BOSTON, MA-The Boston Bruins were 1:20 away from forcing a game seven in the Stanley Cup Finals. They were leading 2-1 over the Chicago Blackhawks, having outplayed them for most of the game on their home ice. However, somebody forgot to tell the Blackhawks to fold. Instead of giving in to the fact that there would be a game seven, winger Brian Bickell scored his ninth goal of the playoffs with 1:16 left to tie the game after goalie Corey Crawford was pulled for an extra skater. Then, while the Bruins’ fans were trying to recover from the shock of the goal, center Dave Pollard put in his third goal of the postseason to give the Blackhawks a stunning 3-2 lead with 58 seconds left to play.
Suddenly, the Chicago bench had a reason to celebrate, while everyone else in the TD Garden Arena sat quietly, stunned that at the rapid turn of events. Less than a minute later, captain and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Kane was celebrating a title with the rest of his teammates. His teammates had scored the two goals in the quickest amount of time in Stanley Cup Finals history, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.
This series was one of the best in recent memory. With two of the original six teams playing in the final, there was rich history, as well as great hockey. Both teams played the physical brand of hockey needed for the playoffs, and all six games were entertaining. Chicago took the first game of the series with a 4-3 win in triple overtime. Boston responded with back-to-back wins by scores of 2-1 (OT), and 2-0. The Blackhawks, down 2-1 in the best of seven series, pulled out a 6-5 win in the third overtime game of the series. They followed that up with a 3-1 win to take a 3-2 series lead with the final two games being played in Boston. The rest as they say, is history. Even with the three overtime games and various lead changes throughout the six games, the only 17 seconds anyone will remember from this series will be the 17 seconds in which the Chicago Blackhawks scored two improbable goals to win the Stanley Cup.
