John Romano | The Lightning beat Dallas 2-0 in Game 6 Monday night to win the Stanley Cup after six years of near-misses and disappointments.
Wriiten content by John Romano via the the Tampa Bay Times
The Lightning’s quest for the Stanley Cup seemed interminable and, at times, this season has felt endless. Perhaps it is fitting that 2020 will now live forever in Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay beat Dallas 2-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final on Monday night, ending a chase that has alternated from exhilarating to exasperating and back again.
“You wear the bumps, you wear the bruises, you wear the heartache, you wear the feelings, you wear it on your sleeve and it keeps you up at night. But it also drives you,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “The fear of losing almost becomes greater than the joy of winning. And we were not going to be denied.”
When it was over, and the grail was won, Lightning players shed their sticks, gloves and demons simultaneously on the ice. They arrived together in front of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy’s net, and embraced in a whirling, leaping hug.
Yes, the wait is finally over. For a group of players who have been stalking the Cup since 2015, and for a community of fans accustomed to late-season heartbreak. The Lightning have been the winningest franchise in the NHL for the past half-dozen seasons, and now they have the trophy that finally validates their blood, sweat and careers.
And later, after commissioner Gary Bettman’s presentation in front of bursts of fire on ice, they took turns, one by one, to skate slow circles with the Stanley Cup held aloft.
“I never in my dreams thought that I would win the Stanley Cup,” said defenseman Victor Hedman, who also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. “It’s a dream. It’s so unrealistic. It’s what you dream of when you play on the streets back home when you’re growing up.” Read more from Tampa Bay Times.
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