Sports

Stanley Cup 2022

The Colorado Avalanche got the Stanley Cup by winning the series 4-2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Defender Cale Makar won the MVP Trophy.

Colorado Avalanche

This was Colorado's third appearance in the Finals. They won their two prior appearances with their most recent against the New Jersey Devils in 2001. Mikko Rantanen led the team in points, scoring 92 overall. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper started 57 times for the Avalanche, obtaining 37 wins in the process. However, during Game 1 of their Conference Final series, Kuemper left the game with an upper-body injury. Backup goaltender Pavel Francouz finished the opening game after replacing Kuemper and started the remaining games of the series as a result. During the off-season, the Avalanche traded for Kuemper and forward Kurtis MacDermid. They also picked up free agent Darren Helm. They re-signed defenceman Cale Makar, captain Gabriel Landeskog, and Francouz. Nearing the trade deadline, the Avalanche acquired Josh Manson, Nico Sturm, Artturi Lehkonen, and Andrew Cogliano. The Avalanche finished the season with 119 points via a 56–19–7 record, grabbing the Central Division title and first place in the Western Conference. Colorado swept the Nashville Predators in four games during the First Round, then defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games during the Second Round, before sweeping the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final.

Tampa Bay Lightning

This was Tampa Bay's third consecutive Finals appearance and fifth overall. They won the prior (2020, 2021) two Stanley Cups and have won three in franchise history. They were the first team to clinch three consecutive Finals appearances since the 1983–1985 Edmonton Oilers. The Lightning joined the Montreal Canadiens (1976–1980) and New York Islanders (1980–1984) for becoming the only teams in league history to post at least eleven consecutive playoff series victories. Captain Steven Stamkos led the team in scoring with 106 points during the regular season. Defenceman Victor Hedman scored 85 points, eclipsing the previous Tampa Bay record for defenceman, which Hedman set in 2017. During the off-season, the Lightning signed goaltender Brian Elliott, defenceman Zach Bogosian, and forwards Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Corey Perry via free agency. They also opted to re-sign forwards Brayden Point and Ross Colton and defenceman Cal Foote with Patrick Maroon re-signing during the season. At the trade deadline, the Lightning acquired forwards Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul. For Corey Perry, this was his third straight Finals appearance with three different teams (Dallas Stars in 2020, Montreal Canadiens in 2021), the first player to accomplish this feat since Marian Hossa did it with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008, Detroit Red Wings in 2009, and Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. The Lightning finished third in the Atlantic Division gaining 110 points with a 51–23–8 record. Tampa Bay defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the First Round in seven games,followed by a four-game sweep of their intrastate rival, the Florida Panthers, during the Second Round, and then triumphed over the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final in six games.

Stanley Cup 2022 Celebrations

The 2022 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2021–22 season and the culmination of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series was between the Eastern Conference and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Western Conference champion Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche won the best-of-seven series, four games to two, for their third championship in franchise history. Colorado had home ice advantage in the series with the better regular season record. The series began on June 15, and concluded on June 26. With the Government of Canada allowing cross-border travel for fully vaccinated players and team personnel between Canada and the United States, the league was able to return to its usual two conference alignment and reinstate its standard playoff format that was used from 2014–2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Finals were still pushed from the usual start date in late May for the third consecutive year, this time due to a scheduled break in the regular season that coincided with the league's planned participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics, though the league's players ultimately did not participate in the Olympics. When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman tested positive for COVID-19, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly took over the presentation of the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Stanley Cup. This was the first time since 1992 that Gary Bettman did not give the presentation.