanwhile, in Canada, game one was viewed by 3.164 million people on CBC.[15]

Game two of the series, on Memorial Day, earned a 4.1 rating.[16] The number of viewers increased as the game averaged approximately six million viewers with a peak of 6.940 million at 10:30 pm ET.[17] According to NBC, this is the highest game two since at least the 1975 Final because data prior to then is unavailable. Game two also saw a 21-percent increase over 2009's second game.[18] In local markets game two drew a 25.1 rating and 39 share in Chicago along with an 18.5 rating and 28 share in Philadelphia.[19]

Game three returned to cable on Versus where it received a 2.0 rating and 3.6 million viewers.[16] The broadcast peaked at 5.1 million viewers at 10:30 pm ET. It ranked as the highest rated and most viewed program in the history of Versus.[16] It also ranked as the highest-rated and most-viewed Stanley Cup Finals game on cable television since 2002.[16]

Game four saw a decline of 9% from the 2009 Final between the Penguins and the Red Wings as just 3.1 million viewers tuned into the game.[20]

With the series returning to broadcast television on NBC, the ratings trend rebounded and improved over the 2009 Final ratings trend. Game five's prime time portion of the broadcast received a 3.3 final rating and averaged 5.8 million viewers, an increase of 38% in the ratings and 32% in viewers over the 2009 Final.[21] Locally, the Chicago market received a 26.0 rating while Philadelphia had a 19.7 rating. The average for the three NBC broadcasts rose to 5.4 million viewers, an increase of 800,000 compared to 2009.[22] This increase came despite going head to head with the 2010 NBA Finals.

Game six was the most-watched NHL game since game six in 1974, drawing a 4.7 rating and 8 share, up 38 percent vs. 3.4/6 for game six in 2009.[16][23] The top two markets were Chicago, with a 32.8/50 and Philadelphia, 26.8/38.[24] In Canada, game six was the most-watched all-American Stanley Cup Finals game on the CBC, with 4.077 million viewers.[16][23] The Final averaged 3.107 million viewers, up 44 percent from 2009.[16][23]

Impact and aftermath

Blackhawks

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Chicago skyline with the CNA Center showing the Chicago Blackhawks' logo, the Willis Tower's spires lit in red, the Smurfit-Stone Building saying Go Hawks and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower saying Hawks win the night after the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, viewed from the Petrillo Music Shell lawn in Grant Park.

The win was the Blackhawks' first championship since 1961. It gave the city of Chicago the distinction of being the first city to have at least a championship in each of the four major professional sports since 1985.[3] It also vaulted Toews into the Triple Gold Club, winning the Olympic gold medal in Vancouver earlier in 2010 and an IIHF World Championship Gold medal in 2007. Toews and defencemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook also became the fourth, fifth, and sixth players to win Olympic Gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year.[5] With Chicago's win, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now the only Original Six team not to win the Stanley Cup or play in the Finals since the 1967 expansion; their most recent Finals appearance is 1967.

The day after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley issued a proclamation declaring June 11 Chicago Blackhawks Day in the city of Chicago.[25] That day, an estimated two million Chicagoans attended the Blackhawks Stanley Cup parade, more than the estimated 1.75 million who attended the parade for the Chicago White Sox's 2005 World Series championship, and more than the rallies at Grant Park for any of the Chicago Bulls' NBA championships.[25][26] The Blackhawks' celebration also overshadowed the series between the White Sox and Chicago Cubs taking place around the same time.[27] However, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén said that the parade the White Sox had was far bigger than the Blackhawks'.[28] Daley presented the proclamation to the team at the celebratory parade and rally.[25]

US President Barack Obama, a former US Senator from Illinois and Chicago resident, phoned Joel Quennville to congratulate his team and to invite them to the White House. Obama joked that he now had "bragging rights" over Vice President Joe Biden, a Flyers fan.[29]

Flyers

The loss by the Flyers was the sixth straight Finals series they lost, tying them with the 193340 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 195695 Detroit Red Wings for most consecutive Finals lost.[5]

The missing Cup-winning puck

Since the Cup-winning puck got stuck underneath the padding in the back of the net to end game six, there was controversy and speculation as to its whereabouts. Amid the confusion involving the video review and the subsequent celebrations, the Cup-winning puck got lost. Because it ended the Blackhawks' then-record for the longest active Cup drought, it was considered a valuable piece of sport memorabilia. So much so, a Chicago-based restaurant offered a $50,000 reward for it, and the FBI was called in to investigate the case.[30]

Video and pictures taken from the game indicated that linesman Steve Miller was the first person who took the puck after the game-winning goal was scored, but he denied knowing where it eventually went.[30] As a result of an ESPN story about the controversy on April 21, 2011, the league relieved Miller of his 2011 postseason duties for more than a week, citing that the controversy was a potential distraction during the playoffs.[31] In reinstating Miller, the league said it stood by him and his story.[31]

Controversy

Controversy came throughout the first four games between the Blackhawks and Flyer defenceman Chris Pronger. Chicago complained that Pronger had gotten away with rough play that they felt was beyond the rules. The Blackhawks argued that even when they responded with the same actions that Pronger was being allowed to get away with, that they would instead be given a penalty. The Blackhawks set up a meeting with the NHL to make a complaint about Pronger's play.[32]

Pronger had been noticed by the media and the NHL at the end of games one and two of the series as he picked up and left with the game puck at the conclusion of the games. When asked, Pronger replied that he had thrown the pucks in the garbage.[33]

Team rosters

Chicago Blackhawks

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Jonathan Toews captained the Blackhawks to the first championship in 49 years

Philadelphia Flyers

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Mike Richards captained the Flyers to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1997

Stanley Cup engraving

The 2010 Stanley Cup was presented to Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Blackhawks' 4–3 overtime win over the Flyers in game six.

The following Blackhawks players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

2009–10 Chicago Blackhawks

Players

  • 1 Played both centre and wing.

Coaching and administrative staff

  • W. Rockwell Rocky Wirtz (chairman/owner/governor), John McDonough (president), Jay Blunk (sr. vice president – business operations)
  • Stan Bowman (general manager), Al MacIsaac (sr. director, hockey administration – assistant to the president)
  • Kevin Cheveldayoff (assistant general manager), William Scotty Bowman^ (sr. advisor, hockey operations)
  • Dale Tallon (assistant general manager), Joel Quenneville (head coach), Mike Haviland (assistant coach)
  • John Torchetti (assistant coach), Stephane Waite (goaltending coach), Mike Gapski (athletic trainer), Troy Parchman (equipment manager)
  • Jeff Thomas (assistant athletic trainer), Clint Reif (assistant equipment manager), Pawel Prylinski (massage therapist), Jim Heintzelman (equipment assistant)
  • Paul Goodman (strength & conditioning coach), Paul Vincent (skating coach), Marc Bergevin (director – player personnel), crossed-out name of Brad Aldrich (video coach)
  • Mark Kelley (director – amateur scouting), Norm Maciver (director – player development), Michael Dumas (chief amateur scout), Ron Anderson (director – player recruitment)
  • Tony Ommen (director – team service), Mark Bernard (general manager – minor league affiliations), Dr. Michael Terry (head team physician)
  • ^Scotty Bowman won the Stanley Cup with his fourth team; Montreal, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Chicago. The only other people with wins with four teams are Jack Marshall, Harry Hap Holmes, Tommy Gorman and Al Arbour. This was also his 12th Stanley Cup win, tying him with Sam Pollock for second most times; only Jean Beliveau with his name on the Stanley Cup 17 times has more.

Stanley Cup engraving

  • Kris Versteeg's name was misspelled KRIS VERTSEEG with the "S" and "T" transposed. The engraver was able to correct the mistake.[34]
  • #36 Dave Bolland, played 39 games in the regular season due to injury then played every playoff game. Qualified to have name on Cup for playing in the finals.
  • #37 Adam Burish, only played 13 games in the regular season due to a preseason injury and played 15 in the playoffs, three games in the finals. He qualified to have name engraved on Cup for playing in the finals.
  • #46 Colin Fraser, played 70 games in the regular season and three games in the playoffs, none in the finals, all three games were in round 1. He qualified to have name on the Cup for meeting the minimum 41 regular season game requirement.
  • Additionally, Brad Aldrich (Video Coach) was initially engraved on the Stanley Cup in 2010. Following a 2021 investigation into allegations that he sexually assaulted prospect Kyle Beach, among others, Aldrich's name was marked out with X's on the trophy by request of the team.[35]

Left off the Stanley Cup

  • #29 Bryan Bickell, LW, only played 16 regular season games, and four playoff games with the Blackhawks, three games in round one and one game in round two. NHL refused Chicago's request to include Bickell's name on the Stanley Cup since he did not play in final two rounds of the playoffs, and spending most of the regular season in the minors. Bickell played 65 regular season games in the minors playing for the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks AHL Affiliate team. He was, however, included in the team picture and got a day with the Stanley Cup over the summer.
  • #8 Kim Johnsson, D, played 60 games, 52 for Minnesota and 8 for Chicago, missing the last 14 games and all the playoffs due a concussion. Chicago chose not to submit his name for engraving because he spent most of the season with Minnesota. Johnsson was left out of the team picture. Due his concussion Johnsson never played in the NHL again.
  • 6 Ambassadors were also included on the Official Stanley Cup Picture - Ab MacDonald, Denis Savard, Glenn Hall, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito. - All 8 members along with 13 more scouts, and other players, and non-players were awarded Stanley Cup Rings.

References

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