Wikipedia

2008 Stanley Cup Finals

The 2008 Stanley Cup Finals 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.[3] This also marks the most recent time that a Detroit-based franchise won a major professional sports championship.

2008 Stanley Cup Finals
123456 Total
Pittsburgh Penguins 00314***2 2
Detroit Red Wings 43223***3 4
* – Denotes overtime period(s)
Location(s)Pittsburgh: Mellon Arena (3, 4, 6)
Detroit: Joe Louis Arena (1, 2, 5)
CoachesPittsburgh: Michel Therrien
Detroit: Mike Babcock
CaptainsPittsburgh: Sidney Crosby
Detroit: Nicklas Lidstrom
National anthemsPittsburgh: Jeff Jimerson[1]
Detroit: Karen Newman
RefereesPaul Devorski (1, 3, 5)
Dan O'Halloran (1, 3, 5)
Marc Joannette (2, 4, 6)
Brad Watson (2, 4 ,6)
DatesMay 24 – June 4, 2008
MVPHenrik Zetterberg (Red Wings)
Series-winning goalHenrik Zetterberg (7:36, third, G6)
Hall of FamersPenguins:
Marian Hossa (2020)
Red Wings:
Chris Chelios (2013; did not play)
Pavel Datsyuk (2024)
Dominik Hasek (2014)
Nicklas Lidstrom (2015)
NetworksCanada:
(English): CBC
(French): RDS
United States:
(English): Versus (1–2), NBC (3–6)
Announcers(CBC) Bob Cole and Greg Millen[2]
(RDS) Pierre Houde and Yvon Pedneault
(Versus/NBC) Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk
(NHL International) Dave Strader and Joe Micheletti
← 2007 Stanley Cup Finals 2009 →

This was also the first Cup Finals between two United States–based NHL teams since 2003.

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

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Further information: 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs

Detroit Red Wings

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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

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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 Finals. 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

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The 2008 Stanley Cup Finals 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 1

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May 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–4 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap

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 Score
1st None
2nd DET Mikael Samuelsson (3) Unassisted 13:01 1–0 DET
3rd 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 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
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 2:00
2nd PIT Sidney Crosby Slashing 01:55 2:00
PIT Ryan Whitney Holding 15:20 2:00
PIT Evgeni Malkin Tripping 19:28 2:00
3rd 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 2

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May 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–3 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap

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.[4] Johan Franzen, the leading goal-scorer in the playoffs, returned to the line-up for Detroit.[5]

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 Score
1st DET Brad Stuart (1) Valtteri Filppula (5) 06:55 1–0 DET
DET Tomas Holmstrom (4) Henrik Zetterberg (11) 11:18 2–0 DET
2nd None
3rd DET Valtteri Filppula (4) Johan Franzen (4), Brad Stuart (4) 08:48 3–0 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st 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 2:00
2nd DET Tomas Holmstrom Slashing 11:17 2:00
PIT Brooks Orpik Roughing 11:17 2:00
PIT Ryan Malone Slashing 17:30 2:00
3rd 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 11:51 2:00
PIT Maxime Talbot Roughing 11:51 2:00
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 3

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May 28 Detroit Red Wings 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap

Game three was held in Pittsburgh, where going into the matchup the Penguins had won sixteen consecutive home games.[6] Pittsburgh continued to shuffle their lineup by replacing defenceman Kris Letang with veteran Darryl Sydor,[7] 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 Score
1st PIT Sidney Crosby (5) Marian Hossa (11) 17:25 1–0 PIT
2nd 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 PIT
3rd 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 PIT
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st 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 2:00
2nd DET Niklas Kronwall Hooking 02:02 2:00
PIT Hal Gill Cross checking 08:54 2:00
PIT Hall Gill Cross checking 12:57 2:00
3rd 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 4

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May 31 Detroit Red Wings 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap

Entering Game Four, Petr Sykora said the game was a must-win for the Penguins, "For us, basically, [game four] is a do-or-die game".[8] 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 Score
1st 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 1–1
2nd None
3rd DET Jiri Hudler (5) Darren Helm (2), Brad Stuart (6) 02:26 2–1 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st 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 Diving 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 2:00
3rd 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 5

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June 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 3OT Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap


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.[9] 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 Finals history.[10]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st PIT Marian Hossa (11) Sidney Crosby (19), Pascal Dupuis (5) 08:37 1–0 PIT
PIT Adam Hall (3) Unassisted 14:41 2–0 PIT
2nd DET Darren Helm (2) Kirk Maltby (1) 02:54 2–1 PIT
3rd 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 3–3
OT None
2OT None
3OT PIT Petr Sykora (6) – pp Evgeni Malkin (11), Sergei Gonchar (12) 09:57 4–3 PIT
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st PIT Brooks Orpik Hooking 02:06 2:00
PIT Bench (served by Tyler Kennedy) Too many men 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 2:00
2nd DET Kirk Maltby Interference 05:48 2:00
PIT Sidney Crosby High sticking 10:18 2:00
3rd PIT Tyler Kennedy Hooking 06:21 2:00
OT DET Henrik Zetterberg Goaltender interference 17:25 2:00
2OT DET Daniel Cleary Goaltender interference 03:41 2:00
PIT Petr Sykora Hooking 17:44 2:00
3OT 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 6

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June 4 Detroit Red Wings 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap

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.[11]

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 Score
1st DET Brian Rafalski (4) – pp Henrik Zetterberg (14), Pavel Datsyuk (12) 05:03 1–0 DET
2nd 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 DET
3rd 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 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st 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 2:00
2nd 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 2:00
3rd 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

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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 Finals 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.[12] 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).[13] 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).[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]

On the CBC in Canada, this was the last Stanley Cup Finals that Bob Cole served as the play-by-play announcer for, as Jim Hughson took over the following year.

Team rosters

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Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.

Pittsburgh Penguins

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Goaltenders
# Player Catches Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
29 Marc-Andre Fleury L 2003   Sorel-Tracy, Quebec first
35 Ty Conklin L 2007   Phoenix, Arizona second (2006)
Defencemen
# Player Shoots Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
2 Hal Gill L 2008   Concord, Massachusetts first
4 Rob Scuderi L 1998   Syosset, New York first
5 Darryl Sydor L 2007   Edmonton, Alberta fifth (1993, 1999, 2000, 2004)
19 Ryan Whitney L 2002   Scituate, Massachusetts first
44 Brooks Orpik L 2001   San Francisco, California first
55 Sergei Gonchar – A L 2005   Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union second (1998)
58 Kris Letang R 2005   Montreal, Quebec first
Forwards
# Player Position Shoots Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
9 Pascal Dupuis LW/RW L 2008   Laval, Quebec first
10 Gary Roberts – A LW L 2007   North York, Ontario second (1989)
11 Jordan Staal C L 2006   Thunder Bay, Ontario first
12 Ryan Malone LW L 1999   Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania first
17 Petr Sykora RW L 2007   Plzeň, Czechoslovakia fourth (2000, 2001, 2003)
18 Marian Hossa RW L 2008   Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia first
25 Maxime Talbot C/LW L 2002   LeMoyne, Quebec first
27 Georges Laraque RW R 2007   Montreal, Quebec second (2006)
28 Adam Hall RW/C R 2007   Kalamazoo, Michigan first
37 Jarkko Ruutu LW L 2006   Helsinki, Finland first
38 Jeff Taffe C/LW L 2007   Hastings, Minnesota first (did not play)
48 Tyler Kennedy C/RW R 2004   Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario first
71 Evgeni Malkin C L 2004   Magnitogorsk, Soviet Union first
87 Sidney Crosby – C C L 2005   Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia first

Detroit Red Wings

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Goaltenders
# Player Catches Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
30 Chris Osgood L 2005   Peace River, Alberta fourth (1995, 1997, 1998)
39 Dominik Hasek L 2006   Pardubice, Czechoslovakia fourth (1992, 1999, 2002)
Defencemen
# Player Shoots Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
3 Andreas Lilja L 2005   Helsingborg, Sweden first
5 Nicklas Lidstrom – C L 1989   Krylbo, Sweden fifth (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002)
14 Derek Meech L 2002   Winnipeg, Manitoba first (did not play)
22 Brett Lebda L 2004   Buffalo Grove, Illinois first
23 Brad Stuart L 2008   Rocky Mountain House, Alberta first
24 Chris Chelios R 1999   Chicago, Illinois fifth (1986, 1989, 1992, 2002;
(did not play)
28 Brian Rafalski R 2007   Dearborn, Michigan fourth (2000, 2001, 2003)
55 Niklas Kronwall L 2000   Stockholm, Sweden first
Forwards
# Player Position Shoots Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
11 Daniel Cleary LW/RW L 2005   Carbonear, Newfoundland first
13 Pavel Datsyuk – A C/LW L 1998   Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union second (2002)
17 Dallas Drake RW/LW L 2007   Trail, British Columbia first
18 Kirk Maltby RW/LW R 1996   Guelph, Ontario fourth (1997, 1998, 2002)
20 Aaron Downey RW R 2007   Shelburne, Ontario first (did not play)
25 Darren McCarty RW R 2008   Burnaby, British Columbia fifth (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002)
26 Jiri Hudler RW/LW/C L 2002   Olomouc, Czechoslovakia first
33 Kris Draper – A C L 1993   Toronto, Ontario fifth (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002)
37 Mikael Samuelsson RW R 2005   Mariefred, Sweden first
40 Henrik Zetterberg – A C L 1999   Njurunda, Sweden first
43 Darren Helm LW/C L 2005   St. Andrews, Manitoba first
51 Valtteri Filppula C L 2002   Vantaa, Finland first
82 Tomas Kopecky LW L 2000   Dubnica nad Váhom, Czechoslovakia first (did not play)
93 Johan Franzen LW L 2004   Vetlanda, Sweden first
96 Tomas Holmstrom RW L 1994   Piteå, Sweden fourth (1997, 1998, 2002)

Stanley Cup engraving

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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

Players

  Defencemen

Coaching and administrative staff

  • 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)

Stanley Cup engraving

  • † Detroit petitioned to have Derek Meech's name added to the Stanley Cup. The NHL agreed to have his name added. He only played 32 regular season, and did not play in the playoffs; Meech spent the entire season with Detroit.
  • 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 Finals).
  • 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.[17] Chris Osgood only missed the 2002 title.[18]
  • 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).
  • 1 played both center and wing.
  • 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.

Included on team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup

  • #44 Mark Hartigan (C – played 23 games, 4 playoff games of Detroit, 48 games in the minors) – was left off for the 2nd year in row for not playing in the last 2 rounds of the playoffs.
  • #52 Jonathan Ericsson (D – played 8 games for Detroit, 69 games in the minors),
  • #4 Kyle Quincey (D – played 6 games for Detroit, 66 games in the minors),
  • #35 Jimmy Howard (G – played 4 games for Detroit, 54 games in the minors),
  • #8 Justin Abdelkader (LW – 2 games for Detroit, 48 games for Michigan State University.),
  • #43 Mattias Ritola (LW – played 2 games for Detroit and 72 games in minors),
  • #46 Jakub Kindl (D – played 76 in minors, no games for Detroit),
  • 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.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Grupp, John (May 6, 2009). "Anthem singer fires up Mellon crowd". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  2. ^ Houston, William (May 21, 2008). "Broadcasters piecing together on-air rosters". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  3. ^ "Detroit Red Wings win Stanley Cup". CBC. June 4, 2008. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  4. ^ Molinari, Dave (May 26, 2008). "Moving forward: Therrien shuffles lines hoping to make a difference in game two". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
  5. ^ Anderson, Shelly (May 26, 2008). "Red Wings' Franzen will play tonight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on May 27, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
  6. ^ Kreiser, John (May 27, 2008). "Penguins hope home is where the wins are". NHL.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Rosen, Dan (May 28, 2008). "Cup winner Sydor jumps back into Pens lineup". PittsburghPenguins.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2008.
  8. ^ Molinari, Dave (May 31, 2008). "Sykora: Penguins face a must-win situation tonight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
  9. ^ "Sykora delivers on his called shot". CBC. June 3, 2008. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  10. ^ Coffey, Phil (June 2, 2008). "Penguins stay alive in triple OT". NHL.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  11. ^ Molinari, Dave (June 4, 2008). "Penguins again stare at elimination tonight at Mellon Arena". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  12. ^ "American television ratings rise for Stanley Cup final opener". NHL.com. May 25, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Vergara, Norman (May 29, 2008). "Stanley Cup game two's Ratings Outdo game one Figures". All Headline News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  14. ^ "Stanley Cup's game three beat NBA conference finals in Detroit ratings". Sports Illustrated. May 29, 2008. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  15. ^ "Stanley Cup finals ratings improve again". USA Today. June 3, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  16. ^ Seidman, Robert (June 5, 2008). "NHL Stanley Cup Finals: Best US Game Six Ratings in EIGHT Years". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  17. ^ "Kris Draper - Special Assistant to the General Manager". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  18. ^ "Stanley Cup Final Post-Game Notes, game six". NHL.com. June 5, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
Preceded by Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup champions
2008 		Succeeded by
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