Chicago Blackhawks: One Goal

It has been almost two weeks since the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.  This is their fifth cup in the club's history and the second one captured in the last four years.  Their 2012-13 season, shortened due to a player lockout and began in January, was a special one.

Here are some of the highlights along with franchise and NHL records from this year's season:

- January 27, 2013, the Blackhawks set a new franchise record for starting the season 6–0–0 with a win against the Red Wings.

- February 19, 2013, against the Vancouver Canucks, the Blackhawks tied the NHL record previously set by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2006-07 season for earning points in the first 16 consecutive games of a season, and beat the Ducks record (28 points) by 1 point. 

- February 22 against the San Jose Sharks, the Blackhawks set a new NHL record for earning points in the first 17 consecutive games of a season. 

- March 5 against the Minnesota Wild, the Blackhawks recorded a franchise record of 10 consecutive wins. 

- March 6, the Blackhawks extended the NHL record to 24 games with a record of 21–0–3, and the franchise record for most consecutive wins to 11 games.

The Blackhawks battled through the playoffs.  On the brink of elimination in the quarter finals, they came from behind from a 3 games to 1 deficit to defeat their arch-rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, to advance to the Western Conference Finals.  

In the conference finals, they faced the defending Stanley Cup Champions, Los Angeles Kings.  The Blackhawks eliminated the Kings in Game 5, which extended into double overtime, and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.  The game ended at 11:40 of the second overtime period with a goal by Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.  Kane also scored a hat trick on the game-winning goal, his second NHL career playoff hat trick.

The Blackhawks faced the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup Championship.  It was one of the most exciting and memorable championship series in Stanley Cup history.  Game 1 went in the history books as the longest NHL game ever played at the United Center, as well as the fifth longest game in Stanley Cup Finals history. The Blackhawks then went on to lose the next two games in overtime and in a shutout, giving the Bruins the lead in the series. The Blackhawks then rebounded back in Game 4 with a high scoring 6–5 overtime win, equalizing the series again.  Blackhawks defensemen Brent Seabrook scored the game-winning overtime goal in Game 4, his second in the playoff since Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Red Wings. 

The Blackhawks then returned to the Unted Center for Game 5, winning 3–1 in regulation, and giving the Blackhawks a 3–2 lead in the series.  The Blackhawks returned to TD Garden for Game 6, and were down 0–1 after 7:19 of play.  They rallied back to tie the game, 1-1, in the second period with a goal by Jonathan Toews.   In the third period Boston scored again to go up 2-1 with 7 minutes left in the game.  The Blackhawks decided to pull their goalie, Corey Crawford, and that move paid off.  Brian Bickell scored to tie the game, 2-2, with 1:16 remaining.  Everyone, including me, thought we were headed for overtime.  No way.  Dave Bolland scored 17 seconds later to put the Blackhawks up 3-2 and win the Stanley Cup.  It was an amazing win and an exciting Stanley Cup Championship!