|
Chicago Blackhawks: 4th Stanley Cup Finals berth
1999 2001 2003 2004
Alright, so the Chicago Blackhawks are back in the Stanley Cup Final again — that’s four times since ’99, second year in a row. They close out Dallas, 7-3, win the series 4 games to 2, and folks, this was not complicated. Chicago was the better team, period, end of story.
The key to this game? Defense. Chicago turns five double plays — five! That’s how you shut down an offense. Dallas never got into any kind of rhythm, every time they had a chance, Chicago wipes it out with another double play. That’s championship baseball right there — or hockey, whatever you wanna call it in this universe.
Now offensively, Nick Foligno was the guy. Four hits, four RBIs, two home runs — he was the difference. Ron Hextall, terrific, two bombs of his own. Bedard chipped in, as always. They got production up and down that lineup.
For Dallas, let’s be honest — they never got it going. Jabiri gets on base a couple of times, Grubin hits one out, and then in the ninth inning, George Costanza — yes, that Costanza — hits a meaningless two-run homer with two outs. Window dressing. The game was over, the series was over, Chicago had already booked their ticket to the Final.
So, Blackhawks move on, they’ll face the New York Rangers — we’ve seen this matchup before, it’s a heavyweight fight, two dynasties colliding again. You couldn’t ask for a bigger Stanley Cup Final.
That’s all she wrote for Dallas. Chicago advances, they were the better team, and now we get Chicago–New York for the Cup.
|