The 1961 Stanley Cup Finals were played between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks. The Black Hawks would win the best-of-seven series four games to two to win their third Stanley Cup, their first since 1938. As of 2009, this is the most recent Black Hawks Cup championship.

Two of the most notable athletes in Chicago sports history, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita made their first Stanley Cup appearances. Hull scored two in the first game including the winner, and Mikita scored the winner in game five.

Read the rest of this entry »

The 1993 Stanley Cup Finals was played between the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens to decide the NHL championship. The Canadiens won the series 4-1 to win the team’s twenty-fourth Stanley Cup. 1993 was the 100th anniversary of the first awarding of the Stanley Cup.

This would be the last Stanley Cup finals series to be played in the Montreal Forum, and the last time Wayne Gretzky would play in the finals as well. It was Montreal’s first trip to the finals in four years, while it was the first-ever trip to the finals for the Kings in their 26-year history. As of 2008, this is the most recent time that a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup Championship. It is also (to date) the last time the Canadiens have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. With the Canadiens winning, Gretzky failed to become the first Stanley Cup captain on two teams (Mark Messier would be successful in that attempt the following year).

Read the rest of this entry »