2008 Stanley Cup Final

2008 ice hockey championship series November 2012 2008 2008StanleyCupFinals.png Detroit Red Wings 4 3 2 2 3*** 3 4 Nicklas Lidstrom Mike Babcock Pittsburgh Penguins 0 0 3 1 4*** 2 2 Michel Therrien Sidney Crosby Detroit Pittsburgh * – Denotes overtime period(s) Paul Devorski (1, 3, 5)Dan O'Halloran (1, 3, 5)Marc Joannette (2, 4, 6)Brad Watson (2, 4 ,6) May 24 – June 4, 2008 Detroit: Joe Louis Arena (1, 2, 5) Pittsburgh: Mellon Arena (3, 4, 6) Karen Newman Jeff Jimerson Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings) Henrik Zetterberg (7:36, third) Red Wings:Chris Chelios (2013; did not play)Pavel Datsyuk (2024)Dominik Hasek (2014; did not play)Nicklas Lidstrom (2015)Penguins:Marian Hossa (2020) Canada:(English): CBC(French): RDSUnited States:(English): Versus (1–2), NBC (3–6) (CBC) Bob Cole and Greg MillenHouston William https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/broadcasters-piecing-together-on-air-rosters/article17986492/ Broadcasters piecing together on-air rosters The Globe and Mail May 21, 2008 May 21, 2008Houston William https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/cbc-delighted-with-stanley-cup-dream-series/article17986771/ CBC delighted with Stanley Cup 'dream series' The Globe and Mail May 24, 2008 May 24, 2008(RDS) Pierre Houde and Yvon Pedneault(Versus/NBC) Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk(NHL International) Dave Strader and Joe Micheletti The 2008 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2007–08 season, and the culmination of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins. This was Detroit's 23rd appearance in the Finals, and its first since winning the Cup in 2002. This was Pittsburgh's third appearance in the Finals, and its first since winning consecutive Cup championships in 1991 and 1992. The Red Wings defeated the Penguins in six games to win their eleventh Stanley Cup title. Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. Detroit Red Wings win Stanley Cup https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/detroit-red-wings-win-stanley-cup-1.700492 CBC June 4, 2008 June 4, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080605135525/http://www.cbc.ca/sportsnews/story/2008/06/04/det-pit-six.html June 5, 2008 live As of , this is the most recent major professional sports championship won by a Detroit-based team. This was also the first Cup Finals between two United States–based NHL teams since 2003, and the last one until 2026 in which neither team played a Game 7 in an earlier round of that season’s playoffs. In the United States, Versus televised games one and two, and NBC broadcast the rest of the series. It was broadcast in Canada on CBC in English and on RDS in French. In the United Kingdom, all games were aired live on Five, and on the cable sports channel NASN. The series was also broadcast by NHL Radio via Westwood One. Paths to the Finals 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings entered the Finals after winning the Presidents' Trophy as the team that had the best record during the regular season. Led by forwards Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Johan Franzen, Detroit scored 55 goals in the first three rounds of the playoffs. With struggling goaltender Dominik Hasek being replaced mid-series by Chris Osgood, the Red Wings defeated their division rival Nashville Predators in the Western Conference quarterfinals, in six games. The team swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference semifinals, in which Franzen scored nine goals – tying with the entire Avalanche squad, who also scored nine goals in the series. The Red Wings then defeated the Dallas Stars in six games to win their fifth Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in franchise history. Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the championship series after winning the Atlantic Division and earning the second-best regular season record in the Eastern Conference. The team was led by Sidney Crosby; missing 29 games throughout the regular season because of an ankle injury, the captain returned to lead the first three rounds of the playoffs in assists, and to tie for the lead in points heading into the Stanley Cup Final. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury recorded three shutouts throughout the playoffs, to lead the league in that category. Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa each recorded nine goals and ten assists throughout the playoffs. The Penguins swept the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, a reversal of the series of the previous season when Ottawa beat Pittsburgh 4–1. In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Penguins defeated division rival the New York Rangers, in five games. The team won the Prince of Wales Trophy by defeating another division rival, their in-state rivals, and another fierce rival of the Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers, also in five games. Game summaries The 2008 Stanley Cup Final marked the first time that the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins met in postseason play, and the first time since the 1909 World Series that professional sports teams from Detroit and Pittsburgh met in a postseason series or game. The Red Wings and Penguins did not play each other during the 2007–08 regular season. Game one Pittsburgh Penguins Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena May 24 0–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-det/2008/05/24/2007030411 Pittsburgh's Gary Roberts and Detroit's Chris Chelios were both healthy scratches for game one. Prior to the game, a ceremonial faceoff featuring former Pittsburgh captain and current team chairman Mario Lemieux and former Detroit captain and team vice president at the time Steve Yzerman. Each dropped a puck to their current captains Sidney Crosby and Nicklas Lidstrom, respectively. At 15:20 into the first period, a goal scored by Lidstrom was waved off after Tomas Holmstrom was called for goaltender interference. The remainder of the first period went scoreless, as Pittsburgh failed to capitalize on four consecutive power plays. At 13:01 into the second period, Mikael Samuelsson gave the Red Wings the unassisted game-winning goal, on a wrap-around. Just over two minutes into the third period, Samuelsson added his second unassisted goal of the game. At 17:18 into the third period, Dan Cleary scored shorthanded to give the Red Wings a 3–0 lead. Henrik Zetterberg scored on the power-play with 13 seconds remaining. Chris Osgood recorded his second shutout of the playoffs, to give the Red Wings a 4–0 victory in game one. The Red Wings outshot the Penguins 36–19. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score1st None2nd DET Mikael Samuelsson (3) Unassisted 13:01 1–0 DET3rd DET Mikael Samuelsson (4) Unassisted 02:16 2–0 DET DET Daniel Cleary (2) – sh Brad Stuart (3) 17:18 3–0 DET DET Henrik Zetterberg (12) – pp Tomas Holmstrom (8), Nicklas Lidstrom (9) 19:47 4–0 DETPenalty summaryPeriodTeamPlayerPenaltyTimePIM 1st PIT Kris Letang Interference 03:51 2:00 DET Tomas Holmstrom High-sticking 04:02 2:00 DET Nicklas Lidstrom Hooking 10:15 2:00 DET Darren Helm Tripping 12:38 2:00 DET Tomas Holmstrom Goaltender interference 15:20 2:00 PIT Hal Gill High-sticking 19:00 2:002nd PIT Sidney Crosby Slashing 01:55 2:00 PIT Ryan Whitney Holding 15:20 2:00 PIT Evgeni Malkin Tripping 19:28 2:003rd DET Nicklas Lidstrom Interference 15:27 2:00 PIT Jarkko Ruutu Slashing 18:08 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total PIT 12 4 3 19 DET 11 16 9 36 Game two Pittsburgh Penguins Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena May 26 0–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-det/2008/05/26/2007030412 In preparation for game two, head coach Michel Therrien revised Pittsburgh's lines; the revision included Gary Roberts who did not play in game one. Dave Molinari Moving forward: Therrien shuffles lines hoping to make a difference in game two http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/08147/884953-61.stm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette May 26, 2008 May 26, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080602040803/http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/08147/884953-61.stm June 2, 2008 dead Johan Franzen, the leading goal-scorer in the playoffs, returned to the line-up for Detroit. Shelly Anderson Red Wings' Franzen will play tonight http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08147/884988-61.stm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette May 26, 2008 May 26, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080527111330/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08147/884988-61.stm May 27, 2008 dead Detroit's Brad Stuart scored the first goal of the game 6:55 into the first period, on a slap shot, with an assist from Valtteri Filppula. Tomas Holmstrom added a goal at 11:18 into the first period, to put Detroit up 2–0. Pittsburgh struggled throughout the period, failing to get a shot on goal for the game's first twelve minutes. Detroit outshot the Penguins 11–6 in the second period, but both teams failed to score. At 8:48 into the third period, Valtteri Filppula scored his first goal of the series, beating goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with a wrist-shot. Chris Osgood recorded his second consecutive shutout, stopping all 22 shots faced. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score1st DET Brad Stuart (1) Valtteri Filppula (5) 06:55 1–0 DET DET Tomas Holmstrom (4) Henrik Zetterberg (11) 11:18 2–0 DET2ndNone3rd DET Valtteri Filppula (4) Johan Franzen (4), Brad Stuart (4) 08:48 3–0 DETPenalty summaryPeriodTeamPlayerPenaltyTimePIM1st DET Brad Stuart Tripping 11:33 2:00 PIT Ryan Malone Interference 15:14 2:00 DET Daniel Cleary Hooking 17:49 2:00 PIT Gary Roberts Roughing 19:46 2:002nd DET Tomas Holmstrom Slashing 11:17 2:00 PIT Brooks Orpik Roughing 11:17 2:00 PIT Ryan Malone Slashing 17:30 2:003rd PIT Marian Hossa Holding 00:22 2:00 DET Pavel Datsyuk Roughing 03:42 2:00 PIT Ryan Malone Roughing 03:42 2:00 DET Dallas Drake Tripping 07:49 2:00 PIT Ryan Malone Goaltender interference 08:04 2:00 DET Johan Franzen Roughing 11:51 2:00 PIT Maxime Talbot Roughing – double minor 11:51 4:00 PIT Ryan Whitney Roughing 16:08 2:00 DET Andreas Lilja Roughing 18:52 2:00 DET Johan Franzen Roughing 18:52 2:00 PIT Gary Roberts Roughing 18:52 2:00 PIT Gary Roberts Misconduct 18:52 10:00 PIT Petr Sykora Goaltender interference 18:52 2:00 PIT Evgeni Malkin Roughing 18:52 2:00 PIT Maxime Talbot Misconduct 20:00 10:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total PIT 6 6 10 22 DET 12 11 11 34 Game three Detroit Red Wings Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena May 28 2–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-pit/2008/05/28/2007030413 Game three was held in Pittsburgh, where going into the matchup the Penguins had won sixteen consecutive home games. John Kreiser Penguins hope home is where the wins are https://www.nhl.com/news/penguins-hope-home-is-where-the-wins-are/c-371799 https://web.archive.org/web/20190222041930/https://www.nhl.com/news/penguins-hope-home-is-where-the-wins-are/c-371799 dead February 22, 2019 NHL.com May 27, 2008 February 21, 2019 Pittsburgh continued to shuffle their lineup by replacing defenceman Kris Letang with veteran Darryl Sydor, Dan Rosen Cup winner Sydor jumps back into Pens lineup http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=364556 PittsburghPenguins.com May 28, 2008 May 28, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080529001708/http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=364556 May 29, 2008 dead but going back to the top line combinations from game one. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored the team's first goal of the series late in the first period, with an assist from Marian Hossa. The Penguins went up 2-0 after Crosby scored a second time, his second coming on the power-play, just 2:34 into the second period. Johan Franzen pulled the Red Wings within one, when he scored on the power-play at 14:48 of the second period. Adam Hall scored his second goal of the post season, when the Penguins winger scored at 7:18 of the third period, putting his team up 3–1. Mikael Samuelsson scored a second goal for the Red Wings, with assists from Brad Stuart and Valtteri Filppula. However, Pittsburgh's 3–2 lead held, giving the team their first victory of the series. Despite winning the game, Pittsburgh was outshot by the Red Wings for the third consecutive game by at least 10 shots. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score1st PIT Sidney Crosby (5) Marian Hossa (11) 17:25 1–0 PIT2nd PIT Sidney Crosby (6) – pp Marian Hossa (12), Ryan Malone (10) 02:34 2 0 PIT DET Johan Franzen (13) – pp Nicklas Lidstrom (10), Niklas Kronwall (13) 14:48 2–1 PIT3rd PIT Adam Hall (2) Maxime Talbot (6), Gary Roberts (2) 07:18 3–1 PIT DET Mikael Samuelsson (5) Brad Stuart (5), Valtteri Filppula (6) 13:37 3–2 PITPenalty summaryPeriodTeamPlayerPenaltyTimePIM1st DET Johan Franzen Holding 01:04 2:00 PIT Jordan Staal Holding 03:05 2:00 PIT Sergei Gonchar Hooking 12:07 2:00 DET Brian Rafalski Tripping 19:19 2:002nd DET Niklas Kronwall Hooking 02:02 2:00 PIT Hal Gill Cross-checking 08:54 2:00 PIT Hall Gill Cross-checking 12:57 2:003rd PIT Evgeni Malkin Hooking 15:42 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total PIT 6 13 5 24 DET 9 9 16 34 Game four Detroit Red Wings Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena May 31 2–1 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-pit/2008/05/31/2007030414 Entering Game 4, Petr Sykora said the game was a must-win for the Penguins, "For us, basically, [game four] is a do-or-die game". Dave Molinari Sykora: Penguins face a must-win situation tonight https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2008/05/31/Sykora-Penguins-face-a-must-win-situation-tonight/stories/200805310166 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette May 31, 2008 May 31, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080610011002/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08152/886369-13.stm?cmpid=sports.xml June 10, 2008 live Jiri Hudler's game-winning goal at 2:26 of the third period broke a 1–1 tie, and the Red Wings killed off a Penguins 1:26 5-on-3 advantage midway through the final period to help preserve the victory, thanks in large part to a terrific defensive play by Henrik Zetterberg on Sidney Crosby, preventing what would have been a tap-in goal when he tied up Crosby's stick at the front of the net. Pittsburgh scored first on Marian Hossa's power play goal 2:51 into the game before Nicklas Lidstrom tied the game at 7:06 of the first period. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score1st PIT Marian Hossa (10) – pp Sergei Gonchar (11), Sidney Crosby (18) 02:51 1–0 PIT DET Nicklas Lidstrom Brian Rafalski (9), Pavel Datsyuk (11) 07:06 1–12nd None3rd DET Jiri Hudler (5) Darren Helm (2), Brad Stuart (6) 02:26 2–1 DETPenalty summaryPeriodTeamPlayerPenaltyTimePIM1st DET Dallas Drake Roughing 02:11 2:00 PIT Pascal Dupuis Cross-checking 05:04 2:00 DET Brian Rafalski Roughing 09:03 2:00 DET Kris Draper Holding 14:28 2:00 DET Brett Lebda Cross-checking 16:59 2:00 PIT Maxime Talbot Embellishment 16:59 2:00 DET Johan Franzen Elbowing 17:55 2:00 PIT Brooks Orpik Roughing 17:55 2:00 2nd PIT Jordan Staal Interference 03:44 2:00 DET Brian Rafalski Holding 16:04 2:003rd PIT Marc-Andre Fleury Delay of game 04:08 2:00 DET Kirk Maltby Hooking 09:36 2:00 DET Andreas Lilja Interference 10:10 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total PIT 9 8 6 23 DET 14 7 9 30 Game five Pittsburgh Penguins Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena June 2 4–3 3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-det/2008/06/02/2007030415 Pittsburgh's Marian Hossa scored the first goal of the game at 8:37 into the first period. Teammate Adam Hall added his second goal of the series at 14:41 of the first period, giving the Penguins a 2–0 lead. Detroit then scored three consecutive goals—by Darren Helm, Pavel Datsyuk, and Brian Rafalski—to gain the lead. After Pittsburgh pulled its goalie with less than one minute remaining in regulation, Maxime Talbot scored with 34.3 seconds remaining to tie the game and force overtime. The goal marked only the second time in NHL history that a team avoided elimination in the Finals by scoring in the last minute of the third period. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hnicplayoff/2008/06/sykora_delivers_on_his_called.html Sykora delivers on his called shot CBC June 3, 2008 June 3, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080604102608/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hnicplayoff/2008/06/sykora_delivers_on_his_called.html June 4, 2008 live The first two overtime periods were scoreless, and the game went into the third overtime with Detroit killing two consecutive penalties, and Pittsburgh killing one. At the 9:21 mark, Pittsburgh's Petr Sykora scored the game-winning goal on another power-play, forcing the series back to Pittsburgh for game six. The goal was assisted by defenceman Sergei Gonchar, who was playing his first shift in forty minutes as a result of an injury, and Evgeni Malkin, who got his first point of the Finals. Pittsburgh became the first team in modern NHL history to have three overtime power-plays in the Finals. Goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Chris Osgood stopped 55 and 28 shots, respectively. The triple overtime game was the fifth-longest in Stanley Cup Final history.https://www.nhl.com/news/penguins-4-red-wings-3-3ot/c-109305 https://web.archive.org/web/20190222095216/https://www.nhl.com/news/penguins-4-red-wings-3-3ot/c-109305 dead February 22, 2019 Penguins stay alive in triple OT February 21, 2019 Coffey Phil June 2, 2008 NHL.com Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score1st PIT Marian Hossa (11) Sidney Crosby (19), Pascal Dupuis (5) 08:37 1–0 PIT PIT Adam Hall (3) Unassisted 14:41 2–0 PIT2nd DET Darren Helm (2) Kirk Maltby (1) 02:54 2–1 PIT3rd DET Pavel Datsyuk (10) – pp Henrik Zetterberg (12), Brian Rafalski (10) 06:43 2–2 DET Brian Rafalski (3) Johan Franzen (5), Henrik Zetterberg (13) 09:23 3–2 DET PIT Maxime Talbot (3) Marian Hossa (13), Sidney Crosby (20) 19:25 3–3OTNone2OTNone3OT PIT Petr Sykora (6) – pp Evgeni Malkin (11), Sergei Gonchar (12) 09:57 4–3 PITPenalty summaryPeriodTeamPlayerPenaltyTimePIM1st PIT Brooks Orpik Hooking 02:06 2:00 PIT Bench (served by Tyler Kennedy) Too many men on the ice 04:16 2:00 DET Pavel Datsyuk Tripping 05:24 2:00 DET Kirk Maltby Roughing 10:50 2:00 PIT Maxime Talbot Roughing 10:50 2:002nd DET Kirk Maltby Interference 05:48 2:00 PIT Sidney Crosby High-sticking 10:18 2:003rd PIT Tyler Kennedy Hooking 06:21 2:00OT DET Henrik Zetterberg Goaltender interference 17:25 2:002OT DET Daniel Cleary Goaltender interference 03:41 2:00 PIT Petr Sykora Hooking 17:44 2:003OT DET Jiri Hudler High-sticking – double minor 09:21 4:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT 2OT 3OT Total PIT 7 7 4 2 8 4 32 DET 8 12 14 13 7 4 58 Game six Detroit Red Wings Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena June 4 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-pit/2008/06/04/2007030416 Pittsburgh's Ryan Malone was scheduled to have X-rays on June 3, after being hit in the face with the puck in game five, but was expected to play. Dave Molinari Penguins again stare at elimination tonight at Mellon Arena http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08156/887125-13.stm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette June 4, 2008 June 4, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080607001137/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08156/887125-13.stm June 7, 2008 dead The Red Wings took a 2–0 lead in the second period in game six en route to a 3–2 victory to clinch the Stanley Cup. Brian Rafalski scored a power play goal at 5:03 in the first period before Valtteri Filppula extended the lead with a goal at 8:07 in the second. The Penguins had an opportunity to get their first goal later in the first period, with a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:33, but could not convert. Pittsburgh finally cut the lead at 15:26 of the second period with Evgeni Malkin's power play goal. However, a third period shot by Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg squeezed through the legs of Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who, after noticing he was not covering the puck, fell backwards and accidentally knocked the puck across the goal line for the Red Wings' third goal. Marian Hossa scored a power play goal (in addition to the Penguins pulling Fleury for an extra attacker and the Red Wings' Andreas Lilja having lost his stick as a result of Malone knocking it out of his hands) at 18:33 of the third period to cut the lead to 3–2, but the Penguins, despite a shot by Sidney Crosby and shot off rebound by Hossa in the final seconds, could not tie the game before time ran out. Lidstrom became the first European-born Stanley Cup captain. The Wings' victory also saw the Triple Gold Club, made up of individuals who have won the Stanley Cup plus gold medals at the Olympics and World Championships, gain three new members. Niklas Kronwall, Mikael Samuelsson, and Zetterberg had previously won the other two components with the Sweden national team in 2006 at that year's Olympics and World Championships. Lidstrom, already a member of the club, got a fourth Stanley Cup in his resumé. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score1st DET Brian Rafalski (4) – pp Henrik Zetterberg (14), Pavel Datsyuk (12) 05:03 1–0 DET2nd DET Valtteri Filppula (5) Mikael Samuelsson (8), Niklas Kronwall (14) 08:07 2–0 DET PIT Evgeni Malkin (10) – pp Sidney Crosby (21), Marian Hossa (14) 15:26 2–1 DET3rd DET Henrik Zetterberg (13) Pavel Datsyuk (13), Niklas Kronwall (15) 07:36 3–1 DET PIT Marian Hossa (12) – pp Sergei Gonchar (13), Evgeni Malkin (12) 18:33 3–2 DETPenalty summaryPeriodTeamPlayerPenaltyTimePIM1st PIT Darryl Sydor Interference 04:17 2:00 DET Dallas Drake Charging 08:28 2:00 DET Kris Draper Roughing 08:55 2:00 PIT Adam Hall High-sticking 11:15 2:002nd DET Andreas Lilja Slashing 02:06 2:00 DET Pavel Datsyuk Interference 14:22 2:00 PIT Gary Roberts High-sticking 16:13 2:00 DET Johan Franzen Roughing 17:58 2:00 PIT Brooks Orpik Roughing 17:58 2:003rd DET Jiri Hudler Hooking 18:13 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total DET 9 9 12 30 PIT 8 8 6 22 Television In the United States, Versus aired games one and two while NBC televised the remainder of the series. Game one of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final had a 1.8 rating, drawing 2.3 million viewers. The rating was a 157% increase over the previous Playoff Finals opener, and a 100% rise from two years previous. American television ratings rise for Stanley Cup final opener NHL.com May 25, 2008 https://www.nhl.com/news/american-television-ratings-rise-for-stanley-cup-final-opener/c-378502 https://web.archive.org/web/20190222095218/https://www.nhl.com/news/american-television-ratings-rise-for-stanley-cup-final-opener/c-378502 dead February 22, 2019 February 21, 2019 Game two had a 1.9 rating, drawing 2.5 million viewers. It was the highest-rated and most-watched cable telecast of the Finals in six years in the United States. The rating was the highest for an NHL game on Versus and the second highest rating for a Versus broadcast ever only to Lance Armstrong's seventh straight Tour de France victory in 2005 (2.1). Vergara Norman Stanley Cup game two's Ratings Outdo game one Figures All Headline News May 29, 2008 http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011099255 June 5, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080613020614/http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011099255 June 13, 2008 dead mdy-all Game three drew a 2.8 rating, representing an 87% increase over the previous year's game three. In Detroit, game three drew higher ratings (18.2) than game five of the 2008 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics (15.9).Stanley Cup's game three beat NBA conference finals in Detroit ratings Sports Illustrated May 29, 2008 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/hockey/nhl/specials/playoffs/2008/05/29/tvcup.0529.ap/index.html June 5, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080601102919/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/hockey/nhl/specials/playoffs/2008/05/29/tvcup.0529.ap/index.html June 1, 2008 dead mdy Game four earned a 2.3 rating, up 21% over the previous year's game four. Game five drew a 4.3 rating, representing a 79% increase from the previous year's game five. It drew the highest ratings for a game five since 2002.Stanley Cup finals ratings improve again USA Today June 3, 2008 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/2008-06-03-972010437_x.htm June 5, 2008 Game six had a 4.4 rating, the best performance in a game six since 2000. It was a 100% increase over game six of 2006 and was the highest rated game for NBC since they reacquired the NHL broadcasting rights in 2004.Seidman Robert NHL Stanley Cup Final: Best US Game Six Ratings in EIGHT Years TV by the Numbers June 5, 2008 https://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/06/05/nhl-stanley-cup-finals-best-us-game-six-in-eight-years/4045 June 16, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080608004527/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/06/05/nhl-stanley-cup-finals-best-us-game-six-in-eight-years/4045 June 8, 2008 dead On the CBC in Canada, this was the last Stanley Cup Final that Bob Cole served as the play-by-play announcer for, as Jim Hughson took over the following year. Game 6 was also the final game broadcast on CBC using the iconic “The Hockey Theme” song after 40 years. Team rosters Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year. Pittsburgh Penguins Goaltenders # Player Catches Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance 29 Marc-Andre Fleury L 2003 CAN Sorel-Tracy, Quebec first 35 Ty Conklin L 2007 USA Phoenix, Arizona second (2006) Defencemen # Player Shoots Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance 2 Hal Gill L 2008 USA Concord, Massachusetts first 4 Rob Scuderi L 1998 USA Syosset, New York first 5 Darryl Sydor L 2007 CAN Edmonton, Alberta fifth (1993, 1999, 2000, 2004) 19 Ryan Whitney L 2002 USA Scituate, Massachusetts first 44 Brooks Orpik L 2001 USA San Francisco, California first 55 Sergei Gonchar – A L 2005 RUS Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union second (1998) 58 Kris Letang R 2005 CAN Montreal, Quebec first Forwards # Player Position Shoots Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance 9 Pascal Dupuis LW/RW L 2008 CAN Laval, Quebec first 10 Gary Roberts – A LW L 2007 CAN North York, Ontario second (1989) 11 Jordan Staal C L 2006 CAN Thunder Bay, Ontario first 12 Ryan Malone LW L 1999 USA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania first 17 Petr Sykora RW L 2007 CZE Plzeň, Czechoslovakia fourth (2000, 2001, 2003) 18 Marian Hossa RW L 2008 SVK Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia first 25 Maxime Talbot C/LW L 2002 CAN LeMoyne, Quebec first 27 Georges Laraque RW R 2007 CAN Montreal, Quebec second (2006) 28 Adam Hall RW/C R 2007 USA Kalamazoo, Michigan first 37 Jarkko Ruutu LW L 2006 FIN Helsinki, Finland first 38 Jeff Taffe C/LW L 2007 USA Hastings, Minnesota first (did not play) 48 Tyler Kennedy C/RW R 2004 CAN Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario first 71 Evgeni Malkin C L 2004 RUS Magnitogorsk, Soviet Union first 87 Sidney Crosby – C C L 2005 CAN Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia first Detroit Red Wings Goaltenders # Player Catches Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance 30 Chris Osgood L 2005 CAN Peace River, Alberta fourth (1995, 1997, 1998) 39 Dominik Hasek L 2006 CZE Pardubice, Czechoslovakia fourth (1992, 1999, 2002) Defencemen # Player Shoots Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance 3 Andreas Lilja L 2005 SWE Helsingborg, Sweden first 5 Nicklas Lidstrom – C L 1989 SWE Krylbo, Sweden fifth (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002) 14 Derek Meech L 2002 CAN Winnipeg, Manitoba first (did not play) 22 Brett Lebda L 2004 USA Buffalo Grove, Illinois first 23 Brad Stuart L 2008 CAN Rocky Mountain House, Alberta first 24 Chris Chelios R 1999 USA Chicago, Illinois fifth (1986, 1989, 1992, 2002;(did not play) 28 Brian Rafalski R 2007 USA Dearborn, Michigan fourth (2000, 2001, 2003) 55 Niklas Kronwall L 2000 SWE Stockholm, Sweden first Forwards # Player Position Shoots Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance 11 Daniel Cleary LW/RW L 2005 CAN Carbonear, Newfoundland first 13 Pavel Datsyuk – A C/LW L 1998 RUS Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union second (2002) 17 Dallas Drake RW/LW L 2007 CAN Trail, British Columbia first 18 Kirk Maltby RW/LW R 1996 CAN Guelph, Ontario fourth (1997, 1998, 2002) 20 Aaron Downey RW R 2007 CAN Shelburne, Ontario first (did not play) 25 Darren McCarty RW R 2008 CAN Burnaby, British Columbia fifth (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002) 26 Jiri Hudler RW/LW/C L 2002 CZE Olomouc, Czechoslovakia first 33 Kris Draper – A C L 1993 CAN Toronto, Ontario fifth (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002) 37 Mikael Samuelsson RW R 2005 SWE Mariefred, Sweden first 40 Henrik Zetterberg – A C/RW L 1999 SWE Njurunda, Sweden first 43 Darren Helm LW/C L 2005 CAN St. Andrews, Manitoba first 51 Valtteri Filppula C L 2002 FIN Vantaa, Finland first 82 Tomas Kopecky LW L 2000 SVK Dubnica nad Váhom, Czechoslovakia first (did not play) 93 Johan Franzen LW L 2004 SWE Vetlanda, Sweden first 96 Tomas Holmstrom RW L 1994 SWE Piteå, Sweden fourth (1997, 1998, 2002) Stanley Cup engraving thumb|Justin Abdelkader hoists the Stanley Cup after Game six The 2008 Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Red Wings 4–2 win over the Penguins in game six. The following Red Wings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup 2007–08 Detroit Red Wings *3 Andreas Lilja 5 Nicklas Lidstrom (Captain) 14 Derek Meech ‡ 22 Brett Lebda 23 Brad Stuart 24 Chris Chelios † 28 Brian Rafalski 55 Niklas Kronwall *13 Pavel Datsyuk* (A) 26 Jiri Hudler* 33 Kris Draper (A) 40 Henrik Zetterberg* (A) 43 Darren Helm 51 Valtteri Filppula *11 Daniel Cleary 17 Dallas Drake 18 Kirk Maltby 20 Aaron Downey 25 Darren McCarty 37 Mikael Samuelsson 82 Tomas Kopecky † 93 Johan Franzen 96 Tomas Holmstrom 30 Chris Osgood 39 Dominik Hasek * Played both centre and wing. † Did not play in the Final. ‡ Exemption granted to engrave the name of a player who did not automatically qualify.qualify Automatic qualification for a player's name to be engraved on the Stanley Cup: Playing in (for a goaltender, dressing for) at least one Stanley Cup Final game or at least half of regular season games for the Stanley Cup winning team. Mike Ilitch Sr. (Owner/President/Governor), Marian Ilitch (Owner/Secretary-Treasurer), Christopher Ilitch (Vice President Red Wings/President-Chief Executive Officer Ilitch Holdings/Alt. Governor) Denise Ilitch, Ronald Ilitch, Michael Ilitch Jr. (Minority Owners) Lisa Ilitch Murray, Atanas Ilitch, Carole Ilitch (Minority Owners), Jim Devellano (Sr. Vice President/Alt. Governor) Ken Holland (Executive Vice President/General Manager/Alt. Governor), Steve Yzerman (Vice President/Alt. Governor), Jim Nill (Vice President/Asst. General Manager), Ryan Martin (Director-Hockey Administration) Scotty Bowman (Consultant), Mike Babcock (Head Coach), Todd McLellan (Associate Coach), Paul MacLean (Asst. Coach) Jim Bedard (Goaltending Coach), Jay Woodcroft (Video Coach), Mark Howe (Director of Pro Scouting), Joe McDonnell (Director of Amateur Scouting) Hakan Andersson (Director of European Scouting), Piet Van Zant (Athletic Therapist), Paul Boyer (Equipment Manager) Russ Baumann (Ass't Athletic Therapist), Christopher Scoppetto (Assistant Equipment Manager) Engraving notes #14 Derek Meech (D) played in 32 regular season games, but was a healthy scratch for the entire playoffs. Meech spent the entire season with Detroit. As he did not automatically qualify,qualify Detroit successfully requested an exemption to engrave his name. Chris Chelios became the oldest player to win the Stanley Cup at age 46 (See 1928 Lester Patrick for oldest player who played in the Stanley Cup Final). Five players won 4 Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008 – Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby, and Darren McCarty.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=73337 https://web.archive.org/web/20120308232730/http://redwings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=73337 dead March 8, 2012 Kris Draper - Special Assistant to the General Manager Detroit Red Wings 2016-05-22 Chris Osgood only missed the 2002 title.http://www.nhl.com/ice/m_news.htm?id=371954 https://web.archive.org/web/20160624032232/http://www.nhl.com/ice/m_news.htm?id=371954 dead June 24, 2016 Stanley Cup Final Post-Game Notes, game six NHL.com 2008-06-05 2016-05-22 Steve Yzerman also won 4 Stanley Cup with Detroit 1997-98-2002 (Captain), 2008 (Vice President). 19 non-players won 4 Stanley Cups with Detroit - Mike Ilitch Sr., Marian Ilitch, Christopher Ilitch, Denise Ilitch, Ronald Ilitch, Michael Ilitch Jr, Lisa Ilitch Murray, Atanas Ilitch, Carole Ilitch, Jim Devellano, Ken Holland, Scotty Bowman, Jim Nill, Mark Howe, Hakan Anderson, Paul Boyer, Joe McDonnell, Mark Leach (left off cup 2008), Paul McDonald (Left off cup 1997-98-2008). A record number of 12 European born players won the Stanley Cup – Dominik Hasek and Jiri Hudler of the Czech Republic; Tomas Kopecky of Slovakia; Valtteri Filppula of Finland; Pavel Datsyuk of Russia; and Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Andreas Lilja, Nicklas Lidstrom, Mikael Samuelsson and Henrik Zetterberg of Sweden. Sergie Tchekmarev (Team Masseur), Lynn Newman (Massage Therapist) – Rick Szuber (Equipment Assistant). All 10 members were left off the Stanley Cup, but received Stanley Cup rings. Player notes Seven players on the roster during the Final were left off the Stanley Cup engraving due to not qualifying.qualifyJune 4, 2008 https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20072008/RO030416.HTM Club Playing Roster NHL.com Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania NHL July 23, 2025 Only Mark Hartigan played in (and dressed for) the playoffs. #44 Mark Hartigan (C) – 23 regular season games and 4 playoff games. He was left off for the second year in row for not playing in the last two rounds of the playoffs. #52 Jonathan Ericsson (D) – 8 regular season games #4 Kyle Quincey (D) – 6 regular season games #35 Jimmy Howard (G) – 4 regular games #8 Justin Abdelkader (LW) – 2 regular season games #42 Mattias Ritola (LW) – 2 regular season games #46 Jakub Kindl (D) – 0 regular season games, 76 in minors See also 2007–08 Detroit Red Wings season 2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins season Notes References Anaheim Ducks2007 Detroit Red WingsStanley Cup champions 2008 Pittsburgh Penguins2009 Stanley Cup Final Category:Stanley Cup Finals Category:Pittsburgh Penguins games Category:Detroit Red Wings games Category:Ice hockey competitions in Detroit Category:Ice hockey competitions in Pittsburgh Category:2000s in Pittsburgh Stanley Cup Final Stanley Cup Final Stanley Cup Final Stanley Cup Final Stanley Cup Final