2019 Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
* – Denotes overtime period(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location(s) | St. Louis: Enterprise Center (3, 4, 6) Boston: TD Garden (1, 2, 5, 7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaches | St. Louis: Craig Berube (interim) Boston: Bruce Cassidy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Captains | St. Louis: Alex Pietrangelo Boston: Zdeno Chara | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National anthems | St. Louis: Charles Glenn, vocalist & Jeremy Boyer, organist Boston: Todd Angilly, vocalist & Ron Poster, organist | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Referees | Gord Dwyer (2, 4, 6, 7) Steve Kozari (1, 3, 5) Chris Rooney (2, 4, 6, 7) Kelly Sutherland (1, 3, 5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dates | May 27 – June 12, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Ryan O'Reilly (Blues) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series-winning goal | Alex Pietrangelo (19:52, First, G7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Networks | Canada: (English): CBC/Sportsnet (French): TVA Sports United States: (English): NBC (1, 4–7), NBCSN (2–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | (CBC/SN) Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson (TVA) Felix Seguin and Patrick Lalime (NBC/NBCSN) Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire (NHL International) Steve Mears, Kevin Weekes, and E.J. Hradek (NBC Sports Radio & NHL Radio) Kenny Albert, Joe Micheletti, Brian Boucher, and Steve Goldstein | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 2019 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2018–19 season and the culmination of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference champion St. Louis Blues defeated the Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins four games to three in the best-of-seven series. It was the Blues' first championship, in their 51st season of play (not including the 2004–05 lockout), ending what was then the third-longest championship drought in league history. The Bruins had home-ice advantage in the series with the better regular season record. The series began on May 27 and concluded on June 12.[1] The Blues' Stanley Cup–winning run of 26 playoff games tied the 2014 Los Angeles Kings for the longest of any Stanley Cup–winning team in history.
This was a rematch of the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals, which Boston won in four games. This was the fourth consecutive Finals to both involve at least one team vying for its first championship and end with the champion clinching the Cup on the road. It was also the first time since 2011 where the Finals went the full seven games. This was the first Stanley Cup Finals since 2009 in which the losing team scored more goals (the Bruins outscored the Blues 22–18).
Entering the 2019 finals, the Blues were the oldest team not to win a Stanley Cup, the only active team from the 1967 NHL expansion without a Stanley Cup, and the only team (other than the Toronto Maple Leafs) not to win a Stanley Cup in that time. The Blues' victory resulted in all five of the active 1967 teams obtaining a Stanley Cup title, while the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks became the oldest expansion franchises not to win one,[2] and the Toronto Maple Leafs became the oldest team not to win the Cup since the expansion era.[3][4][5][6]