Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said his side's 3-2 road win in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final typified the kind of championship pedigree that has delivered back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Trailing 3-1 in the series heading into the contest, the Lightning struck first after 15 minutes of action as Jan Rutta got on the end of a move by Corey Perry and Mikhail Sergachev.
It would be the only score of the opening period, before the Avalanche would tie things up five minutes into the second term through a Valeri Nichushkin strike.
Just three minutes later Nikita Kucherov put Tampa Bay back ahead with a power-play goal, but the Avalanche would not lay down on their home ice, squaring the ledger once again two minutes into the third and final period, with Cale Makar setting up a tense finish.
Ondrej Palat would be the hero, putting the Lightning ahead 3-2 with less than seven minutes to play, before a late penalty against the Avalanche for having too many men on the ice all but ended their chances of a comeback.
Speaking to ESPN after the result, Cooper said all his side has went through over the past two championship runs has prepared them for these situations.
"The resolve in the room – and part of this is that we've been here before," he said. "We know this feeling, we've been on both sides.
"We've been part of the cup-winning team when we had a chance to close somebody out, and you learn from those experiences.
"We've not closed teams out, and we've closed teams out. Champions have a skillset like none other, but the greatest skillset they have is what's between the ears, and we used that tonight to our advantage. We're still alive."
Asked about what he appreciates most about this Lightning team, Cooper said it was their toughness.
"It's what the people don't see," he said. "You see everything that goes on the ice and all that – it's what you see in the locker room.
"These guys – it's like they're spent, and you think 'how are they going to get off the mat?' – and then they get off the mat. It's just amazing to see.
"I remember Wayne Gretzky saying once about when they lost in the Cup to the Islanders – when they got there, they got swept – and as his team walked off, nothing wrong with them, they looked into the Islanders locker room, and they weren't even celebrating, they all had ice bags and packs.
"That's what it takes to win, and I've always kept that with me. When you get these teams, you kind of have to have that attitude, and that's what this team has."
Cooper was also full of praise for star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy – who was named player of the game – calling him "the best in the world".
"I just sit here and think about sports in general, and the importance of somebody in sports," he said.
"You look at football, and how important Tom Brady is to his team, the quarterback. The quarterback in football is like the goaltender in hockey.
"You're the last line of defense, if that puck goes in the net, you're the one that has to sweep it out and turn the page because they're coming right back at you.
"Everybody's got their eyes on you, and all he does is deliver. You talk about a mental mindset of gamesmanship, that kid's got it, and that's why he's the best in the world."
Scorer of the winning goal, Palat said his side was confident coming into the contest, and that they did what was needed.
"I thought we played a good game – a great road game, we stayed on top of it," he said.
"[Vasilevskiy] was great, again, and we just find a way to win. A huge win, now we're excited to go back to Tampa.
"Right now we feel pretty good – we're excited to go back in front of our friends, it's going to be a great game. I felt great [before the game], everybody was pretty confident and excited.
"We knew we had to just win this game and move on."
Now trailing 3-2 in the series, the Lightning will head home for Game 6, and if they win, the Game 7 decider will be back in Colorado.
Maple Leafs and superstar forward Auston Matthews agree to four-year, $53 million contract extension
The Toronto Maple Leafs and superstar center Auston Matthews agreed on a four-year, $53 million contract extension on Wednesday, making him the NHL’s highest-paid player.
Matthews has one year remaining on the five-year, $58.2 million pact he signed in February 2019, and he could have become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
With an average annual value of $13.25 million, Matthews will become the NHL’s highest-paid player beginning in 2024-25, surpassing Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million annual average value.
The 25-year-old Matthews has been one of the game’s elite players since he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2016 draft.
He led the league in goals twice (2020-21 and 2021-22) and has totaled 299 goals and 542 points in 481 regular season games.
Matthews’ best season came in 2021-22, when he set career highs with 60 goals and 106 points in 73 games, earning him the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP.
He dipped to 40 goals last season but still tallied 85 points in 74 games.
The native of Scottsdale, Arizona leads all players in goals since the start of the 2016-17 season and ranks 11th in points during that span.
The Maple Leafs have reached the playoffs in every full season since Matthews entered the league but have advanced past the first round only once – defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in a six-game series last spring.
Jonathan Toews stepping away from hockey, ‘not fully retiring’
Chicago Blackhawks center and longtime captain Jonathan Toews will take next season off for health reasons but is not ready to retire from the NHL.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion announced his future plans on social media Thursday.
Toews, a free agent after spending 16 years with the Blackhawks, missed the entire 2020-21 season with long COVID symptoms and chronic immune response syndrome.
“I’d like to announce that I am not fully retiring, but I am taking time away from the game again this season,” Toews posted on Instagram. “I cannot deny my love for the game of hockey and still feel the passion for competing at my highest level.
“However, these last few seasons have been very difficult considering my health challenges. My focus is to give myself the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again.”
Toews played 53 games last season, totaling 15 goals and 16 assists, but has largely kept his medical struggles out of the public eye.
“Along the way I have met several people who have struggled with health issues pertaining to long COVID, chronic immune response syndrome, and other similar cases that are quite complex,” Toews’ post read. “I now recognize the importance of one day sharing the details of my health journey with you all.
“Thank you to all of you who have supported me and respected my privacy in the process.”
Toews captained Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks teams in 2010, 2013 and 2015, winning the Conn Smyth trophy as the playoffs MVP in 2010.
In 1,067 career games, all with Chicago, Toews has tallied 372 goals and 511 assists, in addition to 119 points (45 goals, 74 assists) in 137 career playoff games.
Toews won the Selke Trophy in 2013 as league’s best defensive forward and was twice given the Messier Leadership Award.
Toews is a free agent after completing an eight-year, $84million contract but has previously expressed a desire to play his entire career with the Blackhawks.
“The thought of playing for another team right now is so far in the back of my mind right now, especially after that moment,” Toews said after receiving an emotional ovation from the team’s fans after the season finale. “I always thought I’d retire a Blackhawk and part of me still believes in that, so we’ll see.”
Longtime Boston Bruins center David Krejci announces retirement
Longtime Boston Bruins center David Krejci announced his retirement on Monday in a statement released by the team.
“After 15 full NHL seasons I have decided to retire from the best league in the world,” the 37-year-old Czech Republic native said.
“When I was drafted in 2004, I had no idea that I would be working with such incredible and driven people who would lead us to 3 Stanley Cup Finals, and winning the ultimate goal in 2011.”
Krejci made his NHL debut in January 2007 and spent his entire NHL career with the Bruins.
He returned to Boston last season after playing for Czech club HC Olomouc in 2021-22.
In the history of the Bruins franchise, Krejci ranks fifth in games played (1,032), 13th in goals (231), fifth in assists (555) and ninth in points (786).
“David, for 16 seasons you displayed an unmatched combination of creativity, poise, and wit – with an uncanny knack for coming up clutch – while remaining humble and determined through all your success,” the Bruins said in a statement.
“You are a special player, person, and teammate who has made a lasting impact on our organization and our city.
“For all you’ve done for the Boston Bruins, THANK YOU.”
Boston will head into the 2023-24 campaign without its top two centers from a season ago after captain Patrice Bergeron also retired last month.
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