The NHL’s final four — featuring all four of the previous four Stanley Cup champions — saw an unlikely fight winner, a ridiculous drought, and a silly-good streak get snapped.
4 of the final 4 teams that have won a Stanley Cup in the last 4 years
1945 the last year the final four teams featured the previous four Cup champions
56 players on the four conference-final clubs who have their name engraved on the Stanley Cup (19 Kings, 18 Bruins, 11 Penguins, eight Blackhawks)
16 months, to the day, that the Pittsburgh Penguins had gone without being shutout, a streak snapped by the Bruins’ 3-0 Game 1 victory
71.8% voters on hockeyfights.com who believe Evgeni Malkin won his unlikely Game 1 fight against Patrice Bergeron:
2 NHL fights, combined, in which Bergeron and Malkin had been involved (one apiece) prior to Game 1’s tilt
100% fights involving Bergeron and/or Malkin that have occurred during the playoffs
17-2 margin by which the Blackhawks outshot the Kings in the first period of Game 1
1-0 margin by which the Kings outscored the Blackhawks in the first period of Game 1
7 consecutive postseason losses by the Los Angeles Kings by the precise score of 2-1, a streak snapped by Game 2’s 4-2 loss in Chicago
34 consecutive postseason games the L.A. Kings did not allow more than three goals, a streak snapped by Game 2’s 4-2 loss
41 consecutive postseason starts by Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick without being pulled, a streak snapped during Game 2’s 4-2 loss; Quick’s last yanking occurred April 23, 2010, against the Vancouver Canucks
0 penalty minutes assessed to Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford for headlocking Kyle Clifford
1 jawing session between captains Sidney Crosby (5’11”) and Zdeno Chara (6’9″)
(photoshop via paulsalvucci.com)
30 years since a visiting team scored four or more goals in the opening period of a conference final or Cup final game, as the Bruins did in Game 2
3 goals yielded by by the Bruins’ final 3 shots in that period
Two last name of “Owen,” the Simpsons-style fictional character created as part of this prank by a Bruins fan who called up a Pittsburgh sports bar after Game 2:
4 game-winning goals scored by the Kings’ Slava Voynov in these playoffs, tying an NHL record for defencemen
60 seconds Bruins forward Gregory Campbell played after suffering a broken leg during a penalty kill in Game 3
20 (or 21, he’s not certain) stitches Kings forward Jeff Carter needed to mend a gash in his mouth opened up by a Duncan Keith slash
$600,000 2012-13 salary for Chicago’s Bryan Bickell
8 playoff goals for Bickell, a free agent on July 5
9 playoff goals Bickell would have if Patrick Kane didn’t steal one from him in Game 4:
4 combined road wins of the Blackhawks and Kings this postseason
75 consecutive days the Kings had gone undefeated at Staples Center until they lost Game 4 to the ‘Hawks
10 straight playoff series won by the Blackhawks when they have home-ice advantage
6 games Kings captain Dustin Brown played with a torn PCL, after suffering the injury in Game 6 of the previous series against the Sharks
-1 Blackhawks’ plus/minus while killing penalties; they have a league-best 94.8% success rate through a league-high 10 games played
100% of the 2013’s 14 playoff series to include at least one overtime game, something that has never been seen since the best-of-seven format was introduced in 1987
3 consecutive Stanley Cup champions to be eliminated by an overtime loss
21 years since Jaromir Jagr has played in a Stanley Cup final
1979 last year the Penguins were swept in a series; they lost in the quarterfinals that season, to the Bruins
108 games since the Penguins lost four in a row
134 saves Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask allowed this series on 136 shots
0 seconds the Bruins trailed at any point during the series
0 times since they were drafted, prior to the Bruins series, that Evegni Malkin and Sidney Crosby were both held pointless in three consecutive games; they were held pointless in all four games this series
0 nuts contained in the “Sydney Crosby” burger, available in Harvard Square