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A look back at the Red Wings’ 2002 Stanley Cup victory on its 23rd anniversary highlighting key moments a star-studded roster and a historic farewell to Scotty Bowman

June 13, 2025 — Today marks the 23rd anniversary of one of the most iconic nights in Detroit Red Wings history: their 2002 Stanley Cup Championship. That night, the Red Wings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena, hoisting the franchise’s 10th Stanley Cup, and solidifying their place as the team of the era.

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A Dynasty Solidified in Hockey History

The 2001–02 Red Wings were a powerhouse built for greatness with a loaded roster of Hall of Famers and future legends like captain Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Nicklas Lidström, Sergei Fedorov, Chris Chelios, Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull, Dominik Hasek, and the legendary Igor Larionov, just to name a few.

Coached by arguably the greatest head coach in the sport's history, Scotty Bowman, in what would be his final season behind the bench.  

Game 5

The Cup-clinching game took place on June 13, 2002, with the Red Wings entering up 3-1 in the series. The Stanley Cup was in attendance and Detroit wasted no time imposing their will.

Goals from Shanahan and winger Tomas Holmstrom powered the Wings to a 3–1 victory over the Hurricanes. The final moments were deafening as the sold-out Joe Louis Arena erupted in celebration, knowing the Cup was staying in Hockeytown.

Yzerman was handed the cup for the third time in his career and was his proudest win yet as he was battling a severe knee injury throughout the playoffs.

He went on to hand of the cup to coach Scotty Bowman, who took a legendary victory lap on skates, giving him the send-off he deserve. It was Bowman’s ninth Stanley Cup as a head coach, breaking his tie with Toe Blake and cementing his legacy.

Conn Smythe Winner

The 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy was awarded to Nicklas Lidström, making history as the first European-trained player to win the award. Lidström was outstanding throughout the playoffs, logging heavy minutes and putting up 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 23 games.

His surgical style of play anchored Detroit’s blueline and shut down the Hurricanes' every opportunity in the brief five-game series.

Moments from the 2002 Playoff Run

• Game 3, Round 1 vs. Vancouver Canucks – Down 0–2 in the series, Nicklas Lidström scored from center ice on Dan Cloutier to swing the momentum. Detroit would rattle off four straight wins to take the series.
• Game 7, Round 2 vs. St. Louis Blues – Dominik Hasek showed why he was nicknamed “The Dominator” after shutting out the Blues in a must-win game.
• Game 3, Stanley Cup Final vs. Carolina – Igor Larionov scored the triple-overtime winner, making him the oldest player to score a Stanley Cup Final overtime goal at age 41.

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While it was a given after he had won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie for the 2024-25 season, Montreal Canadiens’ blueliner Lane Hutson was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team on Thursday night.

One hundred eighty-seven members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association were asked to vote for the All-Rookie team, and three of the selections were unanimous: Hutson and his fellow Calder finalists, the Calgary Flames’ goaltender Dustin Wolf, and the San Jose Sharks’ forward Macklin Celebrini.

Philadelphia Flyers Russian wonder Matvei Michkov was a near-unanimous selection, receiving 186 votes, while the final forward, Anaheim Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier, received just 79 votes. As for the second defenseman, the honour was given to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Denton Mateychuk, who received 95 votes.

The last time a Canadiens player was named to the All-Rookie Team was in the 2019-20 season, when Nick Suzuki was honoured alongside Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Elvis Merzlikins, Victor Olofsson, and Dominik Kubalik. Before then, it was alternate captain Brendan Gallagher, back in 2012-13, on a team that also featured Jonathan Huberdeau, Brandon Saad, Jonas Brodin, Justin Schultz, and former Hab goaltender Jake Allen.

The last Canadiens blueliner to be named to the All-Rookie Team was P.K. Subban in 2010-11, who was joined by Logan Couture, Corey Crawford, John Carlson, Jeff Skinner, and Michael Grabner.

The NHL began naming an All-Rookie Team in 1982-83, and since then, 14 Canadiens players have received the honour. In three seasons, two players from the Habs made the team. In 1982-83, Mats Naslund and Dan Daoust; in 1984-85, Chris Chelios and Steve Penney; and in 1985-86, Patrik Roy and Kjell Dahlin.

Of the 14 Canadiens players named, only three were blueliners, including Hutson. There were also only three goaltenders (Carey Price being the third), and the remaining eight players were forwards (Gallagher, Suzuki, Dhalin, Daoust, Naslund, Oleg Petrov, Michael Ryder and Gilbert Dionne).

Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will reportedly be one of the teams vying for Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand's services if he hits the open market on July 1st.

According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, the door isn't closed on the 37-year-old returning to Florida after a successful playoff campaign this year, where he's scored eight goals and 10 assists in 21 games.

However, with the Panthers having two other pending unrestricted free agents, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad, Marchand is more likely to hit the open market.

"I think he’s going to get three or four years and easily north of $8 million a year," LeBrun wrote.

"And yes, as others have wondered, I do believe the Toronto Maple Leafs will be among the possibilities for Marchand. I mean, he mentioned during the second-round series with Toronto that he grew up a Leafs fan. But to be clear, there are multiple teams in play for Marchand if and when he hits the market."

After Toronto's disastrous Game 7 loss to the Panthers on home ice, if you somehow missed it, Marchand admitted his fandom of the Maple Leafs growing up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. That comment tilted fans' heads a bit, especially with being a lifelong Bruin up to this year.

Though it's not the first time he's acknowledged it.

Data Suggests Veterans Outperform in NHL Playoffs—Should the Maple Leafs Follow the Trend?The 2025 Stanley Cup Final has served as a stark reminder: experience, that intangible quality often dismissed for youthful exuberance, can be a decisive weapon in the grind of playoff hockey. From Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand's tenacious performance to 40-year-old Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry, veteran players are not just participating—they're driving their teams. This raises a critical question for NHL general managers, particularly those like the Toronto Maple Leafs—perpetually searching for the missing piece: Should teams pay a premium for veteran players, banking on their experience to translate into playoff success?

Before Toronto and Boston's first-round series last year, Marchand confessed he grew up a fan of the blue and white.

"No, they were my favorite team growing up," Marchand said when asked after practice if he'd ever gotten tired of hearing about the Maple Leafs growing up on the East Coast of Canada, via Boston Hockey Now.

"So I didn’t get tired of it; it was fun to watch them. Even today, they have a lot of their alumni walking around the building, guys that I admired growing up. So seeing them in the arena is special as well. I’m still a huge fan of the game and to see those guys makes it so much fun."

Now, if he was to join Toronto during free agency, how would that work?

With several of the Maple Leafs' forwards coming off the books, including Mitch Marner and John Tavares, plus pending restricted free agent Matthew Knies, who needs a new deal, Toronto has just over $25.7 million in cap space to play with, according to PuckPedia.

Let's say Marner leaves Toronto, which is reportedly likely to happen, and Tavares signs at a $5 million annual average value, with Knies signing at $7.5 million per year. That leaves the Maple Leafs with $13.2 million in money left in the bank.

Should The Maple Leafs Pursue Brad Marchand In Free Agency? How Much Is Too Much To Pay?Brad Marchand is once again proving why he's one of the NHL's ultimate premier playoff performers. As an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, the question must be asked: Should the Maple Leafs aggressively pursue the veteran player who consistently performs well against them?

It'll be possible for Toronto to take a swing at Marchand, who again, could command north of an $8 million AAV on a three or four-year deal, per LeBrun. If the Maple Leafs went that route, they'd be left with $5.2 million to sign the rest of their depth, including Max Pacioretty, who's reportedly interested in a return.

However, that doesn't include the Maple Leafs' need for a second-line center in the offseason, if Tavares shifts to a bottom-six center role or begins playing on the wing.  All this to say, it's possible Toronto signs Marchand in free agency, but would it make sense?

The veteran winger has two overtime-winning goals in these playoffs. Combine that with the fact that he's just outside the top 10 in playoff scoring and sixth among Panthers players, and there's a good argument for Toronto to sign him.

What's The Ideal Contract For Matthew Knies And The Maple Leafs?When the Toronto Maple Leafs plucked Matthew Knies out of the second round (57th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, his potential was unknown.

But there's always risk with signing a player entering the late stages of their career, especially with a Marchand contract potentially expiring after his 40th birthday. Still, you can't deny that he's a playoff performer, and Toronto needs more of that throughout their lineup.

Either way, it's trending to be a fascinating free agency period for the Maple Leafs. What will Knies and Tavares' AAV come in at? Will Marner see what's out there in free agency and circle around? Should Toronto really add Marchand?

Those will all be questions Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving and his staff are likely mulling over as I write this, with under three weeks remaining until free agency opens up.

Are we witnessing one of the best Stanley Cup Final of all time?

Through four games, it sure feels like it.

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers have played four games that have each felt like their own mini-novellas.

Considering how talented and tightly matched both the teams are proving to be, it comes as no surprise that we’re heading back to Edmonton with the series locked at two games apiece.

Let’s get to the Game 4 takeaways:

DIFFERENT, BUT THE SAME

The first period and the second period of Game 4 were quite similar in a lot of ways.

Both saw one of the teams control play for much of the frame, and each period saw one club outscore the other by three goals.

Penalties also played a large role.

Florida was given three consecutive power plays during the first period, two of which they scored on, before the Oilers had their own opportunity with back-to-back power plays when the second period arrived.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ goal 3:33 into the middle frame while on the man advantage started a massive momentum shift in Edmonton’s favor.

Things finally evened out during the final 20 minutes, but by then there was so little time left, the margin for error had all but vanished and both teams were fighting like the next goal would be the last.

“(The second period) was just a mirror of the first period,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “They got into a little penalty trouble there, and we took advantage of it, and the second period was just the opposite. I think we were plus-three on the power play side early and minus-three on the power play side in the second half, and then we came out and even tight games, right? Both teams had some chances there, cracked some bars and had some chances that didn't go, and it's a bad break on the overtime winner. So three of the four games have gone to overtime, and I think that's probably the expectation of what we have going forward.”

SOME GREAT GOALTENDING

This year’s Stanley Cup Final has seen plenty of goals scored.

The Panthers and Oilers have combined to put 32 pucks in the net during the first four games of the series.

Both teams have struggled at times defensively, which is to be expected when two high-powered teams like Florida and Edmonton are going at it.

From the outside looking in, it would be easy to point to all the offense and assume the goaltending has not been anything to write home about.

Those who have been paying attention know that if not for some outstanding saves on both sides, we could have seen some pretty ridiculous scores so far in this series.

“From my point of view, there's been phenomenal goaltending in this series,” said Maurice. “The numbers tell me I’m lying, the final score says I'm lying, but the goaltending has been incredible, because the game can break on a slot pass to Sam Bennett (and he) cracks a (crossbar). Everything is dangerous all the time, so there's a mental intensity, a mental toughness I think both teams show. The game's not going to be over till it is. You get three of four games in a final into overtime, you’ve get two really good, evenly matched teams.”

EXPECTED A LONG SERIES

Before the Final began, you would’ve been hard pressed to find anyone who felt this series would be a quick one.

A matchup between powerhouse teams like Edmonton and Florida was going to provide some fireworks, but the history between them has added some incredible drama and intrigue.

Considering three of the four games we’ve seen so far have gone to overtime, it’s pretty clear we’re seeing two very evenly matched teams.

The entertainment value of the Stanley Cup Final has been as high as any in recent memory, and there’s no reason to think that’s going to stop as we get into the latter stages of the series.

“If you plan for seven games, it means you’re losing three of them,” Maurice said after Game 4. “You have to take that pain, eat it and use it to come back.”

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Photo caption: Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) defends against Edmonton Oilers right wing Corey Perry (90)during the third period in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)