PHILADELPHIA , Pa – On the morning of Game Six the Stanley Cup was delivered to Philadelphia. It was there because the Chicago Blackhawks were one game away from ending their Stanley Cup dry spell. After the Flyers won Game Six in front of a rabid home crowd, the Cup and its handlers made the flight back to Chicago for Game 7 on Friday, June 11. The Stanley Cup was indeed awarded on that evening, but it went to a jubilant Flyers club while the stunned home crowd watched in silence. Breaking the silence was the triumphant shouts of the Flyers players who one by one took their turn to skate the Cup. Somewhere in the ethers Pete Muldoon was smiling.
So how did it come to pass the Flyers won the last two games of the season? It started the day before the game when Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette met with the media. Laviolette’s confidence was there for all to see when he answered questions about his goaltending and who would start Game Six.
When asked who would start Laviolette posed a question of his own to the reporters, “ do you know who is starting in the net for Chicago? Did they announce that yet?” While many took the coach’s remarks as a defense of Michael Leighton, the Flyers netminder, those who did failed to realize Chicago’s starting goaltender, Antti Niemi wasn’t setting any world records in goal either. Through the first five games of the finals Niemi’s key stats were a 3.73 goals against average and a save percentage of .877%.
Our goaltender has the best numbers in the playoffs, I didn’t think I’d have to announce it,” said Laviolette. “I’m very confident in Michael. He’s played excellent in the playoffs, especially at home. His numbers are terrific.”
Privately Laviolette was telling Leighton there were only a few goals here and there the netminder could have improved upon. Several goals, most noticeably with Chris Pronger on the ice, were scored when the puck deflected off a Flyers defender. To that end heading into Game Six Laviolette told his defenders to trust Leighton and only to block shots if they were sure they could stop them completely.
Laviolette also pointed out Pittsburgh was in the same situation last year and then won the series. “I look at the situation,” said Laviolette. “I think part of coaching is trying to motivate and get your team to believe in things, and there’s no question we talked about that situation.”
In Game Six the Philadelphia players responded to their coach. Backed by a full house of rabid Flyers fans the man acknowledged as one of the true leaders in the sport, Mike Richards, led off the scoring. Then a player not used to scoring stepped up as Lukas Krajicek put the Flyers up 2-0. Chicago pressed the Flyers and made a game out of it. Each club scored several more goals apiece, but the end result was Game Seven was now necessary. Chicago would host one more game.
Now it was Chicago’s head coach Joel Quenneville who was handling the goaltending questions. It was too late to change to backup Christobel Huet, it would be Niemi for better or for worse. The Flyers, with nothing to lose would come into the “Madhouse on Madison” and try to steal a Stanley Cup.
They would succeed. Both teams played tentatively at first, but the Flyers had been battering the Blackhawks defenders all series long and had gradually wore them down. Due to the beating and some nerves one of the Blackhawks defenseman took a penalty. Claude Giroux scored on the power play. Now feeling the weight of the season Niemi gave up a poor goal down low to Scott Hartnell after a tremendous pass by Daniel Briere. Chicago pressured the Flyers and it lead to a two-on-one by Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne which ended in a goal by Gagne.
Now it was Chicago’s turn. Jonathan Toews lit the lamp first. Dave Bolland followed. The Blackhawks pressed and pressed with Dustin Byfuglien jamming the front of the net. But Leighton rewarded Laviolette for his faith and turned away bid after bid. Yet Chicago tied it when Brent Seabrook evened the game when his precision shot went through a crowd which screened Leighton and into the Philadelphia goal.
In overtime the nation of Finland was represented. After a few minutes of up-and-down play Philadelphia’s Ville Leino beat his defender and then fellow countryman Niemi with a wicked wrist shot. In a radio call that would be played over and over in Finland, Flyers radio announcer Tim Saunders said the Flyers had fin(n)ished the Blackhawks and had capped the best playoffs in Stanley Cup history. The series was over and the Flyers had rallied from a deficit in the playoffs once again and were indeed a very unlikely Stanley Cup champion.
Laviolette’s steady demeanor and instructions made the difference. When it would have been easy for him to go with Brian Boucher in net the coach refused to take the easy way out. The repaid confidence in Leighton, a quick start in Game Six and a bruising forecheck all series long that finally broke the Blackhawks defenders were the differences.
Contact Tom.Schettino@prohockeynews.com
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