The Colorado Avalanche with German national player Nico Sturm won the Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League (NHL. The team from Denver won 2-1 in the sixth game of the final series against defending champion Tampa on Sunday evening (06/26/2022, local time). Bay Lightning’s crucial fourth win, marking the Avalanche’s third championship title after 1996 and 2001.
Augsburg’s Nico Sturm is the fifth German ice hockey professional to win the Stanley Cup. Sturm, who was traded from Minnesota Wild to Denver just three months ago, clocked 5:43 ice time in the deciding game. He got his hands on the coveted trophy as the 17th Avalanche player after Captain Gabriel Landeskog.
26 years ago, Uwe Krupp Colorado shot to the Stanley Cup triumph – as the first German. The later national coach was also part of the victorious Detroit Red Wings squad in 2002, but was not on the ice in the finals. After that, Dennis Seidenberg was successful with the Boston Bruins in 2011, Tom Kühnhackl in 2016 and 2017 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philipp Grubauer in 2018 with the Washington Capitals.
Lehkonen with the winning goal for Colorado
Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon starred in the deciding game, with a goal and assist. “Incredible, it’s crazy,” said MacKinnon, “I can’t wait to hug my family.” Mac Kinnon had leveled the hosts’ lead through captain Steven Stamkos. Artturi Lehkonen also scored in the second third to make it 2-1.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog added: “Dreamed, wanted and worked for over 20 years – now, after many crazy years, everything is finally paying off.”
MVP trophy for Avalanche defender Makar
Colorado Defenseman Cale Makar of Canada received the Conn Smythe Trophy for Most Valuable Player of the Playoffs. Previously, only Avalanche players Joe Sakic (1996) and goalie Patrick Roy (2001) had that honor.
The Lightning had won the Stanley Cup the past two years, but went into the Finals series against Colorado as underdogs. The Avalanche maintained their 100% haul through success – every time the team made it to the deciding series for the title, they ended up winning the championship: 1996, 2001 and 2022.