Blackhawks Overdue Victory Parade

Frank Doyle salutes the Chicago Blackhawks’ first Stanley Cup win since the Kennedy administration.

The Chicago Blackhawks, one of the Original Six teams that founded the National Hockey League in 1926, are Stanley Cup Champions for the first time since April, 1961.

The last time Chicago won the Stanley Cup, John F Kennedy was president, Burt Lancaster won the Best Actor Oscar for Elmer Gantry and the Philadelphia Eagles had won the NFL Championship Game in the previous December.

The Blackhawks defeated Montreal, another Original Six team, in the 1961 finals, but then, it had to – the NHL wouldn’t expand from the Original Six for another six years. That’s how long Chicago has been waiting for last night.

The Blackhawks cruised through the playoffs. San Jose, a team that has under-performed consistently in recent years looked set to make the Blackhawks work, but the Sharks got swept in the Western Conference Finals.

By contrast, the Flyers had to fight for their lives in every series, and were still fighting to the end, as Game 6 went into overtime last night. Michael Leighton, the luckless Flyer goalie, will relive Patrick’s Kane winning goal for the rest of his life.

It all looked harmless. Leighton hasn’t lived up to his playoff form in the Stanley Cup finals but, as he watched Chicago’s Patrick Kane skate towards goal on Leighton’s right hand side four minutes into overtime last night, Leighton must surely have thought there was no danger here. Kane had no shot – he would skate behind the goal and pass from there.

But Kane didn’t skate behind the goal. It was a double-bluff, in its way – Kane had a shot because he knew that Leighton knew he had no shot. Kane sucker-punched the puck home under Leighton’s pads, and skated away in raptures.

A moment that will stay with Leighton forever. But in the totality of the season, no-one can argue with Chicago’s title. Chicago has been a team on the rise since Rocky Wirtz became owner and last night was the date with destiny for the Blackhawks.

Chicago was an NHL betting favorite all through the season. Never really in trouble, never wobbling, and coming into form at just the right time. Philadelphia snuck into the playoffs but once there, the Flyers seized the day and were unlucky to run into destiny’s team. They’ll be back.