CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks waited 77 years to win the Stanley Cup on home ice. They had to wait a little bit longer to celebrate with the actual trophy though.
Playoff MVP Duncan Keith scored and Patrick Kane added an insurance goal on Monday night as the Blackhawks shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 in Game 6 of the NHL championship series. But when the final buzzer sounded, the Stanley Cup itself was not yet in the United Center.
Instead, severe rainstorms left many streets in Chicago flooded and traffic snarled throughout the city, preventing the historic trophy from getting to the arena on time.
With the game winding down and the Blackhawks closing in on their third championship in six seasons, a police escort had to be assigned to help the Cup arrive on the ice.
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Even still, the crowd grew restless waiting for the Stanley Cup as the team celebrated on the ice.
Although the Blackhawks have now won six Stanley Cups in franchise history, the last time they won in Chicago was 1938.
Ironically, the Stanley Cup was also not in Chicago in 1938.
The Blackhawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs three games to one in that best-of-five series. However, the NHL did not expect Chicago to win the clinching Game 4, instead opting to keep the Cup in Toronto since the Maple Leafs would presumably force a decisive Game 5.
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