From Both Sides
from Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times,
When the final horn of a unique, unpredictable season blared Wednesday night at Amalie Arena, tired legs hopped over the railing of the Lightning bench and Tampa Bay skated into hockey history.
The Lightning’s 1-0 win over the Canadiens in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final sealed a 4-1 series win and made Tampa Bay just the second team since the salary cap era began in 2005-06 to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, joining the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins.
Legacies like this are rare in today’s game. The cap keeps teams from being great year after year, but this Lightning team managed to stay together and achieved the improbable.
“No matter what happens from here on out, this group is going to be etched in history forever,” captain Steven Stamkos said.
The Lightning rebounded from a Game 4 loss in Montreal, making them the first team to win the Cup on home ice since 2015, when they had to watch the Blackhawks claim the championship in Chicago.
“We’ve been knocking at the door for so many years,” coach Jon Cooper said. “And now to be able to do it, back to back, and it kind of cements this group as … well, they’re special.”
continued
from Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette,...
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