2002 Stanley Cup Finals
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Stanley Cup Finals was contested by the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings
and the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes
, making their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Detroit defeated Carolina in five games to win their tenth Stanley Cup
championship. The Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to win the Cup after starting the playoffs with two losses at home. After losing the first two games in the Conference Quarterfinals to the Vancouver Canucks, the Red Wings then won 16 of their next 21 games en route to win their third Cup for coach Scotty Bowman. Bowman's win, his ninth, established a new coaching record, surpassing the mark he held with Montreal coach Toe Blake
.
4–2, the Montreal Canadiens
4–2 and the Toronto Maple Leafs
4–2 to advance to the Finals.
Detroit defeated the Vancouver Canucks
4–2, the St. Louis Blues 4–1 and the Colorado Avalanche
4–3.
), who made an unlikely run
to the Cup. While they were seeded third as a division winner, in actuality they had the second-lowest point total (91) for a playoff team not only in the Eastern Conference, but also the whole NHL. In their whole NHL history, they had only won one playoff series prior to this season (as the Whalers), and had streaks of 5 and 6 seasons in which they did not make the playoffs. With the Red Wings having won the Presidents' Trophy
with 116 points, the 25 point was the largest point differential between two teams in a Stanley Cup Finals since (27 points between New York Rangers
(112) and the Canucks (85)).
The Hurricanes stunned the Red Wings in Game 1 of the Finals on the strength of Ron Francis's overtime goal. That would be Carolina's only win in the series as the Red Wings won four straight including a triple overtime win in game three that proved to be the turning point in the series. The Cup win would be the first for many veterans on the team including goaltender Dominik Hasek, forward Luc Robitaille
, as well as defensemen Steve Duchesne and Fredrik Olausson. It also marked the second Cup win for Chris Chelios, 16 years after he first won the Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in .
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
and the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
, making their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Detroit defeated Carolina in five games to win their tenth Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
championship. The Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to win the Cup after starting the playoffs with two losses at home. After losing the first two games in the Conference Quarterfinals to the Vancouver Canucks, the Red Wings then won 16 of their next 21 games en route to win their third Cup for coach Scotty Bowman. Bowman's win, his ninth, established a new coaching record, surpassing the mark he held with Montreal coach Toe Blake
Toe Blake
Hector "Toe" Blake, CM was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League .-Nickname:His nickname came out of his childhood for his younger sister was unable to pronounce his name...
.
Paths to the Finals
Carolina defeated the New Jersey DevilsNew Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
4–2, the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
4–2 and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
4–2 to advance to the Finals.
Detroit defeated the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
4–2, the St. Louis Blues 4–1 and the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
4–3.
The series
This was the first appearance in the Cup Finals for the Hurricanes (formerly the Hartford WhalersHartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
), who made an unlikely run
Cinderella (sports)
In American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament or career than originally anticipated. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the...
to the Cup. While they were seeded third as a division winner, in actuality they had the second-lowest point total (91) for a playoff team not only in the Eastern Conference, but also the whole NHL. In their whole NHL history, they had only won one playoff series prior to this season (as the Whalers), and had streaks of 5 and 6 seasons in which they did not make the playoffs. With the Red Wings having won the Presidents' Trophy
Presidents' Trophy
The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. If two teams tie for the most points, then the trophy goes to the team with the most wins. The winning team is also awarded C$350,000...
with 116 points, the 25 point was the largest point differential between two teams in a Stanley Cup Finals since (27 points between New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
(112) and the Canucks (85)).
The Hurricanes stunned the Red Wings in Game 1 of the Finals on the strength of Ron Francis's overtime goal. That would be Carolina's only win in the series as the Red Wings won four straight including a triple overtime win in game three that proved to be the turning point in the series. The Cup win would be the first for many veterans on the team including goaltender Dominik Hasek, forward Luc Robitaille
Luc Robitaille
Luc Robitaille is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. During his 19-season National Hockey League career, Robitaille won a Stanley Cup in 2001–02 with the Detroit Red Wings, and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, but is most known for his fourteen seasons,...
, as well as defensemen Steve Duchesne and Fredrik Olausson. It also marked the second Cup win for Chris Chelios, 16 years after he first won the Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in .
Game one
Game one summary- First period:
- Scoring:
- 1. DETROIT FEDOROV (YZERMAN) 15:21 (PPG)
- Penalties:
- Hedican (Car) (high-sticking) 8:03, Robitaille (Det) (tripping) 10:28, Hill (Car) (tripping) 11:15, Wesley (Car) (interference) 15:03.
- Scoring:
- Second period:
- Scoring:
- 2. CAROLINA HILL (KAPANEN, FRANCIS) 3:30 (PPG)
- 3. DETROIT MALTBY (McCARTY) 10:39
- 4. CAROLINA O’NEILL (WARD) 19:10
- Penalties:
- Carolina bench (too many men) 0:34, Larionov (Det) (high-sticking) 2:07, Draper (Det) (hooking) 2:44, Svoboda (Car) (high-sticking) 4:28, Wallin (Car) (roughing) 7:41, Dandenault (Det) (tripping) 12:12.
- Scoring:
- Third period:
- Scoring: None
- Penalties:
- Devereaux (Det) (holding the stick) 5:49, Larionov (Det) (high-sticking) 12:17, Cole (Car) (hooking) 18:19.
- First overtime:
- Scoring:
- 5. CAROLINA FRANCIS (O’NEILL, KAPANEN) 0:58 (GWG)
- Penalties:
- None
- Scoring:
- Goalie statistics:
- Carolina: Arturs IrbeArturs IrbeArtūrs Irbe is a former Soviet and Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender. He has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets. He served as the goaltending coach for the Washington Capitals...
— 23 saves / 25 shots - Detroit: Dominik HasekDominik HašekDominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...
— 23 saves / 26 shots
- Carolina: Arturs Irbe
- Shots by period:
Team 1 2 3 1OT T Carolina 7 13 5 1 26 Detroit 8 12 5 0 25
Game two
Game two summary- First period:
- Scoring:
- 1. DETROIT MALTBY (DRAPER, SCHOTT) 6:33 (SHG)
- 2. CAROLINA BRIND’AMOUR (unassisted) 14:47 (SHG)
- Penalties:
- Draper (Det) (boarding) 1:25, Duchesne (Det) (holding) 5:21, Hill (Car) (slashing) 6:33, Svoboda (Car) (roughing) 14:03, Hill (Car) (holding) 16:23.
- Scoring:
- Second period:
- Scoring: No scoring
- Penalties:
- Battaglia (Car) (holding) 1:05, Duchesne (Det) (tripping) 3:55, Detroit bench (too many men) 7:23, Gelinas (Car) (interference) 10:10, Ward (Car) (holding) 18:03.
- Third period:
- Scoring:
- 3. DETROIT LIDSTROM (FEDOROV, YZERMAN) 14:52 (PPG,GWG)
- 4. DETROIT DRAPER (LIDSTROM, OLAUSSON) 15:05
- Scoring:
-
- Penalties:
- Fischer (Det) (high-sticking) 9:38, Gelinas (Car) (slashing) 14:00, Fischer (Det) (slashing) 17:15, Battaglia (Car) (charging) 17:45, Brind’Amour (Car), Cole (Car), McCarty (Det), Maltby (Det), Chelios (Det) (roughing) 19:33, Hull (Det) (tripping) 19:41.
- Penalties:
- Goalie statistics:
- Carolina: Arturs IrbeArturs IrbeArtūrs Irbe is a former Soviet and Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender. He has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets. He served as the goaltending coach for the Washington Capitals...
— 27 saves / 30 shots - Detroit: Dominik HasekDominik HašekDominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...
— 16 saves / 17 shots
- Carolina: Arturs Irbe
- Shots by period:
Team 1 2 3 T Carolina 7 4 6 17 Detroit 9 8 13 30
Game three
Game three summary- First period:
- Scoring:
- 1. CAROLINA VASICEK (GELINAS, WESLEY) 14:49
- Penalties:
- Brind’Amour (Car) (holding the stick) 1:45, Hedican (Car) (boarding) 3:32, O’Neill (Car) (boarding) 11:34, Lidstrom (Det) (tripping) 12:30, Devereaux (Det) (slashing) 19:15.
- Scoring:
- Second period:
- Scoring:
- 2. DETROIT LARIONOV (HULL) 5:33
- Penalties:
- Maltby (Det), Ward (Car) (unsportsmanlike conduct) 5:13, Chelios (Det) (interference) 8:12, Fedorov (Det), Hill (Car) (holding) 19:44.
- Scoring:
- Third period:
- Scoring:
- 3. CAROLINA O’NEILL (FRANCIS) 7:34
- 4. DETROIT HULL (LIDSTROM, FEDOROV) 18:46
- Scoring:
-
- Penalties:
- Shanahan (Det), Vasicek (Car) (roughing) 5:25, Duchesne (Det) (holding) 9:58, Shanahan (Det), Hill (Car) (roughing) 19:01.
- Penalties:
- First overtime:
- Scoring: No scoring.
- Penalties:
- Duchesne (Det), Svoboda (Car) (roughing) 18:23.
- Second overtime:
- Scoring: No scoring.
- Penalties:
- Cole (Car) (holding the stick) 8:35, Olausson (Det) (holding) 13:25.
- Third overtime:
- Scoring:
- 5. DETROIT LARIONOV (HOLMSTROM, DUCHESNE) 14:47 (GWG)
- Penalties:
- None.
- Scoring:
- Goalie statistics:
- Detroit: Dominik HasekDominik HašekDominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...
— 41 saves / 43 shots - Carolina: Arturs IrbeArturs IrbeArtūrs Irbe is a former Soviet and Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender. He has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets. He served as the goaltending coach for the Washington Capitals...
— 50 saves / 53 shots
- Detroit: Dominik Hasek
- Shots by period:
Team 1 2 3 1OT 2OT 3OT T Detroit 6 7 16 11 6 7 53 Carolina 8 6 7 5 8 9 43
Game four
Game four summary- First period:
- Scoring: No scoring.
- Penalties:
- Wesley (Car) (hooking) 2:05, Fedorov (Det) (high-sticking), Cole (Car) (goaltender interference) 16:54.
- Second period:
- Scoring:
- 1. DETROIT HULL (DEVEREAUX, OLAUSSON) 6:32 (GWG)
- Penalties:
- Robitaille (Det) (high-sticking) 9:06, Duchesne (Det) (holding the stick) 14:34.
- Scoring:
- Third period:
- Scoring:
- 2. DETROIT LARIONOV (FISCHER, ROBITAILLE) 3:43
- 3. DETROIT SHANAHAN (FEDOROV, CHELIOS) 14:43
- Scoring:
-
- Penalties:
- Hill (Car) (boarding) 8:34.
- Penalties:
- Goalie statistics:
- Detroit: Dominik HasekDominik HašekDominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...
— 17 saves / 17 shots - Carolina: Arturs IrbeArturs IrbeArtūrs Irbe is a former Soviet and Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender. He has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets. He served as the goaltending coach for the Washington Capitals...
— 24 saves / 27 shots
- Detroit: Dominik Hasek
- Shots by period:
Team 1 2 3 T Detroit 10 6 11 27 Carolina 6 7 4 17
Game five
Game five summary- First period:
- Scoring: No scoring.
- Penalties:
- Carolina bench (too many men) 12:09.
- Second period:
- Scoring:
- 1. DETROIT HOLMSTROM (LARIONOV, CHELIOS) 4:07
- 2. DETROIT SHANAHAN (FEDOROV, YZERMAN) 14:04 (PPG,GWG)
- 3. CAROLINA O’NEILL (HILL, WESLEY) 18:50 (PPG)
- Penalties:
- Slegr (Det) (holding) 6:00, Svoboda (Car) (roughing) 13:34, Cole (Car) (roughing) 16:15, Shanahan (Det) (hooking) 16:53.
- Scoring:
- Third period:
- Scoring:
- 4. DETROIT SHANAHAN (YZERMAN) 19:15 (EN)
- Penalties:
- Fedorov (Det) (cross-checking) 5:23, Vasicek (Car) (interference) 8:12.
- Scoring:
- Goalie statistics:
- Carolina: Arturs IrbeArturs IrbeArtūrs Irbe is a former Soviet and Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender. He has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets. He served as the goaltending coach for the Washington Capitals...
— 24 saves / 26 shots - Detroit: Dominik HasekDominik HašekDominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...
— 16 saves / 17 shots
- Carolina: Arturs Irbe
- Shots by period:
Team 1 2 3 T Carolina 5 7 1 17 Detroit 12 8 7 27