The Colorado Avalanche won their first
Stanley Cup title since 2001 and only their third in the franchise's history. Cale Makar was awarded
the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Plus, the Stanley Cup was damaged during a celebration, but a parade is still scheduled in Denver.
The Colorado Avalanche win Stanley Cup
For the third time in
franchise history and their first time in 21 years, the Colorado Avalanche
has won the Stanley Cup in a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6.
The Avs were leading the series 3-1 as the mayor of Denver declared "Burgundy & Blue Friday," with the team hoping to clinch the cup in the fifth game. But the Lightning struck back, forcing a game six in Tampa on Sunday.
An early turnover by Makar put the Avalanche down 1-0. But the team came back to tie it as MacKinnon beat 2021 playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy with a near-perfect shot, Sports Illustrated reported. Then trade deadline acquisition Artturi Lehkonen scored the go-ahead goal for the Avs. From then on, the avalanche kept a lock on the puck, and goalie Darcy Kuemper, acquired from Arizona in a trade last summer, prevented the lightning from coming back. Kuemper made a huge save with under seven minutes left, denying skilled winger Nikita Kucherov.
Stanley Cup damaged during celebration
Only five minutes into the post-game celebration, the overly-enthusiastic members of the Colorado Avalanche left their mark on the Stanley Cup – literally. The team accidentally dented the iconic trophy, TMZ reported. The accident happened, captured here on video, when Nicolas Aube-Kubel was skating toward the team with the trophy and tripped while turning his skates sideways to slow down.
Makar awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, 9 News Denver reported. Makar, 23, also won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman during the regular season.
Makar was the top producer during the series, leading the avalanche with 29 points in 20 games, skating an average of 27 minutes per game.
Celebration parade on Thursday, June 30
The city of Denver will host a celebratory parade in honor of the Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Championship on Thursday, June 30. The parade will pass through downtown toward a championship rally at Civic Center Park. Both events will be free and open to the public, the Denver Channel reported.