The Frenchman celebrates the Stanley Cup. Colorado pushed Tampa and the NHL won after 21 years

Colorado celebrates after twenty-one years and again with a Czech hockey player on the line-up. At the last triumph of “Lavin” in 2001, the striker Milan Hejduk and the defender Martin Škoula were present, this time the Frenchman can rejoice in the most valuable hockey trophy.

The Pilsen native caught only 27 minutes in the final series, yet he is only the third Czech goalkeeper to win the Stanley Cup after Dominic Hašek and Roman Turk. Despite less work in the finals, the Frenchman has a significant share in the triumph of Avalanche. In the playoffs, the team led to six wins and does not have a single defeat in the statistics.

“Greetings to all fans in the Czech Republic. Today we did it, we became Stanley Cup Champions. I can’t wait to bring the cup to the Czech Republic and we will enjoy it together,” said the Frenchman in a short video on social networks.

Darcy Kuemper, who took precedence over the Czech goalkeeper in the sixth final match, collected in the fourth minute, when he was overtaken by Steven Stamkos after Palát’s assistance. But that was all a 32-year-old Canadian allowed to the Tampa attackers. He scored 22 hits and, like the Frenchman, won the Stanley Cup for the first time.

Colorado decided in the second period, in which Nathan MacKinnon and Lehkonen turned the unfavorable score. MacKinnon equalized in the 22nd minute, when he first shot the moving Andrei Vasilevsky from the left circle for throwing. At 32:28, Lehkonen finished renumbering three to two with a gallows and confirmed that he was the scorer of important goals.

In the third part, the Avalanche hockey players kept their lead, released Tampa for only four shots, and returned the Stanley Cup to Denver after 21 years.

“More than twenty years of dreaming and wanting is over. Hard work has finally paid off after a few crazy years. General manager Joe Sakic has done a great job and put together a really good, balanced team. But it’s not just about the players, success belongs to the implementation team, wives and fans, “said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog immediately after the triumph.

Colorado hockey players in the elimination fights for a long time could not confirm the performance from the basic part and for twenty long years they could not go through the second round of the playoffs. Only this year did the team of coach Jared Bednar break the unfavorable series and continue the winning years of 1996 and 2001.

“It’s unbelievable how much work and effort guys like Erik Johnson, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen or Nathan MacKinnon have put into it. “I’m really proud of them,” said defender Cale Makar, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most useful playoff player.

After two winning seasons, Lightning were unable to take the final step this time and did not take the opportunity to become the first team to win three titles in a row in the era of salary caps. “Our series is over, but I believe it’s not the end of our story. Even though we didn’t win today, I’m really proud of the boys. They’re fighters who managed to deal with a few injuries and made it to the finals. The result is devastating, but for me it was an honor to lead these players, “praised Tampa coach Jon Cooper.

Jan Rutta and Palát, who personally experienced the most successful playoffs in their careers, also had to absorb the loss. Defender Rutta moved his point maximum to five per goal and four assists. Palát got over twenty points (11 + 10) for the first time and closed the elite ten in the productivity table.

He shared third place among the shooters and significantly shifted in the historical statistics of Czech hockey players. The native from Frýdek-Místek has already collected 96 points in the elimination fights and finished fourth for Jaromír Jágr (201), Patrik Eliáš (125) and David Krejčí (124).

Stanley Cup Final – Match 6:

Tampa Bay Lightning – Colorado Avalanche 1:2 (1:0, 0:2, 0:0)

Goals and recordings: 4. Stamkos (Palát) – 22. MacKinnon (Byram, Landeskog), 33. Lehkonen (MacKinnon, Manson). Judges: Sutherland, Dwyer – Barton, Daisy. Exclusion: 1: 1. No use. Shots on goal: 23:30. Attendance: 19,092. Match stars: 1. MacKinnon, 2. Lehkonen (both Colorado), 3. Stamkos (Tampa Bay). Final score of the series: 2: 4.

Tampa Bay: Vasilevsky – Rutta, Hedman, Cernak, McDonagh, Bogosian, Sergachov – Kucherov, Stamkos, Palat – Killorn, Cirelli, Hagel – Perry, Paul, Colton – Nash, Bellemare, Maroon. Coach: Cooper.

Colorado: Kuemper – Makar, Toews, Manson, J. Johnson, E. Johnson, Byram – Rantanen, MacKinnon, Lehkonen – Nichushkin, Kadri, Landeskog – L. O’Connor, Compher, Newhook – Sturm, Cogliano, Helm.Trainer: Bednar.