TAMPA -- The emotion poured out after the final horn. Nathan MacKinnon caught Erik Johnson in his arms after the Colorado Avalanche clinched the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 win in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on Sunday, then tackled Johnson to the ice.

TAMPA -- The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001 with a 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on Sunday.

TAMPA -- Steven Stamkos was emotional when he addressed the media after the Tampa Bay Lightning's quest for history had fallen just short.

The celebration is on. Officially.

TAMPA -- As kids, like most hockey-playing Canadians, Cale and Taylor Makar had won the Stanley Cup dozens and dozens of times. Their mini-sticks battles had ended in championships, in the Cup lofted, the celebration honed. It was never anything like this.

The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup for the third time in their history with a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on Sunday.

TAMPA -- Pat Maroon came up short in his attempt to win the Stanley Cup for the fourth straight season.

TAMPA -- Andrew Cogliano felt he needed to say something. 

Luke Richardson was hired as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

TAMPA -- Joe Sakic was rewarded with the ultimate payoff on Sunday after guiding the Colorado Avalanche through some dark days.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche, losing 2-1 in Game 6 of the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final on Sunday.

TAMPA -- Erik Johnson said he knew the potential plan for the Stanley Cup handoff from Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog for a while.

TAMPA -- Who played well in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final? Sometimes it's easy to tell, sometimes it isn't. NHL.com graded the players in the 2-1 victory by the Colorado Avalanche against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Sunday. The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup with a 4-2 victory in the best-of-7. Here are the players and trends that stood out the most.

The Colorado Avalanche won their third Stanley Cup championship with a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday.

A twin billing could headline the Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2022 that will be revealed Monday.

Greg Rajanen will retire as a full-time scout for NHL Central Scouting at the end of this scouting season after 10 years of service.

For the first time since 2019, the Tampa Bay Lightning were congratulating someone else for winning the Stanley Cup.

The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Sunday.

After winning the 2022 Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche let out a sigh of relief.

And one big gasp.

DENVER -- Most of the capacity crowd inside Ball Arena was on its feet chanting "We want the Cup" with three minutes left in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday, their eyes affixed to the massive video screen above center ice.

Barry Trotz will not coach in the NHL next season, saying he's certain he's not in a position to give the time and commitment required to do any job to his standard.

Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Newhook kept his own blog throughout the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He checked in regularly with behind-the-scenes access.

In his final entry, Newhook discusses winning the Stanley Cup, the first for the Avalanche in 21 seasons, after a 2-1 victory against the Lightning in Game 6 at Amalie Arena on Sunday.

He talks about the excruciating wait for the game to end while Colorado nursed a one-goal lead, the pride in winning it for the veterans on the team and to be able to celebrate with friends and family, as well as his excitement to bring the trophy to his hometown of St. John's, Newfoundland, during the offseason.

On the night the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, their baseball counterparts shared a little supportive karaoke.

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The first round will be July 7 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are July 8 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at the top-eligible North American goalies in a Q&A with Al Jensen of NHL Central Scouting. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles the making of "Out of the Stands," a documentary that chronicles the story of Canadians of South Asian heritage in hockey.

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The first round will be July 7 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are July 8 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, we examine what a redo of the 2002 NHL Draft might look like. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

It's been just more than 10 months since New York Rangers legend Rod Gilbert died, claimed by cancer Aug. 19. There are many mementos that his wife, Judy, thinks of, but she finds that she returns to three most often.

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. In this special Stanley Cup Playoffs edition, we feature Florida Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who finished tied for second in the NHL with 115 points and led the League with 85 assists this season.

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The first round will be July 7 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are July 8 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at forward Danil Zhilkin of Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here. 

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The first round will be July 7 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are July 8 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at the some of the top skaters in the Ontario Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.