In a final show of sportsmanship following one of the most exciting Stanley Cup Final series in recent memory, the Chicago Blackhawks are paying tribute to the city of Boston.

In a full-page open letter published Friday in the Boston Globe (view it here), Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz and President/CEO John McDonough said "thank you" to the Boston Bruins organization and the city of Boston.

The ad read as follows:

"Hockey is a tough game. As impressed as we were by the strength, talent and competitive spirit of the Boston Bruins on the ice, we were deeply touched by what happened off the ice. Rarely have we experience the hospitality you afforded us throughout the playoff series between two incredibly gifted teams.

Fresh off winning the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane will be a guest on "Late Show with David Letterman," on Wednesday (11:35 p.m. ET, CBS).

Kane tied for second among all players with nine goals and 19 points in 23 playoff games. He had three goals and an assist in the Cup Final against the Boston Bruins, including the game-winning goal in Game 5 to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 series lead.

Also scheduled for the show Wednesday are actor Jamie Foxx, musical guest Wale and a Top Ten List presented by The Backstreet Boys.

Bolland's winner on cover.
(Click to enlarge) Courtesy: SI

The Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup win Monday against the Boston Bruins will be rewarded with a regional cover of this week's edition of Sports Illustrated.

The team's remarkable come-from-behind 3-2 win against the Bruins in Game 6 of the Final showcases Dave Bolland's game-winning goal with 58.3 seconds left in regulation, 17 seconds after Bryan Bickell had tied the game.

The banner headline reads "First City," a play on Chicago's "Second City" nickname, and includes the cover line: Chicago's spectacular coda to a remarkable NHL postseason.

BOSTON -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw avoided a potential nightmare scenario in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.

With just over four minutes remaining in the first period, Bruins forward Shawn Thornton's shot deflected up and into Shaw's eye. The 21-year-old lay prone on the ice favoring his eye as blood poured onto the ice and the TD Garden crowd grimaced at replays of the injury.

Shaw quickly made his way to the Chicago dressing room, where he absorbed more stitches than he could keep track of before returning to the bench for the second period. He barely missed a shift.

BOSTON -- After the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012, they managed to retain their entire roster and much of their coaching staff for this season. One of their only defections was assistant coach Jamie Kompon, who left the Kings to join the Chicago Blackhawks.

A year later, Kompon is the only person who can claim the distinction of being a two-time defending Stanley Cup champion. The Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 Monday in Game 6 to wrap up the Final.

"We had a great team effort from the onset, working back with Joel [Quenneville] and [assistant coach Mike Kitchen]. 'Getting the band back together' as we called it," Kompon told NHL.com. "It was instant chemistry. That chemistry carried on with the team. They responded unbelievably. Their resilience and attitude, it was phenomenal."

BOSTON -- No team wins the Stanley Cup without injuries, but they rarely, if ever, disclose them while the ride is ongoing.

The Chicago Blackhawks' doctors and trainers were certainly busy throughout the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and coach Joel Quenneville revealed some of what they had to deal with shortly after Dave Bolland's goal in the final minute completed Chicago's historic come-from-behind 3-2 Cup-clinching win against the Boston Bruins in Game 6 Monday at TD Garden.

Quenneville said Marian Hossa was dealing with a bad back; Michal Handzus had injuries to his hand and knee; and Bryan Bickell, who scored the tying goal Monday, suffered a Grade 2 knee sprain at the end of the Western Conference Final against the Los Angeles Kings. All Quenneville would say about Jonathan Toews, who played in Game 6 after sitting out the third period of Game 5, is that "he got his bell rung, he was fine."

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara has a Norris Trophy, several All-Star Game appearances and a Stanley Cup championship on his resume. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound blueliner is widely regarded as the best shutdown defenseman in the NHL.

So that he was on the ice for 10 of the Chicago Blackhawks' last 12 goals over the course of the last three games of the Stanley Cup Final was a major shock. There had to be a physical reason for Chara's struggles.

Unfortunately, the hockey world will have to wait a couple of days to find out what was hampering Chara other than the Blackhawks' top line of Jonathan Toews, Bryan Bickell and Patrick Kane.

"I'm not thinking about my physical status. Sorry," Chara said after the Blackhawks defeated the Bruins, 3-2, at TD Garden on Monday in Game 6 of the Cup Final.

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins forward Jaromir Jagr left and returned to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

Jagr was one of three players to leave the game in the first period before trying to play then departing before returning again.

Jagr took four shifts and played 3:03 in the first period before adding a 32-second shift early in the second. He played briefly in the third period at finished with 6:27 of ice time.

The Blackhawks won their second Stanley Cup in four seasons with a 3-2 win.

BOSTON -- Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is playing in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins on Monday (NBC, CBC, RDS).

Toews scored for the Blackhawks 4:24 into the second period to tie the game 1-1.

He was held out of the third period in Game 5 on Saturday but took part in the morning skate Monday at TD Garden and pronounced himself fit for duty as the Blackhawks try to claim the Stanley Cup for the second time in four seasons.

"I feel great. I'm excited. There's no question about where I am physically," Toews said. "I think that was just the coaches being cautious, not letting me get back on the ice in the third period the other night. We got to the point where I was ready to go again. I'll be ready to go tonight."

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron is in the lineup for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on Monday (NBC, CBC, RDS), delivering on the confidence of his coach, Claude Julien, who said Monday morning Bergeron would be able to play.