Blackhawks down the Bruins to become STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS  WIN SERIES  4 - 2 BOSTON BRUINS 

pic from: zimbo

2013 was the years of the Hawks, Blackhawks that is! As Chicago won their 2nd Stanley Cup championship in 4 years as they beat a gritty & physical Boston Bruins side,  in 6 games to hold aloft Sir Stanley`s Cup once again since 2010.

The Blackhawks defeated the Bruins on foreign ice much like in 2010 when they beat Philadelphia Flyers on the road in 6 games just like they did this season . Chicago produced a comeback equal to what Boston produced to beat Toronto in the First Round at TD Gardens, as the Hawks looked down and out and destined to go back to Chicago for the Winner takes all game seven.

That was till the Hawks pulled Corey Crawford for the extra skater and Bryan Bickell equalized for the away side with 1:16 left in the 3rd Period to tie the game up, now we looked like heading to overtime but, there was still a twist in the game left.

17 seconds later they scored again to complete a crazy turnaround in the game and saw Chicago take a 3-2 lead and it was a lead they would hold onto and win the series 4-2 in Boston.

It was really "Crazy" series from Game 1 in Chicago to Game 6 in Boston, Here is a look back at this incredible series.

This 2013 STANLEY CUP FINAL series got off to an exciting start, as fans and pundits in Hockey were hoping the clash between recent Stanley Cup champions would be an absolute cracker and it didn`t disappoint either.

Game 1 started off at the United Center in Chicago, where the Western Conference champions the Chicago Blackhawks played hosts to the Eastern Conference champions the Boston Bruins in a barn burner of a game.

It was the Bruins that came out the most attacking of the two sides as they outshot the home side 11-8 in the opening period. Corey Crawford between the pipes for the Blackhawks had to be alert in goal, as he flashed the glove at Brad Marchand`s effort as he robbed the Boston forward of a goal.

The B`s took the lead though at 13:11 in the first period thanks to Milan Lucic, as thanks to David Krejic who played a huge part on the goal, as the Czech Republic native chased a loose puck behind the Hawks net and took a hard from Niklas Hjalmarsson against the boards, but still managed to make a play directing it to Nathan Horton whose center pass found an unmarked Lucic and he fired past Crawford to make it 1-0.

Boston continued their play into the 2nd period as they took a two goal advantage via a Milan Lucic Slapshot ,that beat Crawford high over the shoulder for a 2-0 lead and Boston silenced the Chicago crowd with that second goal as the Bruins were in charge.

Chicago responded at 3:08 into the period as they cut the lead in half, when Brandon Saad wristed one past Tuuka Rask in the Bruins net for a 2-1 score line. This then started a end to end game as the Blackhawks took over , on the shots on goal, with 16 attempts to 6 on their opponents.

The third period was the same , with the home side out shooting their visitors but it was the away side that stretched their lead again.

As Boston scored a power play goal when Patrice Bergeron one timed it off a pass by Seguin and his effort dinged off the metal to make it a 3-1 game at 46:09.

Chicago once again responded shortly after the Bruins goal, as David Bolland stopped the puck going up ice and waited for Shaw to get onside. He then played it to Shaw who passed cross ice for Bolland who one timed it past Rask ,as the Finn was pulled out of position on the play at 48:00.

The Blackhawks tied the game up, when Michael Frolik and good board play by Marcus Kruger passed to the blue line for Johnny Oduya, whose blast deflected in off Andrew Ference and deceived Rask making it 3-3 to tie the game up.

So we went to Overtime yet again and Crawford made a double save in the overtime period, as first off he stopped Shawn Thornton and then spread in front of the goals to block it, before Bolland cleared near the line to stop the Bruins from winning the game.

He was called upon once again as Boston came into the Blackhawks zone on a 2 on 1 before, Peverley found space and tried to fire it in only to be denied by Crawford.

pic from: baltimore press

In the Second period of Overtime, the Bruins cut through mid ice with a straight through pass that saw Seguin connected on it and as he skated on goal his effort couldn`t find a way past Crawford.

Boston thought they`d won it with 9.2 to go in the period, when a Zdeno Chara blast from the blue line struck the foot of the post and went across the crease away from any Bruins players.

So we then entered a Third Overtime period in this opening game of the series, Boston was coming closer and closer and got even nearer this time around too.

As Taylor Seguin was found by David Krejic and when Seguin fed Daugavins who was free at the side of the net, the Bruins players got in that much of a tangle that he tried to back hand his effort but didn`t have a lot of purchase on it.

Then with 12:08 gone in period 3 of Overtime we got a winner finally , as Andrew Shaw scored thanks to a couple of deflections, Firstly a Martin Rozsival shot from the blue line was deflected off Bolland stick and Shaw got a second deflection to divert the puck home and make it a real "MADHOUSE on Madison" as they took it 4-3 in Triple Overtime to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 series lead. Shots on goal for the game were an incredible 63-54 in favour of Chicago.

GAME 2 saw the players come back to the United Center 2 days after the energy draining Triple overtime game on Wednesday evening.

Chicago buoyed obviously from the victory on home ice saw the home side come out on fire, as the Bruins side looked like a side drained and out of ideas completely in the first period of play.

Patrick Sharp grabbed a deserved lead for the home team as a mad scramble in front of the net with nearly every player around the Bruins net saw  the puck come loose and then Sharp spun round and aimed it on goal as it found a way in for a 1-0 score line.

Boston tied things up in the second period when Chris Kelly scored for the Bruins when Danny Paille skated in on goal and then Kelly popped up and lifted it over Crawford for 1-1 at 34:58, as the Bruins made it more of a contest as they recovered from a poor opening period.

Game two went the same way as game one as we went to Overtime, This time thought it was the Bruins to inflict late pain on their hosts.

At 15:58 in the Overtime period Daniel Paille scored the winning goal as a great pass by Chara found Paille and he rifled it home passed Crawford to make it 2-1 and to draw the series level at 1-1.

pic from: zimbo

GAME 3 saw the series shift to Boston`s TD Gardens and the Bruins made full use of home advantage, as the B`s took game 3 with a shutout of the Blackhawks on home ice.

 It took the second period for the scoring to start as Paille dispossessed the puck off a Chicago defenseman and scored for a 1-0 lead much to the delight of the Bruins army.

Boston then doubled their lead on the power play, when Chara passed towards Jaromir Jagr and as he passed across ice, he found Patrice Bergeron who was waiting and blasted home from the back post to make it 2-0 and the Bruins were in full control of the game now.

pic from: zimbo

Chicago pulled the goalie in trying to find a goal but instead of a goal, a scuffle broke out between Andrew Shaw and Brad Marchand who rolled around on the ice till the linesman separated them both, as they departed to their respective locker rooms. Time ran out and Boston took a 2-1 lead in this interesting series.

GAME 4 witnessed Chicago get right back in the series as they beat the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a high scoring game in Overtime.

Boston had control of the Blackhawks in the last couple of games, losing in game 2 and out playing their opponents and then in Game 3 they shut them out.

So the Bruins hoped to take a step closer to the Stanley Cup by taking a 3-1 series lead.

pic from: zimbo

They were caught on the break by Chicago, as Saad dispossessed the Bruins by the blue line in their own zone and he then led the attack , as Michael Hanzus joined in  on the attack for an outnumbered play as it was 2-on-3 for the Hawks.

Saad passed to mid ice towards Handzus and he fired past Rask for a 1-0 lead at 6:48 in the period.

The Bruins replied though through Rich Peverley , who capitalised on a Saad mistake as he lost control of the puck and Peverley snapped one past Crawford for a level contest at 14:43.

The Blackhawks then looked to take control as they scored two goals in the space of 2:12 in the second period.

Firstly Jonathon Toews scored with a tip in from Rozisval slap shot coming from the blue line as his redirect effort beat Rask for a 2-1 game.

Then his partner in crime Patrick Kane made it 3-1 as a scrum near the net caused the puck to bounce loose and Bickell moved it in the direction of Kane and the forward back handed the puck to the far side of net past a despairing Tuuka Rask diving trying to stop it.

Milan Lucic pulled a goal back for Boston, as Zdeno Chara passed from the side boards to Lucic in front of the nets and after his first effort was blocked he managed to back handed the rebound for a 3-2 scoreline.

Chicago once again pulled away as Marcus Kruger scored just.. as Bolland and Frolik broke away up ice and when Frolik passed across ice to Kruger, Kruger stick handled past Rask ,but his original effort didn`t reach the line but he still had balance to tuck home from on the line for a 4-2 score before a defenseman could clear.

Patrice Bergeron made it 4-3, as he scored from close range to put home after a Chara blast had been blocked and once the puck came back down on the ice Bergeron then put home team down by a goal at 35:32.

In the third Bergeron again scored to tie things up for a 4-4 game, when Jagr played around the boards and passed to Bergeron who blasted home for a tie game.

Patrick Sharp then made the score 5-4 when passing between Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith near the point, which led to Hossa blasting one goal wards and his shot was deflected into the path of Sharp, who dinked it over Rask for the lead. Johnny Boychuk then made it all square again, as his slap shot flew by Corey Crawford for a 5-5 tie score line and with no more scoring we went to a 3rd game in this series going to overtime.

In the overtime period it was down to Chicago`s designated overtime game winner Brent Seabrook, As Seabrook scored the O.T winner for the Blackhawks and made it 6-5 at 9:51 in the overtime period and made the series level at 2-2 as well.

GAME 5: Saw the Blackhawks rejuvenated after beating the Bruins in Boston 6-5 a couple days before and so came home to their adoring public and tried to put on a show for their fans, as they looked to take a series lead in the Stanley Cup final once again.

Chicago was the dominating side and yet they just couldn`t beat Tuuka Rask .

It felt like he was a one man team from the Hawks side of things, eventually they broke his defences down as Patrick Kane scored following a Oduya shot taking a bounce and falling to the feet of Kane, who then slipped it in at the near post for a 1-0 lead at 17:26 in the first.

Kane struck again for the Blackhawks in the second period as Bickell moved into the Boston zone and played a one two with Toews, before Bickell tried to go near post but was stopped and yet still controlled the puck and played out towards Kane at the front of the net and Kane dispatched it high up in Rask goals for a 2-0 lead.

pic from: yahoo

Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara then cut the lead to one, as a one timer blast beat the Blackhawks netminder all ends up and so it was 2-1 with 16:20 left in the game. Boston tried to get back in but they were being snuffed out by the Blackhawks now, as Chicago were doing to Boston what they had done to them as the home side grew more confident. Boston tried to pull their netminder fpr the extra attacker, but Chicago were in mid attack , so he had to stay on and manage to deny them extending the score as well.

They couldn`t stop the Hawks scoring again, as they scored an Empty net goal thanks to Dave Bolland from the benches as he threw it goal wards and went in for a 3-1 score line ,moving the Blackhawks to within one game away of lifting the Cup again.

GAME 6:  Saw this Crazy historic series end, as David Bolland scored the Cup winning goal that gave Chicago their second Stanley Cup Championship in 4 years. As an incredible turnaround in the last 2 minutes of the game saw the Blackhawks go from down and out to Cup Champions.

It was Boston that got off to the best start, as Chris Kelly scored thanks to quick thinking from Taylor Seguin as he caught the puck in the mid air and quickly dropped and passed across for Kelly to put home and make it 1-0 to the B`s, as they were hoping to take it to a game 7.

The Blackhawks tied it up at 4:24 in the second period when Jonathon Toews poked the puck away from the Bruins faceoff man and Toews himself skated down the wing and then shot five-hole through Rask to make it 1-1 and set up a final period of tension and drama.

The third period was incredible, Milan Lucic thought he`d scored the game winner with 7:49 left in regulation. Crawford tried to play the puck behind his own net but once he lost control of it, David Krejci then took possession of the puck leading to him finding Lucic in front of the net in space and with his second attempt he scored to put the Bruins 2-1 up.

Chicago pulled Crawford for the extra skater with 1:27 left in the game and after some quick passing between Duncan Keith and Jonathon Toews , Toews then fed Bickell at the far post and he stuck it home to tie the game up at 2-2 and it looked like we would head for an incredible 4th game in this series to go to overtime.

But Chicago thought differently and 17 seconds after they scored the tying goal they then got the go ahead goal .

Johnny Oduya then ripped one from the blue line and after Frolik deflected it on goal it came to Dave Bolland who put home the rebound as he lost his stick and glove in the aftermath for a 3-2 lead in the game with 59 seconds remaining.

pic from: zimbo

The Seconds ticked down and after Patrick Kane tried to score an empty net goal the puck was pushed further up ice and gave no chance for the Bruins to make any chance of scoring and so cue the traditional gloves, helmets and sticks flying up in the air as the players celebrated the victory and meant the Chicago Blackhawks became the 2013 Stanley Cup Champions!

pic from: zimbo

PATRICK Kane was awarded the Most Valuable player over the series as he was one main reason the Blackhawks won the cup.