Lightning vs Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- The Tampa Bay Lightning team that finished the Stanley Cup Final was not the same team that started it almost two weeks ago.

Goalie Ben Bishop played through a painful tear in his right groin, top scorer Tyler Johnson broke his right wrist early in the series, and Nikita Kucherov, who finished second on the Lightning in scoring, sustained an undisclosed injury in Game 5 that impacted him in Game 6, a 2-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks that ended Tampa Bay's season two wins short of the Stanley Cup.

"I think anybody will tell you that [if] you want to make a run like we made, the run Chicago made, you have to stay healthy," Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "That is the key. The margin of teams is so close. It's the healthy ones that seem to advance.

"I think we stayed somewhat healthy. Then down the stretch things started not going our way in that department. But we'll be the last team ever to say that's an excuse why we lost."

CHICAGO -- Kimmo Timonen's past opportunities to experience the thrill of winning a championship didn't turn out the way he wanted. This one erased all the disappointments.

When Patrick Kane scored to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 2-0 lead in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, it became clear Timonen was going to win the first championship of his career.

The weight of the moment caused Timonen to break down on the bench.

"I was crying a little bit," Timonen said moments after raising the Stanley Cup for the first time. "There were tears coming out of my eyes because I knew that it was going to be … two goals against this team, it was going to be hard to score. I knew we had a really good chance to win it."

The veteran defenseman previously played in the Stanley Cup Final with the Philadelphia Flyers against the Blackhawks, the Olympic final, the IIHF World Championship final, and the World Cup of Hockey final. He lost them all.

Timonen was a key piece of each of those teams that came as close to victory as possible without winning. On the Blackhawks, Timonen was a role player, getting limited minutes on defense and serving more as a morale booster on the bench and in the dressing room.

CHICAGO -- Patrick Kane picked three ways to describe Chicago Blackhawks teammate Marian Hossa.

"The ultimate hockey player, the ultimate teammate, the ultimate human being," Kane said between games of the Stanley Cup Final. "He's got everything."

Hossa will soon be given his third championship ring after helping the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup for the third time since 2010 on Monday at United Center, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 in Game 6.

The forward's credentials are enough to earn him the distinction as one of the greatest players in Blackhawks history. They're also enough to crown him the unquestioned king of hockey in Slovakia, according to fellow Slovak and Los Angeles Kings forward Marian Gaborik.

"I think so, definitely," Gaborik told NHL.com. "It means more for us, for fans and for the city [of Trencin, Slovakia], for his close people, but it obviously means a lot as well for Slovakia. Now he's got a third [Stanley Cup]. It's huge, definitely.

"People are big fans of his. Everybody roots for him."

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks long ago built the foundation for a roster capable of winning the Stanley Cup three times in six seasons.

Eight players won the Cup for a third time with the Blackhawks when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 in Game 6 of the Final at United Center on Monday. Five of those players were drafted by Chicago and six have been with the Blackhawks for at least seven seasons.

Through the roster upheavals the Blackhawks have endured, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson have remained, considered the core of the closest thing the NHL has seen to a modern dynasty.

The NHL Draft has been critical to Chicago's success. Twelve of the 25 players who appeared in at least one 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff game were drafted and developed by the Blackhawks.

CHICAGO -- Joel Quenneville isn't always the first name mentioned among the NHL's best coaches, but the coach of the Chicago Blackhawks bolstered his case after winning the Stanley Cup for the third time Monday.

After 18 seasons, Quenneville has an NHL coaching legacy few of his peers can match.

The 2-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at United Center is the latest jewel, but his collection of coaching gems is gaudy to say the least.

Quenneville is third in NHL regular-season wins (754) and Stanley Cup Playoff wins (115), trailing Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour in each category.

Nearly a month ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Mike Babcock to an eight-year contract reportedly worth $50 million, which made some wonder what Quenneville might be worth on the open market.

CHICAGO -- With no official guidelines for what a dynasty is, the debate about which teams belong in that category are often the topic of intense debate among fans.

"It's one of those things that makes great conversation," Hockey Hall of Fame center Bryan Trottier told NHL.com.

Trottier should know; he was a key player on one of the NHL teams universally called a dynasty. His New York Islanders won Stanley Cup four straight years, from 1980-83.

Those Islanders are joined by the Montreal Canadiens of 1970s, with four championships from 1976-79; and the Edmonton Oilers, with five championships from 1984-90. The Detroit Red Wings won three championships in six seasons (1997-98, 2002) and are labeled a dynasty in many hockey circles.

Where do these Chicago Blackhawks fit among hockey's greatest teams?

They have won the 2010, 2013 and the 2015 Stanley Cup. They clinched their third championship in the past six seasons with a Game 6 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Monday.

President Barack Obama used his Twitter account to show support for his hometown Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

Obama took to @BarackObama about an hour before Game 6 on Monday to tweet, "Let's. Go. Hawks," accompanied by a picture of First Lady Michelle Obama prior to the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Blackhawks and Washington Capitals.

The Stanley Cup made it through airport security this morning on its way to Chicago and United Center, where the Chicago Blackhawks can win it against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Final (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

The Blackhawks are trying to win the Cup at home for the first time since 1938, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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CHICAGO -- The Stanley Cup might be in the building at some point Monday night. It also might not be.

It's not a foregone conclusion that the Cup will enter United Center at any point during Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports). The score dictates its potential arrival.

The Lightning want to do everything they can to keep it out. The Blackhawks want to raise it up.

Here are three keys for each team in order to accomplish what they want to make happen:

CHICAGO -- Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov took the morning skate Monday and is probable for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday at United Center (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports), coach Jon Cooper said.

"Go in football terms; how do they go?" Cooper said when asked about Kucherov's status. "Probable. I'll go probable."

Kucherov handled the puck and took shots during the practice.

"I'm going to take warm-up and then it's up to coach if I play or not," Kucherov said after the skate.