Nathan MacKinnon scored as soon as and assisted on the tiebreaking purpose, serving to the Colorado Avalanche hoist the Stanley Cup in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday after a 2-1 win over the defending champion Lighting.
Colorado took the best-of-seven collection in six video games, profitable Video games 1 and 4 in additional time and Recreation 2 in a 7-0 blowout.
The Avs had fallen wanting wrapping up the championship on residence ice Friday in Recreation 5 earlier than they prevailed at Amalie Enviornment.
“To see all these warriors battle, it simply feels unbelievable,” an overjoyed, exhausted MacKinnon instructed ABC. “Phrases can’t describe how I really feel proper now.”
As MacKinnon was giving a postgame interview, he shared an embrace with teammate Andrew Cogliano, who instructed him, “87.”
MacKinnon defined how assured he felt after he landed in lodge room No. 1787, reminding him of his longtime pal, mentor and fellow Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native Sidney Crosby, who wears sweater No. 87 for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We each love Sid,” MacKinnon mentioned. “We simply knew we had been going to win after I received that room quantity.”
After 20 minutes of play Sunday night time, it appeared like a Recreation 7 in Denver was attainable as Tampa Bay star Steven Stamkos gave his workforce an early 1-0 lead.
MacKinnon equalized early within the second interval earlier than he fed Artturi Lehkonen for the sport winner halfway by means of the second interval.
It’s the third Stanley Cup gained by the Colorado franchise with roots going again to its 1972 formation because the Quebec Nordiques of the outdated World Hockey Affiliation. The Avalanche gained all of it in 1996, their first season in Denver, after which once more in 2001.
It was a protracted journey to hockey’s mountaintop for Colorado, which had the NHL’s worst document as just lately as 2016-17.
“Being a former participant and all that, you understand how pleased they [the players] are and the way relieved that they’ve a possibility to lastly increase the Stanley Cup,” mentioned Colorado Common Supervisor Joe Sakic, an Avs star on the 1996 and 2001 title groups.
Colorado’s win Sunday saved Tampa from capturing its third straight title, a feat final achieved by the New York Islanders, who had a four-year run from 1980 to 1983.
Successful three consecutive titles in any of North America’s 4 main professional sports activities is a rarity.
Baseball’s New York Yankees (1998-2000) and basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02) had been the final to perform the feat of their sports activities, and no soccer workforce has ever gained three consecutive Tremendous Bowls.
The Inexperienced Bay Packers gained the primary two Tremendous Bowls, on Jan. 15, 1967, and Jan. 14, 1968, and the ultimate NFL title of the pre-Tremendous Bowl period.
The NHL season’s finish additionally accomplished the twenty eighth consecutive marketing campaign by which a Canadian franchise did not raise Lord Stanley’s famed chalice as champions of the North American league dominated by Canadian gamers.
The final workforce north of the border to win all of it was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Seven of the league’s 32 groups are based mostly in Canada, in concept giving the Nice White North a 1-in-5 shot of fielding a Stanley Cup-winning workforce.
