Who Won the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup?
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The Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup after defeating the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Final. This is the Lightning’s second Stanley Cup in franchise history, with their first coming in 2004. Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos hoisted the Stanley Cup after the Lightning’s 2-0 win in Game 6.
Record
The Tampa Bay Lightning made history in 2020 by winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history. This was an incredible feat, as they became only the fourth team in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. They did so by defeating the Dallas Stars in six games, with captain Steven Stamkos leading the way.
Interestingly, the Lightning’s record in these playoffs was not as dominant as their performance in the regular season would have suggested. In fact, they finished with a sub-.500 record of 13-10-1. This is a testament to their resiliency and their ability to win when it matters most.
It is safe to say that the Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the most successful teams in recent NHL history. They have now won three Stanley Cups in total, and they show no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Players to Watch
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Lightning have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. The team is often referred to as the Bolts, and the nickname was used on the former third jerseys.
Dallas Stars
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The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The franchise relocated to Dallas for the 1993–94 NHL season. The Stars won eight division titles in their 31 years in Minnesota (1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1987), two Presidents’ Trophies as the top regular season team in the NHL (1998–99 and 2002–03), and made an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals (1991) while still in Minnesota. In 2020 they won their first Stanley Cup while based in Dallas.
They are owned by Tom Gaglardi and managed by Jim Nill.
Players to Watch
With the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs underway, there are a few players to keep an eye on. First, there is Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars. Seguin is one of the top scorers in the league and is a big part of the Stars’ offense. Another player to watch is goaltender Anton Khudobin. Khudobin has been phenomenal in the playoffs so far and has been a big reason why the Stars have been successful.
Other players to watch include defenseman John Klingberg and forward Jamie Benn. Klingberg is one of the best defensemen in the league and his play will be critical to the Stars’ success. Benn is a former MVP and is a key leader for the team. The Stars will need all of these players to step up if they want to win the Stanley Cup.
Vegas Golden Knights
Record
The Vegas Golden Knights were the National Hockey League’s Expansion team for the 2017-18 NHL season. They made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in their Inaugural Season, but lost to the Washington Capitals in 5 games.
Players to Watch
The Vegas Golden Knights roster is full of young, exciting players. Here are three players to keep an eye on during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs:
1. Max Pacioretty: The Golden Knights captain is a goal-scoring machine. He led the team in goals (32) and points (66) during the regular season. Pacioretty is dangerous in all situations and will be a key player for Vegas in the playoffs.
2. Mark Stone: Stone is one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL. He’s a physical presence on the ice and can score goals, too. Stone had 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) during the regular season and will be a key player for Vegas in all situations.
3. Marc-Andre Fleury: Fleury is one of the best goaltenders in the world and he proved it again during the 2019-20 season. Fleury had a .927 save percentage and 2.24 GAA during the regular season and he’ll be key for Vegas if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche
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The Avalanche were founded in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques and began play as part of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL–WHA merger. Following the 1994–95 season, they were sold to COMSAT Video Enterprises, who in turn sold the team to French-Canadian entrepreneur Pierre Lacroix.
The Avalanche won their first Stanley Cup championship in 1996, only their third season in Denver. Led by center Joe Sakic and goaltender Patrick Roy, Colorado had one of the most successful teams of the 1990s, winning nine consecutive division titles (a streak equaled only once, by the Chicago Blackhawks from 2009 to 2017). They returned to the Stanley Cup Finals against Winnipeg Jets but lost in seven games. Between 2001 and 2013, Colorado went through six head coaches and failed to qualify for the playoffs in eight straight seasons. In 2013, Mike Sullivan was hired as coach and led them to their second Stanley Cup appearance since 1996; they beat Boston Bruins 4–3 after trailing 0–3 in a best-of-seven series. In 2019–20 under head coach Jared Bednar, Colorado again became regular season champions of their division; however ended up being swept by Dallas Stars in Round 2 of 2020 playoffs despite having one of if not best regular seasons since relocating to Denver.
Players to Watch
The Colorado Avalanche have a deep roster filled with several talented players. Some of the players to keep an eye on this season include:
-Nathan MacKinnon: MacKinnon is the Avalanche’s best player and one of the best in the NHL. He’s a dynamic offensive force that can take over a game at any moment.
-Gabriel Landeskog: Landeskog is the captain of the Avalanche and a very reliable two-way player. He’s great at both ends of the ice and is always one of the team’s leading scorers.
-Mikko Rantanen: Rantanen is another very talented offensive player. He’s a big body who is great at using his size to create space for himself and his teammates.
-Philipp Grubauer: Grubauer is the Avalanche’s starting goaltender and he’s been very good over the past few seasons. He has great reflexes and always gives his team a chance to win.
St. Louis Blues
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The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blues play their home games at the 19,150-seat Enterprise Center in downtown St. Louis. Enterprise Center is the second home arena of the Blues, with them previously playing at Scottrade Center from 1994 to 2018.
The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy blues song “Saint Louis Blues”. The franchise was founded in 1967 during the NHL’s original expansion from six to 12 teams, which increased the league’s footprint into Canada with the addition of six new franchises located in Vancouver, Buffalo, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Francisco; four of these were added to participate in the 1967 NHL expansion draft, while Los Angeles and San Francisco were added as a result of having applied for NHL franchises that were granted to them on February 9, 1966. St. Louis was one of two expansion teams specifically established to target former markets left vacant by previous relocations; after losing their previous franchise (the Minnesota North Stars), Saint Paul-Minneapolis was specifically targeted as a viable market for an NHL team due to its strong connection with Canadian cities Calgary and Edmonton via Alberta Highway 2—a route popularly used by many Minnesotans for weekend trips to watch Flames and Oilers games—as well as its successful college hockey programs at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State University. As a result, on June 5, 1967, then-NHL president Clarence Campbell announced that St. Louis had been awarded an expansion franchise that would begin play for the 1968–69 season.
Players to Watch
With the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs upon us, let’s take a look at some of the key players on the St. Louis Blues that could make a difference in whether or not they can defend their title and bring the Stanley Cup back to St. Louis for a second consecutive year.
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-Ryan O’Reilly: The Conn Smythe winner from last year’s playoffs had an incredible regular season, leading the team in both goals (28) and points (77). He’ll need to be at his best again if the Blues want to have any chance of making a deep run.
-Brayden Schenn: Schenn was second on the team in goals (26) and points (59) during the regular season and provides some much-needed secondary scoring behind O’Reilly. He also has a history of coming up big in the playoffs, scoring 21 goals and 47 points in 73 career postseason games.
-David Perron: The former first-round pick is always good for a few highlight-reel goals and is coming off a regular season in which he set career-highs with 27 goals and 68 points. He also has 13 goals and 34 points in 51 career playoff games.
defensemen
-Alex Pietrangelo: The Blues captain is one of the best defensemen in the league and he proved it again this season, scoring 15 goals and 54 points while averaging over 26 minutes of ice time per game. He’ll need to be at his best if the Blues want to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
-Colton Parayko: The towering defenseman is coming off a solid season in which he scored 10 goals and 37 points while averaging over 24 minutes of ice time per game. He’s also a physical presence who isn’t afraid to lay the body, which will be important against some of the more skilled teams in the playoffs.
